AUDIO KULTUR AK 13 FREE
02 WORD FOR THE HERD
I
’m shattered. I don’t even think Summer has actually started yet and I’m already contemplating holidays far, far away from the gauntlet that is the famed Lebanese Summer. I’m day dreaming of sleepy Spanish beaches and doing my best Ray Winstone impression as I pretend to have left behind a life of crime, as opposed to one of raving and writing about raving. Instead of reliving my favourite bits of Sexy Beast, I’ve gotten sunburned, accidentally attended a swingers party and, for a man so venerated by his peers, I have found myself completely wankered on (far) too many occasions. With the finalisation of our own bit of Summer 2015 programing, it looks like my Spanish holiday may be all but a pipe-dream. It’s going to be a very busy one indeed. Beirut based MC Chyno will be kicking things off with the anticipated release of his first solo endeavor Making Music to Feel at Home. AK will be handling the launch of the album, producing a very fucking cool clip and then doing it all over again for several other of the scenes’ rising stars.
PUBLISHER
AK Publishing SAL
Following the massive success of that little block party we did in April, we’re on a bit of a mission to bring the Massiv to other public places across the city. We apologise in advance for the madness that is about to ensue. I promise that all the two-day hangovers are going to be well worth your while.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In the meantime, we’ve got some cracking stories for you from across the region and beyond. Our main man Martin Hold-the-Red Bull Armstrong takes a break from his Ethiopian excursion to take us to a local football match there, while Amman-based Scottish exile Zab Mustefa takes us on a journey into the mosh pits of Pakistan. Throw in some photos from Saudi Arabia, the next big thing to come out of Cairo, luscious Larry and, of course, a little insight into Chyno’s debut and you’ve got all your required reading for the lovely month of June.
Livia Caruso
See you on the flipside -Tres
Tres Colacion
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ali El Sayed
CHIEF SUB-EDITOR WRITERS
Martin Armstrong Larry Bou Saifi Zab Mustefa Nasser Shorbaji
PHOTOGRAPHY Youmna Geday
COMIC
Gab Ferneiné audiokultur.com facebook.com/audiokultur twitter.com/AudioKultur issuu.com/audiokultur
TABLE OF CONTENTS 03
04. FEATURED ARTIST:
HUSSEIN SHERBINI
12. TUNEAGE
08. FEATURE:
JUST FOR KICKS
06. FLASHBACKS
14. FEATURED:
& REVELATIONS
PUNK ROCK PAKISTAN
20. PHOTO FEATURE:
HEAD IN THE SAND
18. LARRY GOES
TO THE MOVIES
24. DAS KOMIC
04 FEATURED ARTIST
NOT TOO CHAABI
FEATURED ARTIST 05
H
ussein Sherbini, KIK collective member and one third of Wetrobots<3 Bosaina, has been a busy man as of late. His new album ELECTRO CHAABI, released on 9 May, is a not so electro chaabi mix of techno, ambient, grime, bass music and Sherbini’s own personal touch. We caught up with the man to speak about Cairo, his new misnamed record and the emerging hip-hop scene that he’s gassed on.
collective of artists/producers including ISMAEL, Bosaina, $$$TAG$$$, ZULI, N//A\\A and Hussein Sherbini. We’re a group of artists from Cairo who found themselves sharing similar artistic visions and tastes. The collective has toured Europe twice in the past two years. One of our major highlights was playing at the Sisyphos, Berlin. Vent is a club in downtown Cairo owned by two of KIK’s members, Ahmed El Ghazoly (ZULI) and Asem Tag ($$$TAG$$$). In my opinion, Vent is the only venue offering an alternative to the mainstream nightlife in Cairo. Vent is a platform through which local and international fresh talent is constantly showcased. Not to mention the accessibility, Vent is probably the only venue/bar in Cairo that does not impose a dress code policy. We need this kind of movement in our music scene, a venue that’s strictly about the music and nothing else. Like I mentioned before, we still don’t have a proper music scene, and a scene can only exist if there’s a crowd. The Egyptian crowd needs to be exposed to what’s new, both locally and internationally.
AK: Your new album is called Electro Chaabi, but AK: Tell us a bit about the Cairo scene. In what
direction is it moving and what’s it like to be a producer/ DJ on the ground? At the moment it’s not very clear where the scene is headed, but the important thing to observe is that it’s growing. There are a lot of musicians, producers and bands who are finally starting to push the envelope. This is exactly what we need from the artists’ side. We need new sounds, we need competition and most importantly we need an actual scene that includes an active audience. This is the hardest part. We need an audience that is ready to experience something new and different. If you have the audience then you’ll get the promoters and the venue owners’ trust. Venue owners and promoters play a major role in this, but they’re just not ready to take risks. Everyone’s gotta pay rent at the end of the day and in the nightlife industry, no one’s ready to push the bar higher in terms of fresh bookings or offering an alternative new sound if it means that you might make less money on a specific night. Vent is probably the only club doing this and it’s not easy. But then again, what is? I’m not trying to be philosophical here, but we already have a mainstream scene. Granted it’s horrible, but who cares about the mainstream anyway, it’s not going anywhere innovative. It will just always be a copy of something that happened somewhere abroad five years ago. I personally don’t wanna be a part of that.
