PALAK DOSHI
Strumming Music in The Valley of Silence , Kashmir ' s Music Scene Is Waiting to Be Heard .
They say , the more you ’ re suppressed , the more you absorb when let free the louder your roar . In the aftermath of the abolition of Article 370 , Kashmir was put under a complete shutdown that lasted for more than a year . Post which an overlong siege was followed by an extended lockdown due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 . Under such grim circumstances , one overlapping the other , how do Kashmiris hold it all together ? It ’ s time for them to be heard and how ! It ’ s time to lend an ear to their tunes that are mellifluously floating through the valley , wafting their way all over the country . Even with the limitations , a tremendous amount of quality music , particularly in the contemporary and popular genre has been brewing in the state . The voice of Kashmir ’ s indie musicians ’ ricochets with politics and folklore . Many Kashmiri musicians are also creating incredible renditions of folk tales and poems blended with Western percussion instruments .
While the Kashmiri music scene was gasping for its survival , some traditional musical instruments were on the verge of extinction , one being – Rabab . The classic Kashmiri musical instrument was completely forgotten till a new brigade of instrumentalists picked it up and brought it back to life . Adnan Manzoor started playing Rabab when he was just 15 years old . His fascination with this instrument increased after he learnt the guitar . At 21 , he is the youngest Rabab player in the valley and not to forget the most famous too . His music videos have millions of views and he has become an inspiration for many youngsters .
Once the whole world was propelled into a lockdown , Brothers Numan and Furqan created a version combining the mandatory home-stay and its associated blues , the outcome is a ten-minute musical odyssey on the same , in the form of Quarantine Blues , the second track from their album Raetkoal .
New emerging artists such as the rap duo SOS ( Straight Outta Srinagar ) that released their singles Psycho and Czawul , and the eclectic band Ramooz ( Aalav ), result in a surge of music output . A chaotic sound effect kicks things off and ushers the listener into the beautiful ambience of the orchestral instrumentation of Rabab , synths and guitar . That ’ s the magic of The Lost Shikara by Qafilah and Junaid . The song took almost nine months to finish due to a lack of equipment . There are no bars or punchlines here ; it is just immaculate poetry , written by a poet who prefers it in the style of rap .
One more number that gained instant momentum for the cinematic depiction of loss , through the tragedy of a mother and her son ’ s search for closure was Jhelum , sung by Faheem Abdullah . Currently boasting half a million views on YouTube , the song starts with a mesh of guitar lines and Sarood , which is played by Rohan Prasanna .
Another Kashmiri artist , Ahmer , had an impressive streak of releases in 2020 . Singles such as Tanaza , where we see the rapper with Tufail of SOS fame ; or Zor , his afrobeat inspired single that features Delhi Sultanate , as well as Kahar that deserves the most recognition . Produced by Prxphecy , the only known beatmaker and producer from the valley , the song is brimming with witty punchlines . Ahmer also raps about his place in Kashmir ’ s hip hop scene . Ahmer played an important role in several new releases , be it for mixing and mastering or production , or be it him being the most powerful voice to come out of Kashmir .
From blues , rap , fusion to soft rock , each song is a unique blend of Kashmiri and Western genres , merging to create an unusual range , reverberating the moods of the valley that ’ s been hushed for quite some time now .
The Score Magazine
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