To perform a sacred sin!
heylo!
I aint sure if everyone caught a glimpse of our unplugged that was shown on the second day of eid..For all those who missed it, and all those who didnt, download the mp3s from the unplugged show from the following links.
Shayad - Download Here
Sar Kiye (Cover) - Download Here
Sub Bhula Kai - Download Here
We Will Rock You - Download Here
Laaree Chootee - Download Here
Pukaar - Download Here
take care & have fun listening..
xulfi.
..watched the “treasure planet”, again, after a long time yesterday. Its a really nice animated movie. But nicer is the song thats part of its soundtrack. felt pretty close to the song the moment i heard it, hadnt heard it before though. but the song, somehow, depicts exactly how I feel about me and the rest of the world nowadays…
the song’s called “i’m still here” and its by Goo Goo Dolls’s vocalist John Rzeznik..
these are the lyrics…
I am a question to the world
Not an answer to be heard
Or a moment
That’s held in your arms
And what do you think you’d ever say?
I won’t listen anyway
You don’t know me
And I’ll never be what you want me to be
And what
Do you think you’d understand?
I’m a boy, no, I’m a man
You can’t take me
And throw me away
And how can you learn what’s never shown?
Yeah, you stand here on your own
They don’t know me
‘Cause I’m not here
And I want a moment to be real
Want to touch things I don’t feel
Want to hold on and feel I belong
And how can the world want me to change?
They’re the ones they stay the same
They don’t know me
‘Cause I’m not here
And you see the things they never see
All you wanted-I could be
Now you know me
And I’m not afraid
And I want to tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man?
They can’t break me
As long as I know who I am
And I want a moment to be real
Want to touch things I don’t feel
Want to hold on and feel I belong
And how can the world want me to change
They’re the ones they stay the same
They can’t see me
But I’m still here
They can’t tell me who to be
‘Cause I’m not what they see
Yeah, the world is still sleepin’ while I keep on dreaming for me
And their words are just whispers and lies that I’ll never believe
And I want a moment to be real
Want to touch things I don’t feel
Want to hold on and feel I belong
And how can they say I’ll never change?
They’re the ones they stay the same
I’m the one now
‘Cause I’m still here
I’m the one
‘Cause I’m still here
I’m still here
I’m still here
I’m still here
a weird thought just crossed my mind…are we brought up to follow? or are we brought up to think?
and then, another weird thought just crossed my mind, do we deserve to think and make decisions, as huge as pass judgements on religion..? Generally, we are not. We are not yet equipped with the proper mindset to think and pass judgements, and make decisions, specially on such a sensitive topic like religion.
Do we blindly follow the perception that’s kept in front of us by people who symbolise what religion has come to be today. Do those people deserve to keep that image in front of us to follow? People who will negate any opinion of yours which they would slightly believe to be wrong religion vise, even if that opinion might not sound, or look, even slightly immoral or wrong.
Why have we made everything so difficult for ourselves? Why cant we think? Why are we so weak in our heads? Why cant we think? Why, why why..
The worst thing is that we have so kept everything in the dark for us. Religion, Social Status, Politics, we discuss everything, but we just discuss, and then we move on. We do not really realise what we are doing, and how we spend our day, but before we know it, the day ends.
But in all our discussions, we forget to discuss one very important thing, and i.e. morals. Something our head very clearly tries to tell us all the time, without the need of anyone else, but we still forget the morals, and we still dont focus on them, cuz we have to talk about a million other things of our every day life.
The guys, so easily, and so annonyingly talk about the opposite sex in their group as if they have forgotten that they have family back home which consists of females. They just do not realise what they do wrong when they do that. And you know why? Cuz no one has ever discussed this with us when we were growing up. We were taught to follow the basics. And while being taught that, we were forgotten to be taught the most basic of things, the awareness of morality. Actually, one doesnt need to really be aware of morals, cuz its common sense. Its our conscience that at every point in time tells us whats right and wrong, without the need of anything else. Why dont we hear that voice of ours, and when we are sure about that, then we move onto the next step i.e. the understanding the religion. Why do we just start listening to what someone has to say about religion and then follow that someone’s perception almost blindly. Where is our head gone? Why dont we try to THINK so hard that we might be able to develop the thought and understanding required to understand religion and then follow it. Why do we all lack thinking? Why Why Why?
Not just guys, but even girls, the things they talk about amongst themselves is something that no one would never want to know. I am not generalising here at all, I am just talking about a particular section of our society that has just forgotten to think about the things that are more important! But how can they realise whats more important and whats not? Cuz for even realisation, one needs to think. But we wont ever think, cuz when we start thinking, we are stopped, that maybe we are thinking too much, and that will create a rebel in us. I ask, if it creates a rebel, in its truest sense, a morally aware rebel, who talks, thinks in the moral way, then why shouldnt we encourage creating such rebels. But, actually, we are creating followers all the time, in every category. Be it religion, Be it the wrong implementation of the Western Culture in our society, we follow what other people do, as if we are robots. Right or wrong is something we dont think of, cuz we dont think at all, we follow, cuz thats what everyone has been doing since forever.