AK: You’re a member of Kairo Is Koming (KIK). Can you tell us a bit about the collective and about Vent. What’s it about? What do you guys want to achieve? Kairo Is Koming is an Egyptian electronic music
bears little resemblance to the tumultuous, autotuned sound coming out of Salam City. What does the genre mean to you and why did you choose it as the name for your album? The album has nothing to do with the genre “Electro Chaabi”. But there’s a specific reason behind this move and it is in fact stated more than once in the lyrics. I’m a huge supporter of the electro chaabi movement and I consider it to be one of the most organic art forms to come out of Cairo in the past 40 years. However, I think it’s unfair not to consider the alternative electronic scene in Cairo to be just as organic if not even more progressive. If I label my work as “industrial”, “bass” or “techno”, it’s pretty much granted that I won’t be considered interesting to the West because I’d be placed in the same category as other DJs, producers and bands from the Middle East influenced by western music rather than their organic surroundings. But not just to the West, even to the Egyptian crowd - if I don’t have basic oriental elements in my music, then it’s not accessible to the public. The only western influence in my music is the use of foreign equipment, but the same applies to everyone. Mine is a message directed to the alternative and commercial scene in Cairo first and the western orientalist enthusiasts second.
AK: Tell us a bit about your process. How was
recording this album different than the work you’ve done in the past. Do you think you’ve achieved the sound you set out to capture? I started work on this album two years ago. There’s one track on this album that was written in 2013 before my last EP Fairchile. I think this album is definitely unique
to me because of the way it came together. Initially, a year ago, I had a completely different plan. There were about 8 tracks that ended up getting replaced by 8 new ones. I’ve been wanting to include Arabic vocals for a while but couldn’t find the right context. I generally don’t like ever repeating myself, if I can of course. Sonically, I always have an idea of what I want things to sound like, but then what usually happens is that I discover a new sound while doing so and end up sticking to it. I like exploring new sonic fields because if it’s new to me, then it’s definitely unlike anything I’d have heard before.
AK: You told Vice in 2013 that “In Cairo, some people just don’t get our music so they stand there puzzled. International crowds respond way better to our sound.” Has that changed in the last few years?
A little, but then again I feel like the international crowd nowadays expects generic oriental elements like what you’d find in Omar Suleiman’s music. On the other hand, with the local crowd we get a bit more attention now because we’ve had more press reviews and gigs abroad in the past two years. To be honest though, I no longer know whether people get the music or not, and, to be very frank, it’s no longer a concern. I put a lot of effort into what I do and there will always be those who like it because they can connect to it and those who like it because it might be trending or even those who hate it. Either way, it will not stop me from doing what I want to do. I like creating something fresh that might inspire someone to create something even fresher. I don’t want to be another part of this boring cycle where I have to create something that falls under “what the people want” based on what the West has labeled our regional sound.
AK: Outside of KIK, who would you put us onto in the Cairo scene? What’s the next big thing to come out?
I’ve recently discovered that there’s a gigantic rap scene in Cairo. Granted there has always been rap groups in Egypt like Arabian Knights and Arab League who strive to mimic Tupac and Biggie. I’m talking about a different scene though. There are mainly two areas in Cairo, Haram and Shubra, from where at least 200 teenage rappers have emerged over the past four years. These kids are crazy. This scene is much more developed than any other scene in the region. They’re so unique and self driven. They have thousands of followers on Youtube and SoundCloud. Mostawa features one of my favourite, and, in my opinion, the best rapper in Egypt, Abyusif. Abyusif doesn’t belong to any of these specific camps but is nonetheless considered a major game changer in the regional rap scene. It is because he keeps setting the bar high that these kids develop so fast. I personally never liked the idea of Arabic rap until I heard Abyusif do it. This is again what we need, people pushing the envelope to inspire others to push it even more.
06 FEATURE
JUST FOR KICKS... Martin Armstrong goes to the football in Addis Ababa By: Martin Armstrong
FEATURE 07
Bunna, the Amharic word for coffee, were positioned mid-table in the Ethiopian league. Their opponents were Dashen Beer FC, a team named after a brewery named after a mountain hailing from the city of Gondor, Ethiopia’s old imperial capital, located 930 km north of Addis.
A
ddis Ababa: Night had fallen in the 35,000 capacity Addis Ababa Stadium. Anxious SC Bunna fans, donning the yellow and brown of their home team, began checking their watches. Others looked bored. There were ten minutes left. The score 0-0.
