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We came across Aatish in our constant quest to find new talent with Pakistani origins or connections.
This band has not yet released its first album, but their singles are already making waves. Aatish is setting out in the new tradition of music release - making their songs available to a global audience via the Internet, but they are also teaming up with known entities like The Musik channel, to produce videos and capture TV audiences in the South Asian region.
Aatish has the talent, commitment, and resources to move to the top; and we wish them all the best for the journey ahead.
Flame on, Aatish!! |
www.aatishtheband.com
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1. How would you describe Aatish as a band, in terms of the music you play, and the kind of themes you sing about?
Yasir: Aatish plays rock/pop melodies. We experiment with our eastern melodies with a slight touch of Metal and sometimes Classical rock. The themes usually vary; I'm not someone who is motivated by one particular agenda so it just depends upon the muse of the moment.
Hassan: I won’t say Aatish is different from other bands as we have the same genre of music - rock/pop - like most of the upcoming and mainstream bands. But yes, Aatish is always experimenting with new stuff. Our song Sawera never sounded the way it’s recorded now. |
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2. What were the biggest inspirations for you to enter the world of professional music?
Yasir: I used to go to live concerts and I guess that was the time I got the desire to go on stage and perform. A lot of people would shy away from mentioning this, but it was in Karachi when I first saw Salman Ahmad performing at a Junoon show. The master performing artist invoked the musician in me as a teenager. Since then I picked up guitar and literally formed a relationship with it.
Hassan: For me, it was my website www.pakmanzil.com where I cater to almost every Pakistani musician. I never thought of making music myself until I launched my website and got interested in Pakistani music. |
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3. How did you all come together for forming Aatish? Did you know one another from before or was it a chance meeting?
Yasir: Well, I met up with Wajahat Ali Khan a long time back; our families are related by marriage. It was actually at my brother’s wedding that Wajahat and I performed for the first time. I loved his vocals and asked him to join my band. I met Hassan and Neil in Dubai around three years back. We all seemed interested in working together because we had a chemistry going. After all, it all had to happen by the will of Allah, and so Aatish was formed.
Hassan: I had a band called Chaos with five of my best friends, but we couldn’t carry it because of our music differences. I met Yasir at a jam session and I guess he explained what happened next. But yes, I hated him when I first saw him because all they did was play Noori covers. Now I think Yasir comes up with a new melody everyday, and if given a chance AATISH will release 365 song in one year (laughs). I joined the last but I still love to criticize Yasir and Wajahat - who've been with the band the longest. We have fun all together!
4. Who came up with the name and what is the background to it?
Yasir: I grew up in Saudi Arabia and during my school days, we had a cricket team called "Aatish County". Our team experienced success several times. Then I moved to Dubai where I started a band project and I carried the same name and dubbed our band as Aatish.
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5. How many singles or albums have you released so far and how would you describe them?
Yasir: We are currently working on our debut album; however, we have released a few singles that are available for download on www.aatishtheband.com. The genre of all the songs is the same but with different concepts.
Hassan: We have released 3 final tracks, Sawera, Aankhein, and Sawan; and one unplugged/rough cut song called Phir Tu Aa which will be recorded properly once we finalize the album. We are not planning to release anymore songs online for now; it is a lot of hard work to record and make a song. So if you all want to hear us more make sure you buy the album once it’s out. To download the songs check out our website www.aatishtheband.com |
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6. Your song Sawera seems to be the flagship of your selection. How is it different from other tracks of Aatish?
Yasir: I composed Sawera (The Dawn) with a unique concept in my mind. It's a rhythm based song with lots of ups and downs. This song is about frustration and disenchantment from love and life, and an eventual wait for the dawn. Sawera is different from other tracks in terms of its theme and also because it's been sung by both Wajahat and Hassan.
Hassan: Sawera is definitely our title song. It means a lot to me personally because it’s the first song I’m singing as a vocalist. Sawera tells the reality of love but in a different way. The lyrics are deep and serious but the melody is very strong; excellent head banging material! |
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7. Tell us about the Sawera video...
Yasir: Sawera is our debut video with a small storyboard where all the band members are jamming, composing, recording and performing Sawera. The video shoot was done in a single, straight shift because of time issues. But I just loved the way it's been shot and edited.
Hassan: Yea! Finally!! After a lot of hard work and riksha rides we finally made our video. No one believes that we shot the complete video in 18 hours straight. The video is set to release after Eid. It’s directed by Ali Rajab from The Musik and it’s a performance video. Yup, sorry guys, no hot girl in our first video (laughs). |
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8. How many live shows have you done and where did you have the most fun performing?
