KARACHI: The National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) auditorium was bursting at the seams on Tuesday evening. The good thing was that while the hall had a big number of young boys and girls eagerly waiting for the German quartet C.A.R. to perform (one of them even had a few vociferous friends singing ‘happy birthday’ to him), there was no dearth of the not-so-young as well. To this writer’s surprise, even the experimental nature of the band’s music, by Pakistani standards, did not deter them and they, barring some, watched the whole gig with keen interest.

Introducing C.A.R. to the audience, director of the Goethe Institut Stefan Winkler said that the band had developed a mélange of jazz and electronics. Well, it’s true, however listening to the brilliant four musicians — Leonhard Huhn (saxo­p­hone, effects), Chri­stian Lorenzen (stage piano, synthesiser), Kenn Hartwig (double bass, effects) and Johannes Klingebiel (dru­ms) — made one realise that it’s difficult to put them in a box because their range is varied and multifarious. Obviously, they seem to be rooted in jazz, yet the influence of genres such as techno, metal, rock and industrial rock can readily be detected in their work.

The concert, as has become a Napa norm (which the academy might want to rethink), kicked off with a piece that involved, apart from C.A.R., Nafees Ahmed (sitar) and Waqas (tabla). It was a nice piece. It sounded as if a wave was gaining strength eventually to crash into the shore. The drum rolls got louder and swifter, in the process increasing the heartbeat of listeners. And the wave did break, creating a powerful impact on music lovers.

The real fun started when the band played its compositions. The first track called ‘Geez’ was a remarkable combination of inventive musicianship, genre-defying riffs and a unique sense of melody. A uniform thumping beat and lovely effects made the track move from funk to metal to the kind of music that one can categorise as the soundtrack for an action-packed movie. At the core of it all was extremely engaging orchestration that had the audience listen to them with rapt attention. Special mention must be made of Johannes Klin­gebiel whose power-packed and skilful drumming never for a moment allowed the show’s energy to dip.

The composition ‘Test One Two Three’ was a gentle piece with recurring piano notes and a steady bass line. If on the one hand it brought the concert to a non-experimental zone, on the other hand it iterated the versatility that C.A.R. boasts of. Justifiably so.

Nafees Ahmed and Waqas rejoined the band for another fusion bit in the last act of a memorable evening.

The event was part of the ongoing German Cultural Weeks.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2017