The bustling port metropolis of Karachi is buzzing with a lot of different noises these days. Next to pop and classical music a big amount of electronic music is produced in the biggest city of Pakistan, programmed by an ever-growing DIY eletronic music scene. A key member of this scene is RUDOH, one of the city’s first few beatmakers. Previous a musician playing for bands such as Mole, he soon found himself producing and diving deep into the world of electronic music. He co-founded a small net-label and collective of producers called Forever South (FXS) and makes music that could easily sit alongside any artist on Brainfeeder, Rudoh’s productions focus heavily on detailing mass waves of sound with just the right amount of percussive mania. He recently released his new EP “Tales of Scrap.”
Rudoh is opening for French artist Black Zone Myth Chant (also known as High Wolf) who is returning to ACUD to support his latest on Low Jack’s Editions Gravats label. With them on stage is Chicaloyoh, whose style is a mix of guitar, keyboards and percussions from distant and various horizons. We asked Rudoh five questions about the emerging Karachi scene.
Rudoh, what’s the current sound of Karachi?
Karachi has seen a lot more music and musicians come up in the last 5 years, especially the DIY electronic music scene. There is a strong side of pop and eastern classical music that is present, and then there is a strong community of experimental electronic musicians working together. I happen to have co-founded one of these communities called Forever South.
Talking about Karachi’s sound takes me back to my thoughts from some months ago. The further we go the more we realise there’s definitely a Karachi sound now, its experimental and its electronic, but it has this energy that’s very hard to explain, I think to understand it one has to get familiar with Pakistan’s social dynamics.
Your Top 3 records or artists from Karachi to be released recently?
1. “My Flaws” by Nawksh is a single that is still one of my favorites. He’s a creator of many things and is always up to something interesting, keep tabs on him for more updates, it’ll definitely be worth your time.
2. RED BLOOD CAT! What a band! I’ve been following these guys for a few years and they are incredibly talented. I’d say they are a prog rock band, but to limit their sound to just that would be unfair.
3. Block-2 is another artist from Karachi, I was lucky to get to know him whilst is short stay in Pakistan in pursuit of finishing med school. He’s moved back to the states now and is still putting out the freshest tunes.
What are the best locations for music in town?
There are few places in Karachi where they play live music or host events, but those places are well equipped to fully accommodate artists. Which is why we usually find a space that we do up ourselves with lights/sound and stage.
Could you tell us more about your label?
FXS is a collective of like-minded musicians and producers creating music that doesn’t exactly fall under the norms of Pakistani music. More importantly, we’re a group of close friends who love doing what they do.
Is Karachi a good city for music?
I was born and raised in Karachi. It’s not the best place for music for many reasons, but it is actually a great place to make music. The city runs on a slow pace, and costs are low. This gives a lot of time and ease to work on your craft, its a slippery slope since you can easily fall lazy as well.
