Currently the biggest band in Pakistani pop Faisal and Bilal - the band duo - at churning out good music.

That’s what the music of the Pakistani band Strings is all about

Currently the biggest band in Pakistani pop, Strings has had a tumultuous history of disbanding and then reuniting. What hasn’t changed is the consistency of Faisal and Bilal — the band duo — at churning out good music.

“Music happened as a hobby, not a profession. We first met in college in Karachi. After producing two successful albums, we disbanded to continue our studies. We completed our studies, got married, and then got back together after more than seven years,” says Faisal.

Hoooo… Channo ki aankh mein ik nasha hai. I thought I heard someone sing…dang, you hear it too, don’t you?

Resonating throughout Pakistan, USA, UK, and all around the world for that matter, the sudden Channo-mania has caused quite a hullabaloo, uproar, and frenzy. The man behind the mania, whose voice is often compared to Kishore Kumar’s, is none other than, painter/model/singer, Monsieur Ali Zafar.

We had a chance to meet up with Ali Zafar, who was in Karachi for a couple of days. Sammy kept singing, Ke huqqa paani…

“Arg! It’s stuck in my head!” Sammy hollered.

After making an impact with the international audience with his moving score for Leela, Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh is all set to make a grand comeback to film music – with four new projects with different filmmakers. After the phenomenal success of Leela, producers are approaching Jagjit to score music for their films. Finally, it seems like Bollywood has woken up and is giving his music the kind of recognition it deserves. Leela, starring Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia and Deepti Naval, captivated audiences with its melodious numbers including a strumming guitar in the background, a typical Jagjit touch. Leela is his first film venture in nearly two decades.

Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan performed in Geneva and in the “Pakistan House”, the residence of the Ambassador of Pakistan Bern, Switzerland.

This is the third consecutive year that the Swiss Pakistan Society has invited Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan to Switzerland for concert tours. On 5 April 2004 the Ambassador of Pakistan, H.E. Mrs Fauzia Abbas, and the Swiss Pakistan Society hosted a concert at the Ambassador’s residence. It was a selected audience of Ambassadors of the friendly nations to Pakistan and high ranking officials of the Swiss government. Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan captured the audience with a classical Tarana followed by Thumri, Sufi Kafi and Ghazals. He concluded the concert with a powerful Dhamal. Many guests were appeared to be taken by it and some admitted that the music has gone through them and deeply touched them.

Jagjit Singh has always commanded a fantastic following. And what better way to please his fans than releasing his biography? Yes, the ghazal maestro has decided to go the way of celebrities like MF Hussain and many others. The result is a beautiful, pictorial biography titled Beyond Time, which details the life of this renowned ghazal artiste and his family. It also speaks about his albums, his music for films and his work for television serials.