[ STRINGS INTERVIEW - BAND BAJA ORGANIZATION ]

Bilal: It was a very conscious decision for us to come back. We disbanded two months after the Sharjah concert in October ’92. Faisal had to go back to the US, I to university, the rest of the guys had their own family businesses to run, one of them was going to get married and he was under a lot of family pressure. We had thought that after two years, we’d start the band again. But it didn’t work out.

Do you think Strings would have still been around had that happened?

Faisal: It’s hard to say because it’s been 12 years now and it’s been a long time. If we were still doing music I think we might not have been there because in 12 years, maybe you make 4-5 albums. It’s hard to say, but it’s good that we took that decision.

Bilal: Merey khayal mai humare creative juices bhi totally khatam ho chuke hote. We’d have been totally burned out by now and woh nazar aaraha tha.

Plus, it would have been difficult to survive with the ban on music on TV.

Bilal: Yeah, that was the bad patch of Pakistani music and whoever survived through it - hats off to them. Like Haroon, Fakhir and Junoon survived it, but Vital Signs couldn’t make it through that. We’re very lucky that we skipped that patch and we came back in 2000.

When you came back as a duo, did you ask the earlier Strings members to join?

Bilal: The day we decided to come back we gave both of them a call that this is what we’re planning, because Faisal and I had already decided that we were going to do it seriously now. One of them said that he’s done and through with it. Rafiq, the guy who used to play keyboards with us came, we were even working on some songs, but then he left too, saying that he had too much pressure on him.

Faisal: I think that was the main reason it took us to long to come back because we were trying from 1995-96, we were actually planning to get together but the four of us all meeting up, we’d jam one day and be away for the next four months so that was the main problem. But when the both of us decided that we have to do it, it was just the both of us. So, it was much easier to actually co-ordinate and do everything.

Bilal: At that time, we really used to depend heavily on Rafiq because he was the one who used to arrange the music, and I used to compose it, and I didn’t think that anyone could do that besides him. But when we got together in 2000, we decided that we just had to do it.

How would you describe the process of evolution of Strings’ sound - from Strings1 to Dhaani?

Faisal: Well, when we started out we had all sorts of genres – from rock to rap to pop – there were all sorts of songs in those albums because we were young and everything. But when we got together and said that this is it, we’re going to take it seriously now, we were more mature because we’d been through a lot of experiences. But with Duur – it was what I call a completely studio album, because woh humne aik band kamrey mai beth ke banai thee and we had no idea what music was being done in the Pakistani music scene, which is why I think that the album sounded so different than anything we’d ever done before.

Bilal: Dhaani, on the other hand, was composed while we were on tour. When we used to play songs from Duur at concerts, people would enjoy the songs and come up and say ‘ke bohat achi awaz hai’ etc but we didn’t see any energy. And Dhaani was made with that thought in mind, that we wanted to make songs that when we performed them, we’d actually see a response from the audience. While Duur had some very different tracks like Khirki and Kuch to Hogaya, Dhaani was more of a happy album.

Also, with our music, it’s not something you’d like at the first listen...it grows on you.

What is the Strings’ song writing process – you have Zehra Nigah and Anwar Maqsood (Bilal’s father) writing the lyrics?

Bilal: Well what happens is that I compose all the tracks using the guitar and then I call Faisal and we figure out the song to keep it in tune with his voice. Faisal gives his input as well. After the songs are done its then onto the studio which is a very long process.

When we first started out as Strings, we used to write all our songs. But when we started work on Duur we realized that while our songs had some really good melodies, the lyrics weren’t strong enough to go with them. So I asked abbu ke aap kuch likh dein, and we explained the concept behind the song. Even then we do give our input so that the song stays in tune with the concept… for example in Najaney Kyun...if there were 4 other lines before the Najaney kyun... najaney kyun chorus the emphasis would shift from the central theme.

Does the music you listen to during the time of composing, influence the sort of music you write?

Faisal: No... because if you make music keeping in mind what’s being done these days, by the time the album comes out it will all be overdone because woh sab music to ho chuka hoga. I think that’s why Dhaani and Duur both sounded very different, because we didn’t keep in mind what was happening in the music scene.

Describe your production process and how much input does the band have in production?

Bilal: It’s a very long process – we’re very involved with whatever happens in the studio. We have so many people working with us, like Iyzak, and Faizi has played on the album too...

Faisal: And Shallum.

Bilal: Who I think isn’t very happy with that… I read the Bandbaja interview (http://www.bandbaja.org/issues/008/coverstory/).