Dashen were sitting a few points above the relegation zone. Few of their fans had made the journey to the Ethiopian capital. Leon, an agriculture student based in Addis with a friendly smile and darting eyes that belied a nagging qat habit was keeping his allegiance fairly tight-lipped. “We really need a point,” said Leon, clenching his fists to restrain nervous energy. “Come on Bunna!” he shouted before winking mischievously. Shouts of agitation went up amongst the Bunna faithful as fans rose to their feet and started gesticulating pitchwards. The Dashen goalkeeper, earlier nicknamed Harrison Marmar (a bastardisation of the Arabic word for goalkeeper, mixed with Harrison Ford) for a disposition towards the theatrical, lay spread-eagled on the turf after a 50-50 with an opposition striker. Harrison was clearly time-wasting. Leon joked that he might have a sore toe. Throughout the match Harrison had inexplicably been toe-punting goal-kicks. After a minute the referee picked Harrison up. He quickly returned to his raison d’être, toe-punting a goal-kick into touch just over the halfway line.
With 84 minutes on the clock, it had been a pretty awful match. With the exception of the site of Muslim members of the crowd congregating to observe prayers, separated from the pitch by only advertising boards and an athletics track, ten minutes into the second half, the match had produced little worthy of note. In addition to Harrison’s antics, the Bunna right back appeared scared of heading the ball and had a pass completion rate hovering around the 15 percent mark, at least one shot had gone for a throw in, another into orbit, whilst several of the outfield players appeared to have studied at the Boris Johnson school of tackling. The site of players warming up, before kick-off, with the disturbing Adidas Jabulani, a veritable poltergeist of a ball used during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, had seemed a worrying portent, at least as far as shooting accuracy went. It was proving true. Currently, Ethiopian Football is dominated by St George, like Dashen, a team associated with a brewery. The Addis based team have won the Ethiopian premiership 25 times, and were on course to make it 26. In addition to teams named after breweries, banks and a cement factory, the Ethiopian premiership also includes a team called Defence. Formerly associated with the country’s armed forces, Defence had the second best defensive record in the league throughout the 2014-15 campaign, second only to St George. “They were much better than us this season,” Leon
08 FEATURE
had said, matter-of-factly, sitting at a bar tucked into an alcove of the stadium’s outer wall prior to kick off. Bunna and Dashen had both been defeated by St George, home and away, earlier in the season. In addition to numerous bars, the stadium was also home to an incongruous mix of language & translation centres, as well as leather shops. “Year in year out they are able to afford bigger transfer fees. Over the last few years they have dominated.” The Ethiopian transfer record currently stands at 1,000,000 birr ($48,672.46). It was in fact paid by Dashen, Leon’s team, to Dedebit FC for centre-back and one time national captain Aynalem Hailu in 2013. In 1951, the world transfer record stood at $53,461.60, when Jackie Sewell, an England international who later captained Zambia, was sold from Notts County to Sheffield Wednesday. Surrounding Leon, Bunna fans had knocked back bottles of St George and Dashen, some chanting in groups lead by a master of ceremony. Such scenes would be repeated inside the stadium after kick-off when a particularly boisterous group of Bunna fans would intermittently do their own Poznan - a chant/ celebration originally associated with Polish club Lech Posnan during which supporters join arms, stand with their backs to the pitch and jump on the spot in unison. With Easter holidays set to begin the following day, an excitable, welcoming, and slightly tipsy atmosphere pervaded the stadium’s bars as waiters manoeuvred through crowds accompanied by a soundtrack of
Ethiopian Jazz, Reggae and Pop music, football chants, and pool balls rattling pockets. Amongst the thrall of street vendors, ranging in age between seven and seventy, hawked CDs, football kits, luminous plastic whistles, lottery tickets and scratch cards, beard trimmers, biros called “OBAMA” and 10 inch kitchen knives. Leon had explained that with Easter Sunday approaching and goats to sacrifice, people might be looking for a nice knife for the job. He didn’t completely understand why such implements were not allowed to be sold around stadiums in other countries. Back inside the stadium, as the seconds ticked away, Leon revealed that he supported Arsenal, drawing reference to Gedion Zelalem, an 18-year-old youth midfielder with the north London club. Zelalem, born in Germany to Ethiopian parents, recently made his debut for the US under-20 team, having moved to Maryland as a 12-year-old. A lot of people in Addis claimed him as their own. Conversations about football often went beyond namedropping the Messis and Ronaldos of the global game. Whilst no one mentioned John Wark, a man sitting beside a roadside cafe in a hamlet near the eastern town of Harar had, on one occasion, reflected sadly that it was a shame former Norwich, West Ham, and Crew Alexandria striker Dean Ashton’s promising career had been cut short by injury.