Yasir: Aatish has done a number of live concerts in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The most memorable performance so far was “Battle of the Bands” in Dubai in 2005 - where Aatish performed along with all the renowned bands from Pakistan. I personally enjoyed the ARY live session as well, because I performed that session during my final exams!
Hassan: I still can’t forget when we performed 9 times in a month!! I don’t remember how many gigs we have done in total but we have done a lot - some big and some college shows. I remember I was performing at a festival concert in Dubai; it was a free concert so there were hundreds of people there, most of whom didn’t appreciate rock music. So I was playing the guitar and then this guy comes up to me and says “Yaar, Rahim Shah Bajao!” (Play a song by Rahim Shah). That was funny!! |
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9. What is it like to be publicly recognized or approached by a fan? Do you enjoy the fame and public admiration?
Yasir: It certainly feels good when you are being approached by fans. The best part is when people are familiar with your songs and you find your tapes and CDs in their vehicles. In my view, fame should not be the only motive; I personally feel that we should expose others to what we know through what we create.
Hassan: Who doesn’t! It feels good when people know you or they sing your song while you’re performing. There are many boys and girls who add me on MSN and say we are your fans. But I really don’t believe in the term “FAN” - it makes us too big, which we are not. |
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10. Any upcoming performances in the US or Canada?
Yasir: Not any time soon...
Hassan: As a band no…but I keep performing at functions and college events here. We haven’t launched ourselves in USA because we are waiting for our video to be launched, so that people know who we are and what we do.
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11. What do you think of Pakistani musicians performing for Bollywood movies? Do you think this benefits the Pakistani music industry?
Hassan: Why not…when Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan went and collaborated with other international musicians, everyone appreciated our music and culture. People still respect his music. Music has no boundaries and it’s an advantage for us Pakistanis to spread our music all over and learn from others too, at the same time.
Yasir: As a matter of fact there are very few musicians who are working with Bollywood, as far as I know. I think it benefits the Pakistani music industry in one manner that the Pakistani musician becomes well-known in India. And the disadvantage is many versions of the same song that mystify us - which one to listen to?!? |
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12. What do you feel about the overall growth of the Pakistani music industry? So many artists and bands have come up in the last few years, is that good or bad?
Yasir: The Pakistani music industry has evolved to a great extent in the last ten years. It's good in one way that we are heading toward expanding our music industry. On the other hand it might be bad because it has created plenty of competition unlike five years back. In the long run this may create such circumstances where it becomes complicated to recognize the right talent and artist.
Hassan: I run a website on Pakistani music, as I mentioned earlier, and I’m surprised at how much talent is hidden in Pakistan. My website is just one source to showcase that talent. Every day I hear a new band name or a song and that also with a good sense of music! Pakistan should take music seriously and the government should support us more. Why do you think our musicians are going to Bollywood and releasing songs and albums? Because they know they are not getting what a musician needs in Pakistan. I think it’s great how the music scene in Pakistan is growing, but the only fact I’m not satisfied with is that the music scene in Pakistan is not organized. And the majority of listeners do not appreciate music other than Atif and Jal. Guys get out of these singers and listen to other music as well…listen to Aatish too (laughs). |
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13. What message would you like to give to your fans through The Saturday Post?
Yasir: We are upcoming artists and we strongly believe in the feedback we get from the public, so do listen to our music and give us your feedback! Also, like I always stress in my interviews, avoid piracy and always listen to good music! Criticize or praise, but try to understand what a musician is trying to express through his or her music. In the end, I would like to thank The Saturday Post for providing us such a great opportunity and for the coverage of Aatish in this well-regarded journal.
Hassan: Guys I won’t be formal here now, alright? My message to our fans would be to support us as a new upcoming band. No one is perfect and we don’t call ourselves the best band. Aatish will keep growing and will continue creating good music. Just stay happy all of you and don’t break anyone’s heart! If you love a girl, send her our song Ankhein. If you are heartbroken, listen to Phir Tu Aa. If you’re chilled and in a mood to enjoy the rain, then listen to Sawan. If you’re bored then read our interview. Hope you all liked our answers and if I said anything wrong please don’t take it to heart! To The Saturday Post and Saadia (who had to wait for our answers) thanks for your support guys and for believing in our music! |
For the latest on Aatish and to download/hear their songs/videos, visit www.aatishtheband.com |
