The first episode of Patari’s new series, Fanoos is here! For those of you who don’t know, Patari and Zohaib Kazi have collaborated with musicians all over Pakistan to produce a six-episode series called Fanoos. The unique thing about Fanoos is that the musicians featured on the show are from remote areas of Pakistan which don’t usually make it to mainstream media. The series aims to uncover a musical Pakistan that has never been heard before.
For instance, the first episode, titled the ‘Gulmit Anthem’ features the young men and women of the Bulbulik Heritage Centre Gulmit which lies in the middle of the Gojal Valley of Gilgit. It is a safe space for the youth of the region to get together to sing, dance and work to preserve their native Wakhi/Pamirian language. Zohaib travelled to the Bulbulik School and together with these young students recorded and produced this track.
Something Haute got in touch with the musician to talk about how the idea for the series came about. After working as an associate producer for Coke Studio for seven years, Zohaib revealed that he wanted to go out and discover the rest of Pakistan by escaping the bubble that is Karachi.
“I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and take up a challenge,” he said. “I wanted to explore and find stories, experience their organic process and capture their raw essence.” Kazi describes his journey as an “urban eye looking to for its roots”. He said it all got decided in one night when he met the Patari boys at the Lahooti festival in Hyderabad. “We decided that we wanted to partner up and do something progressive.”
He also shared that working with these kids was an absolutely refreshing experience for him. “Their energy and drive in their own safe space was what gave me a new perspective on the idea of music,” he concluded.
Personally, we absolutely love the song as it’s very distinct and does more than just entertain us; it’s educative as well. Have a listen and let us know what you think:
http://patari.pk/home/song/Fanoos-The-Gulmit-Anthem-Students-Of-Bulbilik