Whilst Ethiopian distance runners have come to dominate the world stage things have not always been plain-sailing for the national football team. The “Walyas” came within 180 minutes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, before losing in a two-leg play off against Nigeria. Earlier in qualifying rounds, the team had shot itself in the foot, fielding a suspended player in a 2-1 win over Botswana. They were consequently docked 3 points by FIFA. It wasn’t the first time the institution had been reprimanded by the world’s football governing body. In 2008 Ethiopia was banned from qualification for the 2010 World Cup after failing to resolve an internal power struggle which lead to the existence of rival presidencies within the EFF. Currently, Ethiopia sits 101st in FIFA’s World rankings, nestled between Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. The Walyas’ only ever victory in the African Cup of Nations came back in 1962, the third time the competition was ever held. In the same stadium in which Bunna and Dashen were now slugging out a 0-0 draw, a 4-2 win was then secured in the final against Egypt. The first football league had been founded in the country twenty years earlier when the majority of its players were Armenian, Italian, Greek, and English missionaries and traders that had settled in Ethiopia. In the 85th minute of the 1962 game, with Ethiopia trailing 2-1, Mengistu Worku, a no. 8 regarded as Ethiopia’s greatest ever player, had risen tallest from
FEATURE 09
a corner to equalise, before victory was secured in extra-time. As legend goes in the act of scoring, Worku received a celebratory punch in the face from the flailing arm of the Egyptian keeper. Years later, Worku, whose father was killed resisting the Italian invasion (1935-41), reflected humorously on the occasion: “My father died defending my country, so I had no problems taking a black eye for Ethiopia.” Despite the relative success of the Ethiopian national team in the 60s, the rise to power of the Derg, a communist junta that seized power from Emperor Haile Sellasie in 1974, saw football fall since into disrepute. Under the authority of Derg (1974-97) leader Haile Mengistu Mariam, who ruled Ethiopia with a vice-like grip through regular bouts of statesponsored repression, an estimated 500,000 to 2 million were killed. Many footballers fled the country as a result of the violence, while others faced the firing squads. Back in the Addis Ababa stadium, Leon pointed to the pitch, stating that at one time during the Derg’s reign, Mariam had considered turning the stadium into arable land for farming. “Imagine that?” said Leon, a look of incredulity on his face. It was now the 85th minute. Bunna were pressing forward searching for a winner.
Chants broke out amongst the Bunna faithful as a halfchance opened up down the team’s left flank . But there were to be no black eyes, no Worku moments of magic this time. In the final minutes of the game, Dashen’s outfield players decided to follow Harrison’s example and began booting the ball deep into Bunna territory at any given opportunity like a collective of fly-halves kicking for territory. One Dashen player who attempted a onetwo was reprimanded by a teammate. Even Leon was starting to look a bit embarrassed. However, as the final whistle blew, he allowed himself a little fist-pump. “I’ll take that,” said Leon , “sometimes you have to play ugly to get results, like Chelsea,” he said standing up from his seat. A crowd of Bunna fans had congregated pitch-side to hurl some fairly warranted abuse at the departing players. After a minute, having said their peace, they filtered out of the stadium into the fumes, LARDA taxis and the open drain-holes of the Ethiopian capital’s streets, chanting as they went along, despite the result. Leon joined in.
10 TUNEAGE
DA ART OF STORYTELLIN'
WHAT'S BEEF?
OUTKAST FEAT. BLACK STAR 36 CHAMBERS (LIVE ON CHAPPELLE'S SHOW) SLICK RICK WU-TANG CLAN AQUEMINI C.R.E.A.M
Growing up as a broke young buck in Damascus, this song was the motto my crew and close friends represented: an Armenian from Glendale, California , who looked Mexican; two Serbian brothers who had fled the Yugoslavian war; and a Syrian Alawite who spoke in west coast slang. Looking back, we were really big Wu fans. There was a little hole-in-the-wall CD shop in Bab Touma, Damascus, run by a young Syrian/ Canadian who got all the Wu affiliate albums and made sure we knew whenever they were done bootlegging. The Wu was a movement which went beyond just Hip Hop. It was an entity of its own and brought the weirdest people together. Ask the Fareeq. We are all big Wu fans.
Outkast teaming up with the King of storytelling and my favorite rapper from the Golden Era of Hip Hop, Slick Rick. You just knew something magical was bound to come out of this collaboration. Andre 3000 is one of my favorite rappers of all time, and his verse was a story about a girl called Suzy Screw and one named Sasha Thumper. "Talking bout what we gon' do when we grow up, say, what you wanna be. She said: 'A live!' " So many storytelling songs out there, but when I heard this, I remember thinking to myself, even as a youngster, 'I want to tell stories like that'. Fun, hip, vivid, and minus the preachiness.
