Shaheer Ahmed
Mikaal Hasan’s solo project, Rivayat, seeks for and promotes local artists that have ties to many traditional music genres. It will be released in an episodic format.
“Rivayat captures a range of traditional music styles from classical to folk to semi-classical, including qawwali, thumri, ghazal and instrumentals. Together as a body of music, this collection truly highlights the stories and the music of the people who have created it and whose history is subsumed in this music.”
The whole music business was stunned by the news that the Digital Fidelity studio had burned down last summer. The location that had formerly served as the starting point for newcomers like Atif Aslam and Noori had become a memory of the past.
However, the creative force behind Mekaal Hasan Band and some of the best-produced masterpieces of Pakistani music, is ready to return to tradition. One of the few works that made it through the massive fire was the Rivayat series, which is now fully prepared and polished for release online.
“For years I have been recording and putting together a catalogue of music and artists that truly represent Pakistan’s mass taste. They are not musicians you are going to see on a big platform but those who can make an instant connection with the audience.”
The music on Mikaal Hasan’s release spans generations of musicians as well as fresh talent that the maestro uncovered for this undertaking. According to the press release, the album includes well-known performers like the Niazi Brothers (Javed and Babar Niazi, sons of the illustrious Tufail Niazi), as well as more recent musicians like the Manwa Sisters, a trio, and Wahdat Rameez and Asad Abbass, among others.
Thus, the series includes both solo performances of songs and joint works with other musicians from around the world.
