This is what happens when some of the biggest names in music come together! This is an experiment that Ahsan Bari wasn’t sure about in the beginning, but him, and other like minded individuals of the music fraternity, decided to try something new, resulting in 4 hours of non-stop electronic fusion music.
Electro Symphony recently took place at the Regent Plaza, an unconventional venue for a concert. But then again, this was an unconventional concert to begin with. The name ‘Electro Symphony’ can shed some light on what the concert was all about. The organizers of this show, the Tribal Media Group, decided to create a new kind of electronica fusion music, which is why the two different genres came together and could be seen collaborating on stage. Zoe Viccaji and Sounds of Kolachi (SOK) performed alongside electronic music producers Faisal Baig and Bilal Brohi, making Electro Symphony an incredible initiative, one we wish to see more of. While Zoe chose to deliver two covers, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and Nazia Hassan’s Boom Boom, SOK delivered two of their original tracks. There were further celebrity sightings as well, with Omran Shafique also featuring with Sounds of Kolachi, as well as Faraz Anwer who is now a permanent member of SOK.
However, there were some complaints. For instance, there were issues with the sound quality, a problem many live shows face nowadays. The music overpowered the vocals, which ended up in people not being able to listen to the singers properly. Which is a pity because Zoe is a great live performer as she has a powerful voice as well as an appealing presence on stage. Even Ahsan Bari’s troupe, Sounds of Kolachi, boasts a large number of vocalists, including Bari himself.
Ahsan Bari is a powerful producer as well as a performer. Everyone loves watching him and his antics on stage!
Also, the venue could have easily accommodated nearly 1000 people, but roughly 300 people could be seen in the audience. I can’t say for sure why the turnout was lower than expected, it could be simply because of the location. Had this concert taken place in Arts Council, for instance, the turnout might have been better
Electro Symphony is a step in the right direction regardless of the number of attendees because it’s encouraging the music industry. It brought together two different genres and audiences under one roof. And a live show is always appreciated in Karachi. “I’m extremely happy. We got to do what we love, we played music.”
