Its the best album of 2003 for sure!!!
EP
u got it now i had it ages ago [TpP]
no doubt album is goooddd.....they have done good job
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EP who ?
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no offense or anything digitalsurgeon but this is what i hate bout our fellow pakistanis...they have no clue whatsoever as 2 what is goin on at the current pakistani music scene. EP stands 4 entity paradigm, a runner up band of the pepsi sponsored battle of the bands2002 (BoB) who went head 2 head w/ the band aaroh w/ the latter being the winner of the show.
u know, i hate the fact that while india just needs one trailer 2 show an upcoming movie of shahrukh or hrithik, all these hindi film fanatix go crazy informing everyone bout it while despite eP's video aghosh aired on the channels several times, many of my friends still havent heard bout the band...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by [sami rahman]: *
no offense or anything digitalsurgeon but this is what i hate bout our fellow pakistanis...they have no clue whatsoever as 2 what is goin on at the current pakistani music scene. EP stands 4 entity paradigm, a runner up band of the pepsi sponsored battle of the bands2002 (BoB) who went head 2 head w/ the band aaroh w/ the latter being the winner of the show.
u know, i hate the fact that while india just needs one trailer 2 show an upcoming movie of shahrukh or hrithik, all these hindi film fanatix go crazy informing everyone bout it while despite eP's video aghosh aired on the channels several times, many of my friends still havent heard bout the band...
[/QUOTE]
^^ True!
Re: i got Irtiqa!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by BrokenSky: *
Its the best album of 2003 for sure!!!!!
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Mabrook !!!!!!!!
Re: i got Irtiqa!
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by BrokenSky: *
Its the best album of 2003 for sure!!!!!
[/QUOTE]
indeed :D
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by [sami rahman]: *
no offense or anything digitalsurgeon but this is what i hate bout our fellow pakistanis...they have no clue whatsoever as 2 what is goin on at the current pakistani music scene. EP stands 4 entity paradigm, a runner up band of the pepsi sponsored battle of the bands2002 (BoB) who went head 2 head w/ the band aaroh w/ the latter being the winner of the show.
u know, i hate the fact that while india just needs one trailer 2 show an upcoming movie of shahrukh or hrithik, all these hindi film fanatix go crazy informing everyone bout it while despite eP's video aghosh aired on the channels several times, many of my friends still havent heard bout the band...
[/QUOTE]
erm i haven't heared of this new album, although i have PTV Prime in my face and ears 24 7
tell us about it, if thats not too much to ask. post some songs.
definitely an awesome album by eP. after noori, this is the best album of the year. tracks like irtiqa-1,2, waqt, rahguzer are simply superb. lyrics, composition, vocals, everything is spot-on. :k:
babay gulab ep ki album almost 300 times betta then noorriiiiii..
ep = entity paradigm. Used to be two bands - one "entity" the other "paradigm" and they merged. Quite a silly concept - the current band has what like 6-8 band members or something? But their music is GREAT.
Coolmunda: PTV Prime will never show EP, because EP is out of their league. The only type of music they can play is the rehashed and further rehashed versions of punjabi pop (no creativity in that field aside from big names like Abrar). Because you know what? PTV prime wallahs probably do not have the intelligence to UNDERSTAND what EP is singing about. They can only understand bright purple dhotis and the local village princess and prince charming running around trees singing highly original verse like "mujhe tumse pyaar ho gaya hai" or "mein tumhari hoon"
a bunch of dummies, really.
PCG, I'm a little lost in your "rehashed and further rehashed" notion. Please elaborate. Also, please make sure you elaborate within the confines of the thread as I'd hate to see it side-tracked due to your usual practices of side-tracking. Thank you.
well said [sami]:k:
u knw me;)…
i know you:D
There was no reason (except for filling more tracks) for three version of Irtiqa as the only real one is the third version (which kicks ass).
NFP's review.
Taken from www.chowk.com
Irtiqa
producer: Makaal Hasan
Review by Nadeem Paracha
rating:
EP: Irtiqa ***1/2
I’ve never met them. Neither saw them in concert. And I really don’t want to. Because I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed. In other words, yes, their debut album, the much awaited (and anticipated), Irtiqa is really that good!
So what in God’s name were some of them doing slap sticking on Indus Vision’s Jat & Bond? Not that it was such a bad idea for an offbeat Vee-Jaysque comedy, and not also because it continued to crack the same jokes long after most of them stood worn out … the point I’m trying to get at here is that, some of the EP men I saw on that show and those I heard on Irtiqa … are they the same?