In the late 90s and early 2000s, I would bump anything by Rawkus records, and Black Star was at the forefront of that label. This performance was a Chappelle show exclusive. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever heard my radio show Bar Fight, you'll know that I'm highly influenced by Dave and always loved his selection of music, but Mos Def and Talib outdid even themselves on this one. The topic they tackled was the misconception of what "Beef " is in Hip Hop. And once they put that general perception against the grander scale of what "beef " really means in all walks of life, they made you realise how useless "beefs" in Hip Hop are. "Beef is oil prices and geopolitics. Beef is Iraq, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Some Beef is big, and some Beef is small, but what ya'll call Beef is not Beef at all" - Mos Def
TUNEAGE 11
This month we’re turning Tuneage over to Beirut based MC Chyno’s debut solo album Making Music to Feel at Home, which is being released this month. Not one for lists, we asked the man to take us through five tracks that influenced the album. We then let him know that we need six records and told him to attempt to review his own album without looking like a dick. Here’s what he came up with.
PUT YOU ON GAME
ALL FALLS DOWN
I'm a big fan of first person narratives and Lupe does it so well. Especially in this album, ‘The Cool’. I listen to a lot of Lupe songs and take notes. My album's first single, OPP, is a first person narrative about a suicide bomber, and another song on the album called Neverlands narrates two child soldiers from different parts of the world reflecting upon their respective realities. I also wrote a song called I Don't Feel Like Talking in which I try to step into the shoes of people who are close to me and are explaining why they don't want to speak to me. But back to this song. It's confusing at first, but the instrumental intertwined with Lupe's cadence, tone, writing and delivery gets you mesmerized. I remember the first time I heard it back in 2008. I was in Damascus in a car with two friends. From the intro to the last gun shot at the end, we were utterly speechless until one of my friends said, "Imma bring it back."
I'm gonna get a lot of heat for this, but Kanye fathered all of the new rappers coming out right now. He started the whole "introverted" and "sensitive" rapper style, while the rest of Hip Hop was on that "masculine-I'mthe-shit" tip. To me, as an avid Kanye listener since he was fresh on the scene, I saw that super-ego of his emerging and wasn't the least bit surprised about it. He wanted the fortune, he wanted the fame, and what made me appreciate him is how he articulated that honestly. He was open about what he wanted to be, and now he is honest about who he is: a douche. I ain't mad at that, but I can understand why other people would be. But his beats. Yo, son! Those beats he did in his first three albums, almost every single one is fire.
LUPE FIASCO THE COOL
KANYE WEST COLLEGE DROPOUT
MAKING MUSIC TO FEEL AT HOMEE CHYNO Review my own album? You know this is quite ridiculous, right? But fuck it. I'm convinced. Already put money on it, why not my word. The concept of the album and its title are very important to who I am at this moment in my life, so I tried to make sure I did it justice. Conceptually speaking, the start of the album is very rough and harsh sounding, whereas once you progress through it the soundscape becomes smoother and more soothing. It's meant to portray that feeling of comfort (like being home) the more you get exposed to the music. Sound wise, it's not boom-bap, it's not trap. There's a lot of catchy refrains and bridges that don't repeat much, so you miss them once they’re gone. Lyrically, I didn't want to be another self-victimising Arab rapper. I wanted to reflect my world. Raw & uncut. Sometimes self-critical. Sometimes I'm the shit. Sarcastic, but not patronising. There are audio messages recorded in it from people I know all over the world to make it feel as authentic and honest as possible. If there's one thing I take most pride in, it's the arrangements on the album. It's pretty bizarre, but they fit the emotions being conveyed. Accompanied by "let's-cuddle" strings, samples I manipulated the fuck out of, “let's-take-itoutside" synths, and eerie audio sound bites, it's a pretty interesting ride. So go get it when it's out.
12 FLASHBACKS & REVELATIONS
AUDIO KULTUR PRESENTS STILL HERE, STILL BLEEDING APRIL.26 - ARMENIA ST. PHOTOS BY: ROLAND RAGI
FLASHBACKS & REVELATIONS 13
16 FEATURE
PUNK ROCK PAKISTAN
Does that even need a sub-head? By: Zab Mustefa
FEATURE 17
A
round the time Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet came out in 1991, I was a young second generation Scottish-Pakistani living in one of Glasgow’s roughest areas. While the police had to be called to our apartment at least twice a week to deal with the racist abuse we faced, music was what had really helped as a coping mechanism from an early age.
