We thought the new wave of music producers in India were bold, experimentative and shape-shifting, but their Pakistani counterparts have also been creating some ground-breaking music over the past few years. Whether it is through sampling yesteryear’s music, creating new sounds or bending genres, theirs has been a unique touch to the desi music scene.
Homegrown loves bringing to you emerging artists and those who have established a niche in alternate genres hidden from the mainstream. This week, we bring to you music producers from Pakistan that are making a mark on the Pakistani music scene. They are on our radar and should probably be on your playlist too.
In recent years, British-Pakistani producer Ahad Elley has emerged as a creative to look out for. Creating a pan-global underground sound that combines both the high energy of London’s party scene that is rigged with Jamaican dancehall along with Angolan kuduro among other sounds and referencing his south Asian roots with bhangra; his production is big on drums whether it is the plucky dembow rhythms or the tabla tapping. A certified party-started with his sounds, he offers everything South-Asian artists are famous for with a culturally rich mix of east and west sounds. His latest EP, Homecoming, combines the music of his heritage with sounds ranging from South African amapiano to grime.
You can listen to his discography here.
The best part about listening to electronic music is that you get to hear new and unique sounds, as an artist can design their own sounds; allowing them flexibility and creativity in the music production and Lahori electronic producer Talal aka Lost Boy is further proof of that. With his experimental take on electronic music that includes samples from older desi soundtracks, he is creating a sound that sets him apart from others. In an interview with 6 AM, he once stated that he believes that growing up in a country filled with great food, culture, diverse tunes and languages has helped him produce tracks that are beautifully diverse and intriguing to listen to and we can definitely see that influence in his productions.
Listen to his discography here.
Pakistani Diaspora producer Mahnoor Lyla Saifi’s diverse style touches on several elements of electronic music be it house, techno or electro and disco. She has been killing it with her unique and understated sounds over the past few years and was also a part of the lineup to perform at Pakistan’s first-ever Boiler Room. She is also a resident DJ for ‘Sunny Side Up!’ an organisation which aims to provide quality underground club nights whilst giving back to the global community whose profits go towards sustainable energy resources and providing training and job opportunities in remote villages of Northern Pakistan.
Listen to her discography here.
An up-and-coming artist, Malik is one of the youngest electronic producers on the Pakistani music scene. Experimenting with sounds across genres like techno, electronic, R&B soul, dubstep, dance, EDM and ambient sounds, his discography has been extremely interesting and speaks of an artist who is sure of himself and unafraid to experiment. The new-age artist also performed at Pakistan’s first-ever Boiler Room, creating a high-energy room with his flips that sampled Bollywood music as well.
Listen to his productions here.
Authentic, raw, experimentative and untapped is the best way to define the young music producer Wali Aleem. Creating lo-fi, ambient sounds that are fused with elements of electronica, his beats are loopy and have you coming back for more. An extremely interesting new-age artist who is coming into his own, he is surely one to lookout for in the coming years.
Listen to his latest production here.
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