In the midst of debate about the influx of Indian content on national television and cinemas and more significantly, the country’s political impasse, the indie-electro industry seems to be effortlessly moving on. One may say that it is an insensitive observation to make, but in these tumultuous times marred with pain, loss, economic woes and growing despair, it is important to find the time to celebrate what perseveres.
That’s exactly what Pakistan’s increasingly popular internet label Forever South (FXS) has done — by not only releasing phenomenal music but also revitalising people by holding live shows. FXS is an internet label founded by Haamid Rahim, aka Dynoman, and Bilal Nasir Khan, aka Rudoh. Bash, the latest DIY effort from FXS, is a gig. While the venue remains undisclosed for security reasons, the gig sounds promising. Islamabad-based artist TMPST (Asfandyar Khan) will be performing at the show alongside Alien Panda Jury, Dynoman, Kryer and a new entrant to FXS, Alak.
Their upcoming show Bash is not just another regular gig — it is a milestone for everyone at FXS, and no one is happier than co-founder Dynoman. “This is a pretty big deal for us,” he says. “Our first year has gone by so quickly and we have done so many things during this year, which make me so proud of this scene that has been developed. Our roster has grown to 13 extremely talented producers and gained support from so many people. It is very refreshing,” he adds.
In a span of one year, FXS has released four albums — Naubahar (Dynoman), Past Athena Court (Treehouse), Pink Passport (Toll Crane) and Forever South Collections Volume 1. In addition, they have released a beat tape The End Bit by Rudoh and a number of singles. From December 2012 till now, they’ve also hosted four live shows in Karachi. Bash is their fifth show and Dynoman shares that the response to it is already great. “Lots of people come out and support us and have a lot of fun at our shows. The vibe is all about keeping it fun, peaceful, nonjudgmental and clean. As for safety, we trust our venues and usually do our shows at secure places,” he says.
After Bash, Dynoman is gearing up to perform in Berlin, Germany at Worldtronics 2013. “Berlin was a bit of a trip. FXS has been actively working with German-based ‘Border Movement’ since its creation. The Border Movement guys came to Karachi around the time of the Futurama show [one of FXS’ gigs]. I invited The Brothers Teichmann (Andi and Hannes) to play in our show in Karachi, and they featured Border Movement boss Gerriet Schultz on bass. After I performed, they [The Brothers Teichmann] invited me to play a DJ set at Goethe-Institut in Karachi, where they asked me to play in a festival they were hosting in Berlin,” explains Dynoman.
Berlin will not only get a taste of Dynoman’s quirky music, but also of Pakistan’s exciting electro scene since he will be “playing a set that includes tracks by the entire Forever South roster” there. Whether you attend Bash or Berlin, get ready to be electrified!
Maheen Sabeeh
is a freelance journalist. She blogs at maheensabeeh.wordpress.com and tweets @maheensabeeh
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2013.
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