The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
- Pakistani youngsters turn a different beat
- Lawyer: Rapper T.I. back in federal custody
- Queen of Soul to warm up for Obama in Detroit
| Pakistani youngsters turn a different beat Posted: 02 Sep 2011 05:05 AM PDT Young Pakistanis turn to modern music to get their message across. AGAINST a backdrop of militant bombs and bullets, wealthy young Pakistanis are turning to the beat of modern music to help bring social change to their troubled Muslim nation. "I love how when you enter the place, you're completely transformed," said DJ Faisal Big at a recent all-night rave in a brick factory courtesy of London's Ministry of Sound. "It doesn't feel like Pakistan – definitely not the Pakistan you see on the media." The one-off Ministry of Sound event cost US$100 (RM298.35), an expensive night out in the impoverished country – but the mini-revolution has spread far beyond the brick factory doors. Organisers persuaded the famous London nightclub, billed as the home of dance music and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, to send over a DJ to lead a club for one night only. The youth music scene in a deeply conservative Islamic state, dogged by deadly Taliban and Al-Qaeda attacks, is opening up to new influences – offering anger-release and a space for political expression. The cultural capital of Lahore is centre-stage for young people looking to modern music for a break from stifling militancy and political crises. Close to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's estate, many spend Saturday nights dancing at farmhouses and makeshift clubs on Raiwind road leading to the countryside outside Lahore. "This is Pakistan, my Pakistan, the changing Pakistan... no more bombs, no more terrorism, our society is changing," said Tahir Ali, dancing at the Ministry of Sound event on Raiwind road. "You will see, one day the whole Pakistan will change, we will change our country, we will bring revolution over here and we will get rid of extremism," said Zoobia, dancing with her cousin Umair as dawn broke. Across town, there is a very different atmosphere but one that is also a world apart from traditional Pakistani music. In Model Town, the neighbourhood where a 70-year-old American aid expert was kidnapped at gunpoint from his home recently, youngsters gather to bury their frustration in heavy metal. But this is not a popular revolution – these are the sons and daughters of some of the wealthiest families in Pakistan, taught at expensive English private schools, performing to each other in a school auditorium. "Heavy metal is a way to express anger about what's happening to the country," said Zain, a guitarist in increasingly popular band Takatak, named after the sound of a knife. The band's six heavy-metal lovers believe that the drums and music not only ease frustration, but help others speak out. "We have terrorism. We have bombs. We have drones. We have no education, suicide bombers. There's the Taliban. There's the government – we're not going to play Beatles in a warzone, are we?" said the band members, interrupting each other before heading to the show. Gig organiser Younas Chowdhry estimates that there are more than a hundred underground bands in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, the three major cities. Bands organise their own gatherings and perform privately, with the general public largely unaware of what's going on behind the curtains and in basements. "They want society to open up, they want a revolution and change of the country's image from a terrorland to a modern vibrant nation and they are sending this message across through music," said Chowdhry. "For the general public, it is like loud noise. But the youth is getting our message, our music is getting popular and our message is being conveyed, we are heading towards change and youngsters are ready to play a role," said Misbah, another Takatak member. Then there is the band Laal, which means red and is the long-standing voice of Pakistan's tiny communist party, also used to organising concerts to gather people for public meetings. Lead singer Taimur Rahman combines classical poetry with a more contemporary style and has successfully motivated peasants into campaigning for ownership of the land they cultivate occupied by the military. Now he's getting even more political, satirising the corruption of politicians and Pakistan's failure to address terrorism or find Osama bin Laden, who was shot dead by US special forces within the country on May 2. "At a mass level now, young people are wanting to be involved in politics and wanting to be engaged and so there is this sort of change. "If it's not being reflected at the level of the street, it's only because of terrorism," said Rahman. He says there is a long history of music as an instrument of social change in the spiritual Sufi tradition of Islam in the region. But academics are more circumspect about the power of the tiny elite to change society in a country where the literacy rate is 57%. "It may not be an effective antidote to extremism but it is a first step towards rebuilding a tolerant Pakistan," Tariq Rahman, who teaches Pakistan studies at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, wrote recently. "If they continue with their gatherings and attract more and more young people and succeed to reach the masses in a decade, we can say that they can bring a social change and a revolution," he said. – AFP |
| Lawyer: Rapper T.I. back in federal custody Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:45 PM PDT ATLANTA (AP): Grammy-winning rapper T.I., who was freed after months in prison, was back in federal custody Thursday because of a flap over his use of a luxury bus to report to a halfway house, his lawyer said. Steve Sadow told The Associated Press that the Federal Bureau of Prisons "has moved T.I. to a different facility" because of an issue involving the rapper's 375-mile (603-kilometer) trip Wednesday from the Arkansas lockup to Atlanta in a gleaming motor coach. He did not elaborate on the exact nature of the problem federal authorities had, but said it was not drug-related. He said they are trying to resolve the problem. T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, traveled with an entourage to check into the halfway house, stepping off the bus clad in a red and blue striped polo shirt and white shorts. "There appears to be confusion surrounding the method of transportation," Sadow said. Federal authorities had no further information late Thursday night where Harris was taken. Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, told the AP that she couldn't comment on the rapper's status or his immediate whereabouts. T.I. had initially served about seven months at the prison in 2009 after he was arrested for trying to buy unregistered guns and silencers from undercover federal agents. He was on probation after he was released and ordered not to commit another crime or to illegally possess any controlled substances. He was arrested again in September 2010 in Los Angeles on drug charges after authorities said he was found with four ecstasy pills. He was sentenced in October to 11 months in prison for that violation, and had been set for release at the end of September but was let go early. The prison agency's website said late Thursday night that Harris was "in transit" but didn't say where. T.I. had left the Forrest City low-security prison and was driven in the bus with dark-colored windows, followed by four other cars. "The storm is over & da sun back out. IT'S OUR TIME TO SHINE SHAWTY!!!!!" the rapper posted on Twitter shortly after his release. "Welcome to the beginning of our Happy Ending!!!!" It appears a flock of cameras will follow T.I. regardless of where he goes next. VH1 said Wednesday that the network was filming T.I.'s journey home from jail and would debut the show in December. MTV aired a similar reality show on the rapper in 2009 called "T.I.'s Road to Redemption: 45 Days to Go," which chronicled his attempts to help others avoid his mistakes. T.I. has also finalized a book deal. A representative from HarperCollins told AP that T.I. has written a book called "Power & Beauty" that's set to be released in October. The novel, which was co-written with David Ritz, is a fictional tale about two childhood friends torn apart by dangerous dealings on the streets of Atlanta. |
| Queen of Soul to warm up for Obama in Detroit Posted: 01 Sep 2011 05:52 PM PDT DETROIT (AP): President Barack Obama will have a royal warm-up act when he comes to Detroit to speak during the city's annual Labor Day festivities. Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin is scheduled to perform Monday before Obama speaks near the Renaissance Center at an event sponsored by the Metro Detroit Central Labor Council. Also scheduled to perform is Detroit's Mosaic Youth Theater. The event is free and open to the public. It will be Obama's second trip to Michigan in a month. Obama visited a battery plant in Holland on Aug. 11. Obama has promoted his administration's work to rescue Chrysler and General Motors, which is headquartered in the Renaissance Center. He's expected to deliver a speech to a joint session of Congress next week describing his job-creation plan. |
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