REPORT
What is Coke Studio ’ s identity now , and does it matter ?
The holy grail in the modern entertainment business is to fi nd something that generates both critical and commercial success . And for a long time - over the past ten years or so - Coke Studio has assumed that mantle in Pakistan . Of course , calling it a commercial success ignores the very post-modern reality of the show , as it is pretty much a commercial in itself . The company that bankrolls the show buys up all the airtime and media space to run the show , and no real fi nancial stake exists for the consumers . Nevertheless , Coke Studio has entrenched itself as the highpoint of the Pakistani musical calendar . In terms of its impact , anecdotal evidence would seem to suggest that its popularity has remained consistent . However , critically , a question emerged after the end of season six - one that should have been answered by now . As most people know , season six was the fi nal season produced by Rohail Hyatt , the show ’ s creator . That season had been wildly ambitious , involving musicians from across the world and representing perhaps the next evolutionary leap within Rohail ’ s musical expression for the show . Rohail ’ s vision , to reduce it to a sentence , was to base contemporary sounds on the structure of eastern classical music , and in the process make the latter more accessible and vibrant to mainstream audiences . Once he left and the band Strings were introduced as his replacement , the obvious question was this : what identity and direction were they going to bring to the show ? Season Seven was largely similar to previous iterations of the show , and it seemed that it was yet to fi nd its own identity . Most songs stuck to the folk and classical theme , and featured were a mix of highly renowned artists like Abida Parveen and Niazi Brothers ; established musicians like Abbas Ali Khan and Sajjad Ali ; and new faces like Usman Riaz , Naseer & Shahab and Jimmy Khan . In Season Eight , Strings announced their intention to include more fi lm music , an interesting new development for the show . Ali Zafar and Sara Haider ’ s ' Aye Dil ' was closest to that vision , but the breakout hit for the season – and arguably the show ’ s biggest in four seasons – came via the qawwali , ' Tajdar-e-Haram ' performed by Atif Aslam . There were fewer unknown musicians in the roster , with
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Malang Party perhaps the most underground . Season Nine saw a radical change , as a range of ‘ music directors ’ were introduced to the show , with Strings to assume overall control . The majority of featured artists were returning to the show , and even amongst the newcomers there weren ’ t any underground acts . Moreover , the choice of directors marked a fi rm change away from a classical sound to a more resolutely pop / rock one . There has also been a steady focus on duets , with seven of the nine songs released so far featuring two vocalists , with some couplings feeling more forced than inspired . At the moment , it seems that rather than one particular direction , the show ’ s sound has become the mean of its sum . This isn ’ t to say that it sounds average , but it isn ’ t clear where the show is meant to go . Is it going to be the sort of show that promotes only a certain type of music , or one that introduces new artists ? Neither seem to be the goal at the moment , suggesting it can be something simpler , like the most popular Pakistani music show . It ’ s not a very complex vision , but given the show ’ s continued relevance , perhaps it doesn ’ t have to be . Patari Countdown review As always , let me end the column by taking a look at the charts of Pakistani songs on patari . pk . As expected , Coke Studio dominates the charts , with four of the top fi ve songs and seven out of twenty in the charts . A surprise contender battling it in the charts is the soundtrack of Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai ( ZKHH ), another suggestion that Coke Studio ’ s biggest challenge won ’ t come from new shows or bands as much as fi lm soundtracks . ZKHH also has seven songs in the charts , with ' Ali Ali ', my personal favourite in an album full of catchy , low-calorie songs . Two relatively well-known artists have songs out in these charts that both have absolutely stunning videos . Asrar ’ s ' O Mastanay ' has the more compelling lyrics , while the pleasingly groovy Zoe song ' Ho Jao Azaad ' has the better video . And those who didn ’ t get their QB fi x in the Coke Studio song can check out ' Pyar Wyar ', her self-penned song with Noori . FYI : At the moment , it isn ’ t clear where the show is meant to go ...