Coke Studio at one level is more than just music.
It's about creating everlasting bonds and finding fulfilment.
Coke Studio's house band consists Of musicians from across Pakistan.
Each member provides invaluable insight
and imparts layers to every session they perform in.
After completing the artist’s raw recording,
the first step is setting the Eastern and Western rhythms of the song.
And for this, dholak-player Babar Khanna is called in.
Babar Khanna defines the taal (musical time) for each song
and develops an Eastern rhythm structure.
Babar has the specialty of being able to
mould Eastern beats in accordance with Western music.
Thereafter, drummer Gumby is brought in to fit in the Western rhythm.
Given that the Eastern and Western rhythms are diametrically opposite, aligning the two is demanding work.
Meanwhile, percussionists Zulfiq 'Shazee' Khan, Raheel Manzar Paul and Sikandar Mufti adjust Eastern & Western percussions to the beat.
Once the rhythm has been decided upon, other musicians trickle in.
The jam sessions with raw recordings pick up pace from this point on...
Bassist Kamran ‘Mannu’ Zafar adds the kind of groovy bass line
that conforms well to both Eastern and Western styles of music.
Omran ‘Momo’ Shafique and Asad Ahmed contribute with guitars in their unique signature styles.
Omran ‘Momo’ Shafique has a strong Pop background
and his ideas reflect his experiences.
Moreover, he is also inclined toward open tuning, which is
different from the standard tuning set of guitar-playing.
Keyboard player Jaffer Zaidi provides the chordal structure
and sometimes helps with the arrangement of the string sections.
Javed Sahab, popularly known as Uncle J, with his violin, brings in a
combination of Eastern playing with Western sensibilities.
He can add different flavours, depending on the requirement,
and provides the essential guide to a singer at the time of recording.
And it is from them that backing vocalists Zoe and Rachel Viccaji take cues for harmonies.
Backing vocalists Zoe and Rachel Viccaji put considerable effort into the harmonies of each track.
One of the key differences between Eastern and Western music is
that Eastern music is usually improvised & Western music is structured.
It takes a lot of planning and effort to retain both these qualities in these sessions.
After several rehearsals,the jam sessions on the raw recording conclude.
The artists are asked to return and the house band jams with them.
Finally, the sessions are recorded.