While air bombs were pushed through the letterbox or our car windows were constantly smashed, there was always some classic Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Noor Jehan playing in the kitchen background, or some hiphop booming out from the bedrooms. That was, however, until I discovered punk. Curiously hearing the Sex Pistols and the Clash for the first time aged 13, I found that the music was anti-establishment, anti-fascist, and went against the typical social structure expected of a Muslim teenager growing up in the West. Scottish South Asians make up 2.1 percent of the country’s population. Mass immigration increased from the Indian subcontinent during the 1950s onwards with many families coming over predominantly from the Punjab region. Diversity is a big part of Glasgow’s sizable Pakistani community. However, as with most cultures in immigrant societies of Western countries, shit gets mixed. Integrating both Eastern and Western cultures together has been a vital aspect of growing up and this eventually led to the discovery of Pakistani punk. “Punk is not only a genre of music that shouts out against social and political ills. It's also a way of life,” says Safyan Kakakhel, lead singer of Pashto punk band Marg. “A way of life characterised by individualism, defiance of societal norms, self-help, self-awareness and
speaking out without fear against fascism, intolerance, conformity, injustice and sociopolitical infractions,” he adds. Marg, which means “death” in Pashto was formed by 29-year-old Kakakhel in 2010. Born out of the suburbs of Peshawar, the band’s creativity stems from many things; bottled up emotions, the social conditions of the country, and the thrill of using psychoactive substances. But most of all, it is born out of a genuine passion for playing rock n’ roll. Mainstream Pashto music in Pakistan – what Kakakhel refers to as “some of the worst music ever made”, is far from the thrash metal influences he cites as inspiration, from Megadeth and Slayer to more hardcore punk acts such as Minor Threat and AntiNowhere League. “Interestingly, I didn't premeditate what genre I was doing when I started writing songs,” Kakakhel tells me. ”It just so happened that the style of music I wrote was punk rock, and I was like, so be it.” Marg’s songs address many things; hypocrisy, political and theological deceit, nihilism, drug use, and death – issues many young people in Pakistan are dealing with. Given the context of the band’s songs, one would think it’d be difficult living in Peshawar as a Punk due to the tense circumstances, namely after Taliban militants massacred 132 children and nine teachers from a military cadet school in December 2014.
18 FEATURE
“I don't blame people who perceive Pakistan that way. The news is constantly filled with hellish images everyday - anyone would think that's all that happens in this country of 200 million people. In reality, living in Pakistan is just plain boring, normal and ordinary, with moments of cheer and excitement every now and then. Peshawar isn't really the nightmarish city it's usually deemed to be. There are millions of hard working people who are just trying to get by and make ends meet and who have nothing to do with guns, militancy and terrorism. But some majorly poor decisions and policies of the past and the proxy-armies we created are unsurprisingly going to haunt us and tarnish our global image for a long time.” Against the backdrop of violence and terrorism constantly hitting the headlines, Pakistan’s music scene is still alive and fighting back. Despite this, more underground scenes have been given little recognition. When one of Marg’s singles was featured in Never Mind the Taqwacores, Here Is the Real Deal, a Pakistani punk compilation album released two years ago, it received support globally, but not so much in Pakistan. The term Taqwacores was adapted from the 2003 book of the same name by Michael Muhammed Knight and was later made into a documentary. By mixing punk and Islam together, a subcategory of the genre was made.
Kakakhel, however, doesn’t think punk and Islam go together. “Taqwacore punk got really famous as it was given a lot of coverage in the international media thanks to a book/documentary by the same name and mostly due to the realisation of a greater need to highlight ‘progressive’ movements within the Muslim youth in the West. Personally, the term Taqwacore doesn't make any sense to me nor does the genre. I don't think Islam has much room for the arts, especially music, and a genre like punk, which is inherently wild and free from any sort of cultural or religious restraint. The compilation album paves the way for ‘real’ Pakistani punk rather than ‘media-hyped styles’”, Kakakhel says. With 55 percent of the Pakistani population being below the age of 24, a new generation of individuals has surfaced in the country. For instance, Hassan Amin is a film and television student from Lahore by day, and lead singer of Multinational Corporations, also known as MxCx, by night. Coming from a family with links to the army, Amin was brought up with a lot of propaganda, eventually influencing the political nature of his music. Forming hardcore punk band Foreskin in 2009, his inspiration came from the likes of Discharge, Doom and Extreme Noise Terror, leading to the formation of MxCx and Kafir-e-Azam - Urdu for the great infidel. “Punk is the entire middle finger to the world,” the
23-year-old says. “When I started MxCx, my main band was Foreskin, which was this silly shock-value punk/metal mashup. I wanted to do something serious, something more political, so I formed the band with my guitarist Sheraz. Making a 'grindcore' band was a pretty obvious choice for me. It's the noisiest, most abrasive, most politically aware punk subgenre out there, with a strong metal crossover tendency. Grind gigs have everyone from crusties to thrashers so it's always a great healthy atmosphere. It's my favourite shit in the world so it was a no-brainer.” When asked about the punk scene in Pakistan, Amin calls it the “aata stage of the roti.” In other words, the dough stage of bread. One advantage of being an underground punk band in Pakistan is that the authorities don’t take notice because most gigs are low key. Nevertheless, Kafir-eAzam was for a period accused of being anti-Islam by conservatives even though Amin maintains the band had nothing to do with religion. “We actually just named the band after what Indian Muslim clerics called Jinnah, to highlight the irony of our nation slowly being cuckolded at the hands of these right wing Islamofascists. Anyway, we ended up taking the page off. It doesn't matter, our music is still spread around.” Amin’s lyrics reflect Pakistan’s instability, which doesn’t end with terrorism. A dysfunctional government, corruption and religious intolerance are all reasons for
FEATURE 19
why the country’s youth feel frustrated. More than half of Pakistanis live under the poverty line, earning $2 a day, according to a 2014 Economic Survey. “Life can be great anywhere in the world if you're part of the specific demographic that the state caters its interests towards. I'm not, so I'd be lying if I said it was fantastic.” Across the pond, American life in the day and age of ISIS has become a strain for many second generation Pakistanis growing up in the US. Post 9/11 America and having to deal with Fox News-style rhetoric blaming Muslims for anything and everything paved way for the Kominas. Formed ten years ago, its band members Basim Usmani, Shahjehan Khan, Sunni Ali and Karna Ray have toured all over the world and aren’t shy to controversy with songs like Sharia Law in the USA, featuring lyrics that did more than turn a few heads – “I am an Islamist, I am the antichrist, most squares can’t make most wanted lists, but my my how I stay in style.”
