Recently, CS announced its return at a press conference attended by the house band, featured artistes and the guest musicians; and others. At the centre of it all is Rohail Hyatt, whose presence, influence and guidance has churned out some of the most interesting music to be heard on the airwaves for a while now.

CS is not just interesting in content, but also how musicians are paired with each other to bring out some of the finest fusion tracks. This time round there are many musicians and combinations such as Abida Parveen, Amanat Ali, Arieb Azhar, Arif Lohar, Aunty Disco Project (ADP), Entity Paradigm (EP), Fakir Juman Shah, Karavan, Meesha Shafi, Noori, Rizwan & Muazzam, Sanam Marvi, Tina Sani and Zeb & Haniya as the main artistes.

Also returning is the house band with some interesting new additions — Asad Ahmed (guitars), Babar Ali Khanna (dholak), Jaffer Ali Zaidi (keyboard), Javed Iqbal (violin), Kamran 'Mannu' Zafar (bass), Louis 'Gumby' Pinto (drums), Omran 'Momo' Shafique (guitars), Saba Shabbir (backing vocals) and Zulfiq 'Shazee' Ahmed Khan (multi-percussions). The newcomers are Sanam Saeed, Sikander Mufti and Zoe Viccaji. Guest musicians include the husband-wife duo Ali Kazim (vocals) and Noor Zehra Kazim (sagar veena; a custom-made, one-of-a-kind instrument), and it also welcomes back guest musicians Baqir Abbas (flute) and Sadiq Sameer (rabab).

Renowned classical singer Tina Sani brings with her not only her voice but also an inspiring presence. What was the experience like? “It wasn't strange or awkward. We came in to play music and we did. To be honest, I actually had a lot of fun doing this.”

Arif Lohar, who collaborates with Meesha Shafi, said, “CS is a beautiful panel whereby we can share cultural activities. I think this is a brilliant step by Rohail not just in terms of music but also in terms of national pride as well.” He added that it was important to bring older artistes into the limelight for newer generations.

For Omran Shafique, it was exciting being here the third time round, “It doesn't get old,” said the Mauj front-man. “It's as exciting as it was.” Omran is one of the few musicians who are not only part of the house band but have also been a part of the studio as a part of a featured act as well. Which does he prefer? “I enjoy being in the house band more, simply because it helps me to interact with more musicians.”

This year also sees ADP hit the big time. “It's absolutely terrifying,” said Omar Bilal Akhtar. The band was disappointed not being able to make it the last time and Omar was quick to address that. “I think our expectations were out of whack last time round. We needed to be in this position, in our career, to be a part of CS.”

EP returns not only to the limelight in general, but also makes an appearance. “I think it's an enormous opportunity and it's something with great meaning,” said EP singer Fawad Khan. However, it's not only this that the band has been busy with. “We're going to release our first video (from the upcoming album) very soon, it's in the editing stage at the moment,” he enthused.

Qawwals Rizwan and Muazzam recalled when they were called for the project, “When Rohail Bhai called us, it was a great feeling and when we showed up to perform, it was even greater.” The duo that has been signed by Peter Gabriel's influential Real World record label was also excited about playing fusion music with some of the best musicians.

Tanseer Daar from Karavan added, “It takes you away from your routine, it's something that will stay with me forever.” And what about the band itself? “The album is out and we're doing another video soon.”

This is a very special return for Noori to the studio. Its contribution and collaboration last year were very well received, along with a memorable performance by Saieen Zahoor. Joining the brothers this time are their parents, Ali Kazim and Noor Zehra Kazim. “It was an enjoyable experience, particularly because my sons and my wife were playing,” said Ali Kazim. Did last year's show convince him to join the show with his sons? “To be honest, it was both Ali Noor and Hamza who convinced me. I'm not a trained singer and I admit I was a bit nervous. My wife, on the other hand, is a trained classical singer and musician.”

Finally, Rohail Hyatt shared what it was like producing for the third time. “The first time we had no idea what we were doing, but we did it anyways. The second time it was difficult. We had a lot more of folk music in and it and it was very risky.” However, the third time round the atmosphere is very much relaxed. Rohail said that if the first two seasons were all about starting a journey and opening doors, the third one is about exploring.

CS Season 2 explored a lot of interesting folk and modern combinations, in particular the epic combination of Noori and Saieen Zahoor, and the Zeb and Haniya track, Paimona. Is this why they is more folk this time? “Oh we're not folk heavy, we're more balanced,” said Rohail, adding that the key is not having more folk artistes but having more combinations of different kinds of artistes — thereby creating diversity. “I think the next logical step would be to have these performances live,” he added. “It makes sense.”

A sneak preview of the CS Season 3 followed.