With three musical productions under her belt, Nida Butt (The Producers, Chicago and Mamma Mia) decided that her latest musical would also have an original music score.
The fact that she recently got married to singer songwriter and musician Hamza Jafri from Co-VEN made creating original music for the play all the more possible. The soundtrack of Karachi, the Musical has been composed and arranged by Hamza Jafri, who is also the main guitar player in the songs.
The singers featured in the soundtrack include Faraz Lodhi, Rubya Chaudhry, Ameer Ali and Asfhaq Hussain Babar. The choir includes Abdul Qayyum, Nabiha Fahim, Sumair Ahmed Khan, Sam Sattar and Sara Daud. The lyrical content is by Faraz Lodhi.
The soundtrack was recorded, mixed and edited by Faisal Rafi at Silent Music Inc. Nida Butt and Waqas Bukhari have produced the soundtrack.
Other musicians who have contributed to the soundtrack include Mansoor Ahmed (violin), Danish Manszoor (keyboards), Sheraz Riaz (table) and Joshua Fernandez (drums).
Out of six songs in the official soundtrack of the musical, four stand out for being catchy, entertaining and most importantly, for being memorable. These include the opening song of the musical, Lyari, a tribute to the troubled area of the city and its many fascinations — it talks about gang culture and its hard life. The song creates an atmosphere of suspense and drama; and has a catchy melody and simple, easy-to-understand lyrics.The eponymously titled song Karachi is a tribute to the city. Listen to the lyrics a little carefully and one can’t help but feel that Karachi in the song sounds like a larger, slightly more diverse version of Lyari itself. The musical composition of the song, however, is very different and is more up-tempo. It is an almost ironical take on the city while naming some of its signature localities such as Burnes Road, the picnic beaches, etc. The song also contains cheeky political puns such as “Phir bhi ho asli ya jaali, degree degree hai” (whether real or fake, a degree is a degree).
With an ’80s nostalgic air about it, Left Right Jab, is the song the protagonist trains to with his coach. The song opens with a fun bass line that adds to the funk soul and groove of the whole composition. The atmosphere is contagious and one could almost feel her arms inadvertently throwing punches in the air as the singer sings “Left right jab. Block block hook. Hil bhi ja, tu kahin kabhi na ruk.” (even if they move you to the side, don’t ever stop).
The song Aik Se Dus which features Rubya Chaudhry is one of the more catchy, romantic songs here. It has an old, classic Bollywood element to it and has the makings of a great shaadi song. Some of the lesser memorable numbers include Aaye Re Mein Aaye and Babu Bhai.
Hamza’s signature dark, at times broody guitar playing and composition can easily be identified. Having said that, it has none of the moodiness sometimes associated with Co-VEN’s songs. There is also a very strong nostalgic filmi element to the music — not surprisingly since the whole point of the exercise is that it must be acted out. Overall, the soundtrack is an excellent good effort that listeners will cherish. — Madeeha Syed
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