Jub tuk we’ll only follow, we’ll fail.
But the depressing thought is. Are we even meant to think?…Or are we just there to follow till our last breath..
…i’ll end it here..
rain rain on my face, hasnt stopped raining for days, my world is in flood, slowly i become one with the mud.. [Flood, Jars of Clay]
I love the rain. adore it actually..
album’s going all good. farhan fixed one of the guitars that i had to play rang dau on. would be recording it tonight 
just got done with another song’s guitar parts..
three left now
tata!
Call recently composed and sang a radio jingle for Pepsi’s latest product, Pepsi MAX.
Will God, the creator, the magnificient, the writer of Quran, the greatest book, Will God ever write what we choose for ourselves and how we spend our lives when we choose the most obvious of paths, and live the most ordinary of lives? No, God doesnt write this ordinary life for us. We write it ourselves, and attribute it to God’s will. That’s our weakest weakness. That’s what we like to call fate.
Is fate, i.e. God’s will, that we study, do a job, marry whoever our parents choose for us, have kids, feed them and die?
Apart from death, none of what i mentioned is fate.
Is God willing the same for everyone? How can God write the same for everyone because If I see around, I see almost everyone living the same life, following the same pattern. Why will God, who is the greatest writer, write the same story for so many people? God doesnt write any of this. Its all what we choose ourselves. Its the weakness of our thoughts, and our mind that doesnt let us see the obvious. Hence, we misunderstand the obvious, and focus on the path someone else has set for us, another human, perhaps, has set for us. We follow it, because then we do not have to make our own decisions. Life becomes simple. Life becomes easy, and lastly, life becomes useless.
Our fate is not as simple and ordinary as we believe it is, its not a pattern that every second person will follow, It can obviously not be, its so simple to see and realise.
Yet, we, so wrongly and strongly, believe in the fate that binds us to normalcy. And we call that our belief in God. Foolish of us. Our lack of vision has brought us to the point where I have to admit thats there’s only one fate to most of us, and that is, to fail.
1.13 pm 27th July.
Woke up an hour ago. Sometimes it feels that you didnt sleep even when you wake up after 8 hours of it. Today was that day.
Anyways, an update is long due from my side about Call.
The good news is that we are done with the drums, guitar and bass parts for seven songs of the album, and we are done with vocals for five of them. There are a total of eleven songs in the record.
I, along with the rest of the band, am pretty excited about this release. Not just cuz its long due, but also cuz it is very true to heart. Yesterday, we did the acoustic guitar tracking for a track called ‘Kyun’. Sultan played the parts. Took us a long time, but it always does when one is trying to record properly with focus. ‘Kyun’ is one of my favourites from the album. We are still thinking on whether to have a video made for it or not. The heart says yes, we should. But still, its under consideration.
Since we have been back from our tour in the US of A, we have been in the studio, almost day/night, spending the maximum time on the album so that we can have the end product with us as soon as possible. The music scene right now is too stagnant at the moment. I am not sure where its going, i am trying to analyze nowadays, though its pretty difficult cuz our music scene operates in its own ways, which is not wrong at all. But as it operates differently, we can never predict. Then, apart from that, even the music thats coming up, most of it I cant seem to remember after three or four hearings even. Recall value for music is very important sometimes when you are releasing your stuff to the general public. Most of the stuff I hear on tv nowadays is lacking that to quite an extent.
On the Bollywood front, we would be leaving for Mumbai, India, in the third week of August. This time around, we would be going there for the music launch of the movie “Aasma..Sky is the limit”. Our song “Yeh Pal” that features in the movie is the song they are relying on to promote the movie. I am hoping and praying it pays off for both the band and the movie. Plus, our trip also includes a video shoot for the remix of the song. Before I see fingers being raised on this, I would want to explain why this is necessary. We, as a band, would NEVER like that our product is being remixed and a video for it is shot without us. Why? Because its our product! its that simple. We wouldnt ever want that the song runs everywhere, and people dont know who sung and played the song. Specially in India, its very important. And very importantly, the song has been remixed by Xulfi, thats me, and Sami Khan from the band Lagan. Its gonna sound a bit different to the remixes we usually get to hear. A remix always takes a lot away from the song. This remix does too, in a way. But, it is different from other remixes in a way that when it takes away a lot from the song, it gives back a lot too. So in a way, this remix, sort of, gives a new dimension to the song.