Well during the production process my job is more of someone who is overlooking the entire process, I make sure everyone’s on the right track because people have different influences and what the person recording is listening to at that time does influence him, like Iyzak or Shallum may be listening to something different and so I get them back on track. The reason why I don’t play guitars myself on our album is because I feel my playing isn’t as clean enough as it should be in the studio, and I feel that when the composers/guitarists themselves are playing on the album they get so involved in the minutest of technicalities that they tend to lose sight of the big picture, of the song itself. My job is to make the final product sound good, not just the guitars.

You chose Babar Shaikh to make the video for Sohniye. How was the experience of working with him? And was there a reason for not working with Jami on that one?

Faisal: There was a time when we were doing three videos simultaneously, and a single director couldn’t do all three. Jami was doing Dhaani, we had to do a second song; Sohniye, so we chose Babar Shaikh and then Sohail Javed did Bolo Bolo.

Bilal: I think Babar Shaikh did a very decent job because there’s nothing much in the song really.

Bilal, you directed the video for Maula (by Vital Signs) which was an excellent video. But we haven’t seen you return to the direction scene. Any plans to work on more projects?

Bilal: I directed Maula, and then I did Junaid Jamshed’s Us Rah Par. I was working for Pyramid and I got busy with commercials and TV shows, and then Faisal came back and we started work on the album. No, I don’t plan to return to it, I’m having too much fun doing this.

What’s the next video you have lined up?

Faisal: Bolo Bolo, which Sohail Javed has directed, and now we’re deciding whether to do Mera Bicchra Yaar or Kahani Mohabbat Ki.


Tours and Performing Live

How did it feel performing at the Royal Albert Hall at the Rivers of the Indus show?

Faisal: Royal Albert Hall is a great venue but every concert gives you a different feeling because there’s a different crowd and of course there were so many big names that had earlier performed on that stage on which we were performing and over four thousand people were there including Mr. Musharraf so it was definitely a good feeling. Every venue has a different value.

Bilal: I think I’ve enjoyed smaller concerts more. That venue has its own value, but its not like (puts on false bravado air) “Royal Albert Hall hai to…”. Its not that there aren’t any concerts there, it’s just that they ask for a lot of money. Paise hain to karalo book.

It was very well organized. The arrangements and the hotel accommodation etc were good.

Faisal: The best part was that it was good to see a Pakistani show outside Pakistan that was very organized and well designed. Usually, that doesn’t happen if you see a Pakistani show, especially in the US if you go to a Pakistani show – it’s complete chaos.

Bilal: Even in the UK. It was a show on international standards; otherwise Royal Albert Hall was just okay.

Smaller shows are nice – I went to this concert of yours at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and it was a lot of fun.

Faisal: At that show – were the vocals live?

The vocals and guitars were.

Faisal: All the guitars and keyboards, they’re all live…only the drums and bass aren’t. That was our previous set-up and still remains to be. We’ve been playing with this set-up since we started out.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to?

Bilal: When I started buying cassettes that was in the early 80s…otherwise I’d listen to Abbu’s collection of Indian filmi music.

Faisal: Very similar, lekin shuru mai woh 8-9 years to music zyada sunna hi nahi, jo ghar mai Indian gaanay chalte they wohi sunta tha…in English music; Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tears of Fears, Bruce Springsteen, Sting. Then I started listening to old classical music and now I really enjoy that. Now, aisa nahi hai ke I make a point to go and buy a particular album, whatever’s there, I like to listen to anything that’s good.

What do you do in your free time to unwind?

Bilal: I spend time at home...or I paint.

Faisal: I don’t really get much free time… [looks at Bilal] lucky you!

From all the songs you’ve written, do you have a particular one you like?

Faisal: Mujhe second album ke bohat se gaaney pasand hain, unfortunately now the album is not available; Raaz Jo, Palkein Teri, Jab Bhi Mai Tujhko...


Spiderman

There’s been so much written about Strings and Spiderman 2; but what I really want to know is: how did it feel?!

Faisal: Kuch cheezein hoti hain jo aap apne career mai sirf soch sakte hain ke haan we’ll do this someday, or we need to get here in a year or two year’s time, we’d never thought of this. If you ever think, that you’ll be featured on the soundtrack of an English movie – hmm, okay but Spiderman 2 – that was too big for us. Hum nai kabhi socha bhi nahi tha.

What was your initial reaction?

Bilal: Initial reaction was ke bas hojaye, ab bolo nahi, baat hi nahi karo! It happens that if you talk about something too much it doesn’t happen. We didn’t even discuss it among ourselves, until everything was finalized. The video was made, then we started talking among ourselves, but we didn’t even tell our family members that we’re involved with Spiderman 2.

