Describing music is as difficult as defining art. The word music has been used to illustrate various things from “any euphonious and pleasing sound” to a printed document showing how a piece is to be performed (as in music sheet). While scientifically, it’s a system to which rules and regulations apply, its raw ingredients comprise of sound and time (sur and lai).
In the last decade or so, Pakistani music has gone through a defining transformation. From single acts to bands, Pakistani musicians are now treading into territories that were once the domain of cross-border cultural invasion. And this experiment in music invasion is not restricted just to television, but the works of Pakistani musicians can also be found on web sites.
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Pakistani music is now available at a 24/7 basis on the Net. And if you are looking for a web site on Pakistani music, well there isn’t just one. There aren’t plenty either. But of the few that there are there, hold high Pakistan’s contributions in the world of music.
Classical music has always been regarded as the truest elaboration of music, not only in Pakistan but throughout the subcontinent. But after our singers decided to fuse the eastern string of music with the western, altogether new sounds were heard. However, despite the onslaught of the modern trends, classic tunes have survived.
Sadarang.com is a web site for people who have a keen interest in classical music. This site explains what classical music really is, the many raags and other classical components. Here you can have a look at some of the gharanas, their members and even find out founders of various gharanas. Articles and interviews of eminent Pakistani classical and ghazal singers. It really is a dream come true for those who feel classical music has not been given its due exposure.
But if it’s the ‘old is gold’ that you are looking for then www.netpakistani.com is a must visit web site for you. Read about the music maestros, including greats such as Mehdi Hasan, Mala, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Noor Jahan. You can lend an ear to their melodies and songs that captivated the hearts of millions of people. Even film songs can be cherished here.
If you are fond of numbers sung by groups that exist no more then this is the place you can trace them out. Groups like Jupiter, Fringe Benefits and Collage are listed here. However, this site isn’t all that good because of the lack of updates here. But if it is all of everything that you want here, then www.pakistanmusic.com is the place to be. From classical to rock, underground, music bands, etc., the web site serves up the needs of everybody. You will find all most all the artists, both seasoned and fresh, some of whom you might not even have heard of.
To the delight of truck drivers, Ataullah is accessible on this site as well. You might even be surprised to see Faiz Ahmed Faiz among other artists. Of course everyone knows that he is not a singer. Nevertheless, there are recitations of his poetic verses, invaluable to his legions of fans.
You can even see some of the latest cool music videos, but only after you have enrolled yourself as a member.
But if you are a person who enjoys experimentation, then one web site that you are surely going to have fun with is www.sangeetradio.com. The best thing about this site is that it is pretty unusual — it allows you to listen to two songs at a time! Just click on two songs in quick succession and you might end up listening to Nayyara Noor’s ghazal as well as Hadiqa’s bhangra pop. Now that’s re-mixing for all ages!
Besides experimentation, there are lot more things that will grab your attention, like you can access official web sites of different singers and groups. There is one thing more about this web site and it is that it carries wedding songs as well as title songs made for the TV serials. Sadly, only the new ones are available here.
The site to be for all the latest chart buster numbers is www.muziq.net. Well designed catering to the needs of all the young music lovers, rock and jazz music are the most valuable clicks here. Here in the top ten songs you are able to listen to the latest released numbers. In the top ten album section one can glance at what is hot.
If you are willing for a web site that should have remixes, national songs, naats, ghazals, movie tracks, etc. there is just one solution and that is www.pakhits.com. You can go through lyrics of the songs available, read articles on music, give ear to title songs of TV plays, read reviews on artists and their albums and lot more things to do. Instead of top ten this website will show you the top 20 songs that have created waves on the music surface.
But lets suppose you’ve had enough of listening, and don’t want to lend an ear to the latest music, then log on to www.pakipop.com. It give you an opportunity to just read information and articles on music.
The web site is dedicated to the likes of Nazia Hasan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. And in case you change your mind there are links available on the site that allows you to visit other music web sites that do provide songs to listen.
With the wedding season in full swing, wouldn’t it be nice to click on to a site that serves just wedding songs? Preparations for shadis are after all considered half-baked if the families of bride and groom don’t prepare for the shadi-songs competition. So to make sure your side come out the winner, better log on to www.shadisongs.com. It’s one such web site that gives you access to all the Pakistani shadi numbers, whether you’re looking for classical numbers or for the modern ones. There’s even an e-shop where you can buy cassettes, online.
Though Pakistani music has been able to evolve in the form we see it today, the web sites on Pakistani music still need some attention and devotion. However, there are sites owned by the singers that are well developed and updated but they don’t meet the requirement of the music lovers who wish that they could access not only other genre of music but other singers as well. Seems like some work needs to be done here.
Describing music is as difficult as defining art. The word music has been used to illustrate various things from “any euphonious and pleasing sound” to a printed document showing how a piece is to be performed (as in music sheet). While scientifically, it’s a system to which rules and regulations apply, its raw ingredients comprise of sound and time (sur and lai).