Back on the album front. We are using a variety of guitars on the album to get that VERY sound we have been trying to achieve for a long time now. And yes, a crate 4 x 12 ” cabinet plus a crate head to create the sound. Sajjad (ex-EP bassist, and one of my best buddies) actually bought this around a year ago from the states. I have borrowed it from him for the album recording and he has been kind enough to let me use (read abuse) it, hehe, thanks sajjad saab!
We recorded the drums in Farhad’s studio on his Pearl Reference Drumkit, which i believe is one of the best sounding kits Ive ever heard. To add to that, Farhad actually takes loads of care of his instrument and it shows too, the kit was in top shape when we went to his studio. He changed the drum skins (heads) on almost all of the components before we started recording. We even tuned the drumkit according to the song so that kit doesnt sound out of tune with the song. Farhad has played the drums on four of the tracks, Hum Se Hai Ye Zamaana, Aasmaan and two others whose names I would announce soon Kenny has played the drums on ‘Kyun’ and again two other tracks whose names are yet to be announced publically. Fahd khan has played the drums on two tracks, one being ‘Mein Aisa Hee Hoon’ which we are planning to release as the second single from our album, after ‘Yeh Pal’. And on another song, the name of which i’ll announce later. Apart from the drum tracking, the rest of the album is being recorded at my studio, i.e. Xth Harmonic.
The bass was recorded at my studio, using a Yahama Bass Amp and micing it. I believe Farhan has done an amazing job with the bass guitar parts! The bass parts are exquisite when the need is there, and they are simple and elegant when they just need to compliment the song. Well done Farhan! seriously, i am pretty impressed with his bass guitar work.
Junaid And Sultan would be posting on the blogs too, pretty soon, hopefully! We all have been busy in our album recording that we seldom get time to get online and interact with the fans! But this time around, we are trying to change this, and would post regularly!
Sultan has been practising his guitar parts quite religiously nowadays, trying to make sure he can get them right in the studio! Junaid has been practising too for his vocal parts! plus he has also contributed even in the engineering of the guitar sound, apart from the songs melodies.
There are a few people who have helped us tremendously during the album recording and Junaid, Sultan and I would want to thank them. I mean we would never ever have done it without their input, help and passion.
Kenny, who has always been there, whenever Ive asked, and whenever I havent even asked. From the drum track recording, where i used to go and pick him up from his place on my way to farhad’s studio (once, had an accident on my way to his place too, hehe) to the guitar part tracking, he just comes over, gives me company and motivates me so that I can keep going on and complete this product as soon as possible He is a great motivator, plus a great network gamer. He is always supporting the team, but not his, the opposite one. hahaha.
Lastly, I think he has done an amazing job on the drums he has done for the album, specially on the title track.
Then there is Sami, my co worker in the studio. I always look forward to work with him, cuz firstly, he is always a great help, plus, just like kenny, he keeps on cracking jokes to lighten up the mood which is so necessary as one cannot work in a tense environment. And yah, for co writing the lyrics for the title track with me.
Farhan Ali, he is THE guitar techie for me! had to fix and intonate loads of guitars for the album this time around, and he did one helluva job with it. Thanks pal!
Ahmad, has always been there, so this time around too, he is there. I have to alternate between the studio and the guitar classes sometimes. And if it wasnt for him helping me in the guitar class, It would be pretty impossible for me to manage both.
Daud, with his peaceful demeanour, is always there, sits quietly, but doesnt like it when the kids in my street mess with his civic, so he ends up scolding them. And thats the only time you’ll see him angry, hehe. But on a serious note, Daud is an amazing person, and in a very short span of time has become one of my best friends.
Murzie, our manager, thanks man for making sure that the site is always updated and the fans always gets the news on time! Plus, for always motivating me.
Farhad Humayun (Overload) for helping us engineer the drum sound, and plus for loving our music! and playing amazingly on the record.
Fahd Khan, for his drum contribution.
Jahanzeb Khan, JK, for being the strongest man alive, hahahahaha. and for his assault antics in MOHAA and his reverse driving skills specially in narrow streets at speed 80 kmh, haha. Anyways, I got to know him through kenny. and since then, him, and all of the people I mentioned earlier in this post are together most of the time, even during recording, or when we are tired of it, and go out for cricket, or network gaming.
Rehmat, my cook, for the tea, the rooh afza and the food!
Faizan, Arfu, Junaid (The Rising guys), Saad (Lagan), Hasib, Mustafa (Roxen), Sam (Aakaash), Ricky for the support!!
A special thanks goes to my family! Not mentioning their names here at the moment! Will write about that later!
take care
love you all!
Xulfi.
Hi Guyz,
Welcome to the Officical Blog of Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan – Xulfi’s realm of expressions. Here the fans can interact with him and get to know what’s happening in and around the man himself !
Call signs up with Pepsi for a series of ads. The first ad created on the evergreen hit “Laaree Chootee” is on air nowadays! Watch out for the updates on that front in that space. New Pepsi Ad, featuring Call, coming soon.