By Umber Hyatt

Folk music resides at the very heart of all things cultural in Pakistan. Festivals, celebrations and events all have associated folk songs and there are many tunes that have been adapted in regional languages and are common across the sub-continent. An effective medium for preserving myths, folklore and, most importantly, spiritual messages in allegorical song form,Folk music has made the journey through distant time and features memorably on Coke Studio.

Ali Zafar’s compositions and vocal capabilities reveal a natural compatibility with folk music and pop/folk fusion with him was an exciting prospect. A huge star with two highly popular albums to his credit, Ali Zafar is refreshingly candid. When initially approached for Coke Studio he immediately mentioned that he had more than just a casual interest in folk music and welcomed the opportunity to collaborate on a traditional sufi-folk composition. Summing up his general attitude toward fusion, he is emphatic when he says, “I like to experiment”.

And pairing him up with Tufail Ahmed proved to be an enthralling experiment. Hailing from interior Sindh, Tufail Ahmed is a phenomenon in sufi-folk circles, with innumerable albums to his credit and a vast fan following. Tufail has a powerful voice that is irresistibly, evocatively compelling. And as for Ali Zafar, he simply stunned everyone - with his grasp of the distinctive nuances of folk music and his impressively controlled vocal capacity. At the dress rehearsal just a day before the final session, their combined magic wove a spell over the Coke Studio team. It was a reverent silence and stillness that fell over all present, from Brand Manager to tea-boy. And a rare break from work as everyone simply stopped what they were doing and listened, spell-bound. Listening to them rehearse, it was hard to believe that Ali Zafar had never even heard the song before – he had scribbled the lyrics as Tufail Ahmed dictated them and invented improvisations to the melody as he learned it.

The Coke Studio - Ali Zafar session starts light-heartedly with “Jaaney Na”. This catchy hum-along, strum-along number is the perfect opening. Its casual, acoustic simplicity is endearing and seduces everyone to smiling and foot-tapping.

“My Happiness” by Sajid and Zeeshan follows. This is a difficult song to play live, with a complicated melody and an unconventional time signature. Sajid delivers impressively - maintaining vocal integrity and following through with a truly inspired guitar solo.

Coke Studio continues with Ali Zafar and a fusion version “Chal Dil”. “Chal Dil” goes reggae with a twist, incorporating the Eastern rhythm section and prominently featuring Babar on tablas. This highly unorthodox innovation is surprisingand refreshing.

The Coke Studio version of “Channo” is perhaps the most drastic adaptation on the show. Although Ali Zafar is surprising throughout, what happens on “Channo” has serious shock value. The heavy metal guitar intro accompanied by rather sinister vocals assaults the senses and leaves you confused and incredulous. One barely has time to make the necessary auditory adjustments when the band breaks into the recognizable riff that defines the familiar “Channo”. Visibly enjoying himself Ali Zafar flashes a mischievous grin at the audience and launches into an eclectic and vibrantly thumping version of one of his greatest hits. The percussionists are in full swing for “Channo” bringing fusion andlewa to the song with obvious enthusiasm. I think a lot of people agreed with Ali when he said, “Channo was fun… I liked being there”.

Following in the inventive strain is “Rangeen”. The band effortlessly makes the transition from heavy metal to a sound that can only be described as classic 70’s night-club, techno! Exhilaratingly ‘disco’ to its very core, with an electronic emphasis on the dance-floor pulse and effects on the vocals, “Rangeen” threatened to bring the studio audience to it’s feet with it’s pounding adrenalizing energy.

And then there is “Allah Hu”. For this unforgettable track Ali Zafar collaborates with Tufail Ahmed for an extraordinary performance, bringing sufi-folk into the limelight with a huge impact. Surreal and poignantly impassioned, “Allah Hu” moves the soul. It washes over the senses in waves of rich, layered vocals – unfettered ex-tempo from beginning to end,“Allah Hu” literally takes you on a journey, on a trip. “Allah Hu” is startlingly beautiful and although the song was loosely structured at rehearsal it breaks free of conventional arrangement to become a joyous, magical experience. Coke Studio reveals a completely unanticipated side to Ali Zafar, a side that the world never suspected. The studio audience was clearly mesmerized – as “Allah Hu” ended there was a brief stunned silence and then the audience broke into thunderous applause, rising to their feet to sustain it and make their appreciation known. Ali Zafar later said, “I seldom get the opportunity to do ‘serious’ music… It was a quite an experience!”.