If you listen to songs like “Waqt” and, especially the epic climaxing of the album in the anger and angst-ridden shape of “Irtiqa III”, I’m sure most of you would agree that nothing more intense and powerful has emerged in the local pop scene ever since Junoon’s 1993 ripper “Talaash” and Najam’s hysterical, paranoid call-to-arms, “Sona Chata Hoon” (1995).
And in the eventual event of modern-day Junoon seeming to be fast running out of steam, (settling instead for pseudo-compositions dipped in cola cocktails), and men like Najam taking the JJ route of embracing a queer mixture of born-again-religiosity and cynical pop corporatism, all this makes Irtiqa an important event in the confines of Pakistan’s blow-hot, blow-cold pop scene.
Especially for those not all that enthusiastic about the browning saccharine of the scene’s past masters like Ali Haider, Junaid Jamshed, and the repetitive bhangra-pop nonsense of the once-upon-a-time energy personas such as Jawad Ahmed and Abrar-ul-Haq. Even for those who’ve had enough social, emotional and domestic strife to face in post-9/11 Pakistan, enough to stop giving a damn, really, about the (albeit competent) fluff being offered by the likes of The Strings’ Dhani.
But mind you, not all’s well with Irtiqa. Because if they do ever take notice of a burnt-out (but experienced) critic like yours truly, I’d right away suggest them to at once cut out the English rapping bits on their next album.
I am convinced this album would certainly have gone down as perhaps the most intense recording in the realms of local pop & rock had EP decided not to puncture the songs with these rather unreal (?) sounding rap-metal bits (ala Linkin Park).
The long-drawn, all-Urdu climax song “Irtiqa-III” is a great case in point. It rants, raves, twists and turns with dynamic arrangements, odd-time signatures, lyrics washed with angry bile and vocals that can send shivers down your spine.
EP should not worry that whether the album will be able to sell as many copies as Junoon’s Deewar, Strings’ Dhanni or Fakhir’s Atish. Because the above acts get their extra mileage from the sponsors they sell colas, tea and flavored biscuits for. There’s now hardly any difference left in what they are singing about in their songs or crooning about in a jingle. Whereas albums like Irtiqa are reflecting well the anxiety, the agitation and conflicts ripping apart most young middle-class Pakistanis.
And another suggestion, Korn seems to be a dominating influence on EP’s sound and song structure. I think to make it more complex, dynamic and involving they should start venturing into a mixture of influences, ranging from Pink Floyd’s Animals , Black Sabbath’s Master Of Reality, Nine Inch Nails’ Downward Spiral, Rush’s Moving Pictures and Nusrat Fathe Ali’s initial recordings for Peter Gabriel’s Passion.
EP should also be applauded for having the guts (and the mind) to actually manage giving the local scene its first taste of a full-blown concept album.
In the end, guys, you really didn’t have to put that irritating ‘Pepsi battle of the bands’ logo on the cover. Your music is good enough to ever require such hollow corporate patronage. And remember, being a critic who once helped Junoon break into the print media, my experience tells me there is hardly any difference, really, between a cynical corporate exec and a foaming fat mullah, dig?
Rock’s new kids in town
By Qasim Abdallah Moini
Entity Paradigm has covered a lot of ground. From what seemed like a novelty act cobbled together to sing the theme song for slapstick TV show Jutt and Bond, this group of seven individuals, known as EP for short, have, in a relatively short time, established their credentials with loud guitars and not a love song in sight. Representing the new wave of pop and rock musicians in Pakistan, they bring to the table a different agenda.
Gone are the pouting, prancing models, the twirling teacups and other lame manifestations of the sponsor-backed, sugary sweet (soda) pop machine. Though EP sport a sponsor’s insignia on their cover, they have introduced a noisy new (actually, it’s mostly standard nu-metal riffs repackaged for the local market) programme that will either help break new ground for other ‘underground’ acts, or it might go down like a burning zeppelin of profane sounding noise. Whatever the result, EP’s own evolution is unfolding itself on the multi-media stage, and those connected to the local music scene are watching and waiting eagerly to see in which direction the Lahore-based act’s pendulum swings.
The band was in Karachi recently to celebrate the launch of their debut album Irtiqa with a live performance and meet-and-greet session with fans. The interesting record mixes hard riffs, rapped vocals and a sprinkling of philosophical mumbo-jumbo to create a sonic smorgasbord of modern Pakistani rock that is eagerly being lapped up, especially by adolescents. From an analytical point of view, the band is on the right track, but they need to refine their melodic sense if they truly want to break on through to the mainstream (one guesses that is the ultimate motive of most bands). But the kids seem to like it, as was witnessed at the launch, where the band was mobbed by their young fans.