Faisal: The video was made and everything, but it had to be given a final approval by Sam Raimi. The director has all the rights to be finicky about such stuff. Kaheen woh atak gayi to...that was the last thing.

Bilal: We were in Bombay at that time, and when it was done we then told our families and everyone that we’ve done a song for Spiderman 2.

Did they choose Najaney Kyun themselves?

Faisal: They asked us to make a song, but they heard this song – Dhaani hadn’t been released in India as yet, but they got hold of the album and heard the song Najaney Kyun and they thought it was the perfect song for the movie.


Future

What's up for the upcoming album, if plans have begun?

Bilal: No, we’re not working on a new album right now… until I feel that I have completely gotten out of the whole Dhaani thing, I won’t start work on the next album. A few days back I told Faisal that I think I can compose the entire album in a few days, but when I got down to it, it just wouldn’t come.

What does the future of the music industry with the current advances in media and medium have in store for us?

Faisal: I think you should have control in your own hands, because the media might not be as strong tomorrow, or other things may not be present, so in order to survive, the band should have control in their hands all the time because its possible that all the things we have now may not be present or may be lessened.

How do you think popular music will evolve in the next decade or so? As in, it was Rock and Roll/R&B in the 50's, 60's with the Big Band sound, a harder version of rock in the 70's with completely different instrumentation, glam in the 80's and so on...

Bilal: Let’s not talk about the West because they are way ahead of us and we can’t even think about what people will be listening to there. But in Pakistan I think we’ll see all genres of music evolving. People are becoming stars overnight – like Ali Zafar and Jal.

Do you think channels like Indus Music and The Musik have helped the music scene advance? And do you think that there should be some kind of a policy to promote quality music only?

Faisal: Right now there shouldn’t be, because agar aap sirf quality cheezein dikhaein ge, to aap ko nayi cheezein pata chalti hain, jo bohat saara aik lot aata hai ussi mai se do teen cheezein nikalti hain, to aap ko pata kaise chalega?

Bilal: Who is to judge quality? The people sitting there at music channels? They don’t know anything about it. Agar woh judge karne beth jaayein, to jo quality ka chalta bhi hai woh bhi band hojayega.

Faisal: But I think they’re doing a good job right now, they’re picking the right people. Everyday 20 videos are released and they’ve vanished the next day.

Bilal: Lekin unhi videos mai se koi achi cheez nikalti hai... jaise Jal etc.

You went on record as saying you weren’t pleased with the way the organizers of the Lux Style Awards treated the Pakistani artists…

Faisal: To be very honest, we were not the ones who said that Pakistani artistes were treated very well, they wanted us to say that “Pakistani artistes were not treated well...do you agree?” So our thing was the whole event wasn’t organized well – the way we were put up in the hotel and the restrictions we had, that was very mismanaged, its not that we were comparing…if you looked at the posters they had not mentioned any Pakistani performer…there was a lot of stuff like this which was very bad.

Bilal: I think through out it we were kept in the dark. Till a day before we were supposed to take off we were under the impression that we were to be paid – and when we asked where’s the money (but) they had no idea. Then we found out that there were 4-5 agencies involved.

We called the organizers (and) they said the ad agency is handling it, the agency said Levers is handling it, when we called Levers they said we don’t know anything, call the Sony people. We were like “what’s this?” And there was actually no one in charge.

Khair, we went as a goodwill thing, and then we all thought that it was a five star (hotel) stay which it was not by any means. We were given the answer that everyone’s staying here – uss se kya hota hai? Then we found out that tickets were being sold in the lobby; we asked that if tickets are being sold why aren’t we getting paid? Then they wanted us to sing more songs and we had been told that we would have to lip sync – apparently only Sonu Nigam was allowed to bring his band – so we told them to ask Sonu to sing more songs instead.

Faisal: For TV shows we do lip sync and its okay because you’ve called people for free, but where the audience has bought a ticket to come to see us; we’re totally against it. Why would someone who’s bought a ticket want to see anyone lip sync? There were a lot of reservations.

What did you think about the recent Indus Music awards?

Bilal: We weren’t here so we really can’t say anything. And we don’t even consider awards to be so important. But in the past year there were only two albums that did really well – Dhaani and Huqa Pani – and Dhaani wasn’t even nominated in the Best Album category. When our record label called up IM and asked them why they didn’t nominate us, they said “woh awards mai aaye nahi”. So will only those people be awarded who went there?