“I used to be really negative. I used to believe that Pakistan isn’t going to change for the better but then instead of listening to the news, I listened to people and what they do. I’m a lot more hopeful now. The older generation is more set in their ways but the younger lot are now un-learning all the bias and discrimination they’ve been taught over the years,” says Kiran Shazad, a Lahore-based artiste, who has been dabbling with minimal and experimental genres under her moniker Spirare . …

Pawas Gupta

An idea, an initiative, sometimes serious and sometimes fun. These are words I find most apt to describe the recently concluded second edition of the “Intelligent Dance Music” workshop hosted by the Bangalore Goethe Institut at Max Muller Bhavan. The brainchild of veteran Indian DJ and producer, Pawas Gupta association with Indivibe, it was a step in the right direction. This was the second edition of the workshop featuring Brendan Gregoriy who is known around the world for his brand of melodic, sophisticated house and techno under the alias ‘Chymera’. …

“Karachi is bursting at the seams. It’s a loud, obnoxious and difficult place that doesn’t seem to ever stop growing. However, it is dangerously easy to romanticise; the way big cities often are by their inhabitants. I think it’s important to acknowledge that your own experiences aren’t necessarily reflective of the experiences of others around you. For me, Karachi is home. When a place is so inextricably linked to milestones, relationships and emotions, that it becomes a part of who you are, it is difficult to imagine that it could never not be ‘home’,” said Danish Faruqi .

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Applications for Dosti 2016 open on July 1 and will close on August 1 at 5:00pm E.S.T.

Although music has anchored the integration of society and culture from time immemorial, many theorists believe that it has also played a pivotal role in evoking change within a regressive social order. Reinforcing the need to forge bonds through a synchronous sociocultural movement, over the last few decades, this particular art form has helped constitute a passionate endeavour to promote solidarity amongst mankind. In an attempt to deconstruct all cultural dichotomies, artistes have often used music as an incubator to transcend all barriers with respect to politics, hierarchy and even societal norms. …