Post-performance, four of the band members: rapper/keyboard player Ahmed Ali Butt; vocalist Fawad Khan; lead guitarist Zulfiqar ‘Zulfi’ Khan and drummer (one of two) and sometime rhythm guitarist Salman sat down to explain EP’s own irtiqa or evolution. Rhythm guitarist Hassaan Khalid, bassist Sajjad Khan and drummer number two Waqar stayed behind, probably sensing that the Images office was far too small to accommodate 20 or so people, which would have probably been the total if the whole band, plus their travelling entourage, had decided to make an appearance.
“Entity and Paradigm used to be two different bands, both active in the Lahore underground scene. Fawad and I were also working in the sitcom, Jutt and Bond. The director of that show asked us to come up with a song for the soundtrack so Fawad, Zulfi and I got together at my place and came up with Hum ko Aazma. After the video was shot and released, the song did pretty well and within a year, we had made somewhat of a name for ourselves. The Battle of the Bands programme was also happening around the same time, so we entered the song in the competition and EP ended up as runners up,” Butt says, explaining how it all began.
The band is an amalgamation of musical styles, as each member has different influences. Being the grandson of Madame Noor Jehan, it is easy to understand how Ahmed Ali Butt decided to take this path, but the others also have solid musical moorings. Zulfi received his first keyboard from older brother (and now band manager) Khurram, at age 11. Fawad also started early, earning his stripes at age 10 when he started singing in the choir of his American school in Saudi Arabia, as did Salman, albeit at age 13, in his church choir.
EP is heavily influenced by progressive and thematic rock music, with particular emphasis on the twisted genius of Maynard James Keenan, the son of a former minister. Keenan, one of modern rocks’ most unique voices, is the front-man of the band Tool. His group has consistently flirted with the mythical and the occult, singing about, among other things, ancient Egyptian Ritual Magik, lachrymology, or ‘the art of catharsis through crying,’ and praying for a giant tidal wave to wipe the US state of California off the face of the North American map. Tool also manages to make rock hard, intelligent music in the meantime, anchored by guitarist Adam Jones’ rich, otherworldly riffs. That, perhaps, explains why EP has also chosen to release a concept album. What, if anything, is the philosophy behind the music?
“Our philosophy keeps morphing. Over time, one makes mistakes and concepts come out with time. When the album was complete, we were linking the songs and thinking about how we should explain the concept. We built it around three tracks, Irtiqa I, II, and III, and put the puzzle together. We focused on a hypothetical character and followed him in his transformation from birth to death. It showed that purity in life is actually impurity. Purity kills and impurity helps a person survive,” enlightened Fawad.
Whoa. What was that? Everything was kosher until the death part, but as soon as the band started waxing Confucian, it all became Greek to this writer.
“Whenever I compose, I try to channel my experiences, both painful and pleasurable, through the playing, as I’m not too good with words. But lately, I have started writing lyrics as well,” Zulfi adds, bringing the conversation back to planet Earth.
“The concept of the album is not something you can state in words. It’s a million things in one package,” vocalist Fawad concludes.
All the band members contribute to writing songs and lyrics, so the album is a sort of hybrid of different ideas.
“We wanted to write the material ourselves, or at least have it written by like-minded people. As long as it’s our original expression, we are happy,” says Zulfi.
Another interesting revelation that the members of EP made was that whereas most other local artists are bent on perfecting their melodies, this band would rather concentrate on the beat.
“We all think that the basic concept behind music is beat. Without the beat, music is nothing. People always criticize us, saying that we shout too loud and that we should concentrate on our classical heritage. They aren’t aware of the background of music because they don’t realize that if you look even further back in time, music was just beat. It was a mechanism to communicate. That’s what we are doing. We’re using the historical way of sending a message. And the album is the message,” Fawad says, with confidence in his voice.
With the new album doing relatively well, sales-wise, it seems EP has passed the first few hurdles that litter the course for upcoming bands. Whether they display any staying power, remains to be seen.
I just ordered it from muziqpakistan.net. $10.50+free shipping.
muziqpakistan
After listening to it numerous times on muziq.net i think Irtiqa is a must buy.
I'm curious to know what Pakistan's reaction is of it? Anyone living in Pakistan have a clue as to its success or failure?
I mean its pretty original stuff...and dark - I wonder if the Pak populace is digging it.
Because I AM!!!
its a huge hit here in KSA.... shud b in Pakistan tooo
I have to agree,some of the songs are pretty good on this album!
Sounds like Linkin Park singing in urdu but in a good way! :k:
PS:Can anyone provide me with the album?..Too cheap to buy. 