Adil Najam
Let me repeat something I wrote last year: Rohail Hyatt’s Coke Studio is one of the best things that has happened to Pakistan music in a long time. Needless to say, I remain a big fan. Arieb Azhar’s Husn-i-Haqiqi is something that still mesmerizes me every time I listen to it: and I listen to it every time I can. The big hit from this year’s (Season 3) Coke Studio is Arif Lohar’s (with Meesha Shafi) singing Jugni: “Alif Allah Chambay di Booti“
This is an absolutely captivating song from Coke Studio. In many ways this may be the ultimate Coke Studio song. Like so many other Coke Studio productions, but maybe more than most others this song would just not have happened this way were it not for Rohail Hyatt and Coke Studio. The fusion is not just in the instrumentation, the composition and the set, it is in every sound and every placement of emphasis of the song. It remains Arif Lohar’s song to its core, but it would just not have been the same without Meesha Shafi. For all of this one has to thank Arif, Meesha, and of course Rohail.
But in some ways, we must also thank – and remember – Alam Lohar with this song. I have been meaning to write about Alam Lohar for a long time (and let me say, that I still owe him that post). In essence, Alam Lohar was the ultimate showman. A giant in a generation of great folk artists (here, here, here). And the Jugni was one of his signature songs.
I must confess that I have never ever heard anyone sing the Jungni without Alam Lohar’s (Arif’s father, for those who may bot have guessed) sound track playing at the back of my head. For those who are unfamiliar with the great showmanship of that soundtrack, here is a dusty glimpse. The quality is not that good – one just wonders what Alam Lohar could have done in Coke Studio! – but the mastery is all too evident.
If Alam Lohar was alive today, I am sure he would agree that his son has done him proud!
@Dr. Haq
Aapkay comments say aankhon ko thandak aur klaeejay ko sakoon mila
Thanks God after centuries, our ummah discovered the fine methods of inquisition that only Christian history was proud off for so many years. We are proud of not only inventing various ingenious ways of defining who is muslim and who is not but also to send the other haramis to the place they belong i.e either jahannum or to a political asylum to the place of kaana dajjal that is the western world. Music, respect and self and others, common sense and making life good for others have no place in the land of the pure. They are tools of Shaitan and every good Muslim should try to save him and his family from it…Ameen.
Good music!
I also liked the Nostalgic response.
If this was played in the discotheque I would danced to it all night long. If she (the babe) runs(which they normally do) to join me, she would learn that my perfect moves are because of my eastern influence.
Unfortunately some doctors are not exposed to the real world. What a pity.
Thank you Allah for giving us an opportunity to loose extra
calories by dancing.
@Nostalgic,
nice, funny response.
Beutiful music. I do not understand all the words because I do not speak Punjabi, but the sound captures you.
Mubarakbad. You do as proud, as usual.
I noticed you have also aded the “ATP 4 Years Ago” button on the middle column. I always look at these every day because it is fun to travel back to what we were talking about 1, 2, 3, 4 years ago… sometimes it looks like it was a totally different world then!