VELO Sound Station breathes new life in Pakistan’s pop scene
By Aijaz Hussain
The VELO Sound Station is the newest and as called out by some of the pop funkies, the ‘coolest’ addition in the digital music platform which is awakening the spirits of the fans in Pakistan’s current Pop music fiesta it is hosting.
The music is being produced by the vastly experienced Bilal Maqsood, who is considered, in association with his band, Strings, as one if the pioneers of pop music culture in the country.
Apart from the supremely talented pop artists that are being featured, and their ground shaking performances, the pop music fanatics in Pakistan are being blown away by the visual artistry and the production quality that are on show in these episodes. Needless to say, the glittering and colorful transitioning of lights in the background overlapped with eye-catching graphics that fill in the spaces between these musical acts, further lifts up the mood of the viewers and in accordance, keeps them engaged.
The first episode of the Velo Sound Station showcased Atif Aslam, Umair Jaswal and Natasha Noorani. Umair Jaswal with his strong vocals and dynamic presence, rocked the stage with the remake of Alamgir’s ‘Gagar.’
Up next, was Natasha Noorani’s ‘Baby Baby’, which is considered by critics to be the best of the three beats. Her soothing voice coupled with her style and elegance and the overall brilliant composition given to the song by Bilal Maqsood made it truly outshine the other two singles.
Which brings us to the last performance of this show, that of Pakistan’s heartthrob, the evergreen Atif Aslam. Although his track, ‘Kaddi te Hans’, was not received with much admiration, his husky voice combined with the melodic sync at the end managed to make the song a pleasant listen.
The second episode which aired on the 27th November, featured Aima Baig, Shamoon Ismail and the imperial Strings Band in all their magnificence. The distinct element in this episode was the fact that all three tracks were originals. Though Aima Baig’s ‘Te Queiro Mucho’ and Strings’ ‘Pyar ka rog’ received positive response from the audience, it was Shamoon Ismail’s ‘Confetti’ which was configured as the pick of the episode. It carried the signature and trippy vibe that is present in the artist’s other songs which made the listeners’ feet tap along with the music.
Sara Haider and Uzair Jaswal’s hearty ‘Mere dil ne’, Abdullah Qureshi’s soulful ‘Tu Aaja’ and then a complete polarization in the tracks in the form of Meesha Shafi’s powerpack remake of Nazia Hassan’s 1980 classic ‘Boom Boom’ were the forefronts in the third epsidode. The duo of Sara Haider and Uzair Jaswal received the better part of the praises as the voices of both the artists combined with the soothing composition of the instruments in the back took its listeners to a different paradigm.
Fans await the release of the fourth episode which is expected to be aired on 11th December. The prospects seem high for this episode as well, with Nighat Choudhary and Sajjad Ali next up in the line to grace the stage with their presence and performances.
The Velo Sound Station is one of the components which promises to revive the Pop music industry in Pakistan. The digital music platform has proved that there is no shortage of talent in terms of musical artistry in the nation. It can be said that such forums carry the fundamental task of bringing the music scene to new heights; and so far, the Velo Sound Station has been successful in achieving this feat.