is a conservatism in its own right. People want to keep punk irrelevant; they want to just reuse the same contrasted black and white promo photos and same themes again and again. It’s comfortable to ignore the lived experiences of others, but punk doesn’t speak for the rebel, it speaks to a certain type of consumer,” he adds.
assume.”
Also featured in the critically acclaimed Taqwacores documentary, the Kominas have managed to piss off the likes of right-wing nut Pamela Geller, but have also experienced their fair share of Islamophobia, racism and discrimination.
The Kominias finished off with something that made me smile: “Muslim Americans are the last American heroes.”
Muslim punk bands date back to 1979 when British band Alien Kulture emerged. Vocal against Nazis and fascism at a time when South Asians were dealing with race riots in the UK, the group inspired others to mix Islam with the genre. “A lot of kids think we complain a lot, but our read is, aren’t you fucking Punx?” Usmani asks.
Being an American Pakistani Muslim punk though, how does that work?
Post Charlie Hebdo, the Kominas have given the next generation of kids a voice, not just those from a Pakistani background, but those from all walks of life.
“Religion is as much about identity as it is about beliefs,” lead singer Usmani tells me. “Punk is absolutely a ‘me, me, me’ genre, every song is someone’s tantrum about something whether that’s worker’s rights or veganism, but punk keeps getting further and further from reality. It’s much more style than politics, which
“At the moment, even conservative Muslims get why some kids like us would make some noise about the fears felt towards Muslims, and they like the myriad ways we’re dealing with issues rooted in older things like colonialism, capitalism, exploitation and fears. They’re more sympathetic than many in the West
Going against the establishment regardless of the definition is what makes me find a sense of belonging amongst Pakistani punks. Whether that be tackling patriarchy in my culture or fighting racism, this generation will not be silenced.
20 LARRY GOES TO THE MOVIES
LARRY GOES TO THE MOVIES MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
D
at guy Larry is the prime example that a well crafted Facebook status is worth more than your wanky six page writing sample. Larry is a lot of things, but above all he is a critic. He holds no punches and says it as it is. We like that. We like that so much weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re giving him his own column. Each month, Larry goes to the movies and gives you the full report. He was also choked while being mugged on the subway in New York. The mugger was never seen again. Larry is raw.
The whole MAD MAX: FURY ROAD experience is like a trip on Acid. Ditching the remake concept and picking up where the originals left off, the story is still set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world where men are animals and women are called breeders Insert Daesh joke here -. Max, played by an excellent Tom Hardy, haunted by grizzly images of his dead family and eaten by guilt, decides to join hands with Imperator Furiosa in order to free women and give them back their land. You might have 'Max' in the title, but it is in fact Charlize Theron's show here. Abandoning her pretty girl looks and rocking a shaved head and a prosthetic arm, she drives trucks, kicks butt, and, with a bunch of equally kickass female sidekicks, takes feminism to a whole new level. She doesn't play Furiosa; she is Furiosa. Stellar performances aside, the movie's refreshing feel comes from its frenetic cinematography - hence the Acid joke -, intriguing choice of color grading and surprisingly sophisticated art direction, despite its dialogues that don't necessarily make sense and don't always rely on subtext. While most post-apocalyptic movies tend to have desaturated colors and war aftermath scenery, this is where the movie gets it right with its colorfulness and its edgy sets. And while most testosterone-fueled movies tend to treat women like props, this one actually passes the Bechdel test. Add in successful yet uncalled for 3D effects and you will feel the need to shower once the movie's over. Best movie theater experience I've had in 2015 so far.
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POLTERGEIST I was never a fan of the original POLTERGEIST movie (two words: STEVEN SPIELBERG), so I naturally gay-gasped when I knew about a remake that involved producer Sam Raimi (the Evil Dead franchise), playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (RABBIT HOLE) and underrated, underappreciated and underused actors like Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and Jane Adams. The project, on paper, had 'good horror references, good writing and good acting' written all over it. And yet, like most hopeful projects on paper, this one misses the mark. Despite a few good scares, decent performances and the fact that horror movies are always more engaging in 3D, the movie stumbles and fails to find any edge due to its slow pacing, cheap comedic tricks, and worst of all, its one-note characters. I usually hate it when I say this, but the movie should've stayed an extended trailer; everything is already given away in the trailer anyway. Gay-gasp fail.
Indie Horror is a genre made popular by directors like Ti West and Adam Wingard, and taken to the next level by French directors Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo. After last year's critically-acclaimed THE BABADOOK by first-timer Jennifer Kent, it was made clear that Indie Horror was here to stay. What's refreshing about IT FOLLOWS is the fact that it's a psychological horror movie that doubles as a comingof-age movie. A bunch of reckless yet hopeful teenagers and their irrational decisions are thrown in a stylized horror metaphor about STDs. It's slightly campy but it works so well. Minimalizing blood splattering & capitalizing on psychological trauma, the movie puts sexploitation to good use (for once) and its female lead pays tribute to scream queens; a very nice addition to the genre.
HOT PURSUIT
IT FOLLOWS
Let’s take a concept made popular by Sandra Bullock, add in a pinch of racism, sexist stereotypes, and vulgar situations, choose two bankable actresses and call it a comedy, shall we? What could’ve been a funny buddy comedy fails miserably due to its jokes that are never funny, stereotypical caricatures of characters, slow pacing plot, and predictable and forgettable twist. How could two proud feminists not be insulted by the racist clichés that overwhelm this dreadful comedy?
22 PHOTO FEATURE
HEAD IN THE SAND Lebanese photographer Youmna Geday reflects on a childhood spent in Saudi Arabia
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AK: Tell us a little about yourself to start things off.
but rather what you can actually say through all kinds of images. That's why I consider myself to be more of a visual artist than a photographer.
I am a true child of the Lebanese diaspora. Born in Canada, raised and grown up in Saudi Arabia, educated in France. I've got so many passports I could actually make a living off of marrying any Lebanese who dreams of "civilization". But for my own peace of mind, I only call myself Lebanese. The other papers are just a mutation of that identity. What am I about? What kind of question is that? Asking for my favorite color is like asking me what outfit I'm most comfortable in: you don't go to the beach wearing a ski suit!
AK:What kind of music are you into at the moment?
AK: How’d you get on with the Moutawa’? We hear
AK:Living and working in the Middle East, what
Hmmm... I never really interacted with them per say. But it seems like your little finger has told you a little about my rebellious soul. I never really cared about rules, and I hate blind obedience. I used to go out wearing a really see through abaya, beneath which one could see what I was wearing. Which was mostly a lot of skin. My mom and best friend weren't very fond of my provocations.
The whole world, and the Middle East in particular, confuse art and medium, and people feel safer labeling you. My etiquette is "photographer". I am basically expected to shoot weddings, fashion, and advertising in order to feel valuable or understood. "In a box". Culture, museums, galleries, these are words that are too abstract for Mr. Everybody, and I just feel his judgmental look that kinda says "Oh, so you're another spoiled brat who doesn't want to find a job..". It's frustrating, but equally so encouraging.
Where’d you grow up? What are you about? Favourite colour?
not exactly well to say the least?
AK:How did you get into photography? I studied it after realizing that art direction wasn't made for me. However, during my studies I quickly realized that I couldn't limit myself to just one medium. It's not really photography that I care about,
Do you find musical inspiration for your work?
Ever since I moved to Beirut, I LOVE blasting Nostalgie on the radio, singing and dancing along to the old, terrible, perky French songs that my dad used to listen to. It's really refreshing, and it makes sitting in traffic a lot less frustrating. I don't listen to music when I work. I think a lot and need to do that in silence. But my memories? They are all linked to a tune. struggles do you face as an artist?
AK: Tell us about this collection of your works.
Where were they taken? Why did you choose this particular style?
The photos shown here are part of a body of works called 'Sandbox', and were taken in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I grew up there and wanted to document the taste that my childhood left in my mouth. I faced a reality I had forgotten about: photography is not a medium most of society there is comfortable with. As a woman, I spent a lot of time in the backseat of cars, being driven from one place to the next. These photos have a layer of dust, blurring the look. I find this choice of image adequate, in some way, to the lifestyle I was trying to grasp.
AK: If you could photograph anyone/anything in the world what would it be?
I want to tell the story of a body that contains all life, and which life contains entirely. This is your story, mine, your boss', and every atom that surrounds you. You have seen the future and the past and your feelings are molecules of stars. I'm not really sure photography will be the only medium I use though.
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26 DAS KOMIC
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