Role in band: Lead Guitars /
Vocals /
Compositions
Birth: 28th October, 1980
Instrument: Guitar, Keyboard
and Drums.
Guitars (electric)
- Essex SLP STD
- Washburn KC600
- Grand Prix
Guitars (electric acoustic)
-ESSEX MJG28C
Keyboards
- a Casio CT-680 (that was gifted to me by Khurram Bhai
11 years ago, and so was the Washburn KC600 mentioned in
the guitar list, gifted 2 years ago)
One doesn't need to have an instrument in this era of
music to compose. Therefore all of the compositions
Fawad and I do involve computer usage at some point (for
example, in drums, keyboards or orchestral sequencing).
Accessories
BOSS ME30 - with expression pedal (wah-wah & whammy)
Behringer VAMP (for Amp/Cabinet modeling)
EBOW - electronic bow/sustainer for the guitar.
Education: BS in computer science from the National
University of Computers and Emerging Sciences, Lahore
(famously known as FAST)
Key words: stubborn, adamant and a workaholic.
Influences: Adam Jones (Tool), Billy Corgan (Smashing
Pumpkins/Zwan), Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle), [all
are composers/guitarists], Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos.
Other: Get tense easily. Still a little afraid of the
dark. Highly emotional Swallowed his first pill at the
age of 20. Learnt driving this year.
Question [Underground
Media] - : Name?.
Xulfi: Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan
Question: Age?
Xulfi: 24
Question: Date of Birth?
Xulfi: 28th October, 1979
Question: Place of Birth?
Xulfi: Lahore
Question: Profession?
Xulfi: Musician and Composer, Music Producer for my
own band as well as other upcoming bands, Video
Director
Question: Hobbies?
Xulfi: Playing table tennis, Watching TV, specially
HBO & WWE, chatting on the net, playing the guitar,
going out with friends and above all, having PIZZA :
)
Question: Education?
Xulfi: Computer Science Graduate (by the start of
next year) from FAST-NU, Lahore.
Question: Music Equipments?
Xulfi: SX SLP STD Electric Guitar (Les Paul shape)
SX Electric Acoustic
Behringer VAMP
BOSS ME30
Washburn KC600 electric guitar.
S101 electric guitar (les paul shape)
and Washburn WI66V electric guitar
Grand Prix Electric guitar.
Harmony Bass Guitar
And Chinese speakers + amplifier, got them made from
Hall Road in Lahore ; )
I only play the ones I love the most.
u have seen the electric acoustic and the electric
ones in Aghosh's video.
and the s101 guitars plus the Washburn WI66V
these are new guitars
u will see them in concerts and videos from February
onwards
Question: How long you have
been involved in the music scene?
Xulfi: Since I was 12, Khurram (my elder bro and
EP's manager) bought me a Casio keyboard. and while
playing it, I discovered my love and aptitude for
music. Then, Danish, (my elder bro and the lyricist
of IRTIQA III), exposed me to the world of NCA i.e.
National College of Arts at the age of 13.He asked
me to compose music for a theatrical performance in
MIME. he was the head of this theatre group known as
Undraap Nexus in NCA. So , that's how I started
creating my own music. then CALL, my first band came
into existence. having me as the songwriter and the
keyboardist (and a guitarist as well in the future),
Omer Pervaiz as the lead guitarist and
co-songwriter, Khurram on drums, Shehzad Hameed on
bass guitars and Danish on Vocals and he was the
lyricist as well. Then, As I ventured more into
music creation, I realized that I need to play some
other instrument as well besides keyboards, so I
started to play guitars and didn't learn it from
anyone, just applied the music theory I knew from my
keyboard playing experience to the guitar and the
rest came itself. In the same way, I started playing
drums too. And how I started in drums is a pretty
interesting episode. A friend, and a guitarist,
Ahsan Fida Khan, did not have a drummer in his band
PROZAC. He asked me if I would like to play drums
for him. I got really excited and decided to give
the drums a try. In a week's practice, I was playing
quite decently...Then, we did a concert...
the band PROZAC had me on drums..
Ali Zafar on vocals.
Jamshed Atray on Keyboards and Vocals
Ahsan Fida Khan on lead guitars..
then, how Paradigm came into existence is something
everyone know so I'll end my answer here
Question: What inspires you while making music?
Xulfi: Moments and Experiences. Mostly, moments and
experiences. sometimes, arguments with friends.
sometimes, a break up or something...I am as normal
as u people are, therefore, my moments aren't
anything that you guys wouldn't have experienced,
but yes, I make sure that my way of expressing these
moments and experiences is special and rare,
something that inspires the listener and engrossing
him/her into a moment, an experience that I had
lived through and expressed in that very piece of
music. and one more thing, my frequent discussions
with my brother Danish on everything. be it art, be
it music, be it any thing. they inspire me and
provide me with food of thought..
Question: Your new video "Aagosh"
is now being aired on music channels rather
frequently. What's the concept behind this video?
Xulfi: The concept was described in absolute detail
at the forum
Question: How has your
experience been in the Pakistani media so far?
Xulfi: If you are talking about the mainstream music
scene, then it has been kind of a mixed experience.
Audience is more interested in faces than they are
in music. That's how mainstream goes. Music suddenly
becomes secondary in mainstream. But things are
changing now. People have actually started to
'listen' to music which is good for a musician like
me who strives on what music he creates. It was
different in the underground. I felt like a kid
there and that was fun actually. Being a kid is
always fun The way it worked in underground was like
keh there were only a few concerts here and there.
so we used to work like crazy. now, the schedule has
become tougher i.e. in the mainstream...more
concerts and then, special appearances. and stuff
like that life has become different. things have
changed. but one thing has remained the same. nvi
still love music the same way I used to love it
infect, I love it even more now! and it feels so
great that thousands of people in our country like
my music too.
Question: How far do you see
Pakistani media extend itself?
Xulfi: Pakistani media is flourishing really nicely
now. But, one thing that I have been saying over and
over again is that people need to mature. the
listener as well as the musicians. the musicians
keep churning out the same stuff, earn some money,
go into hibernation, and then come back again, and
churn out more and the same kind of music and that
too with session musicians (i.e. not playing the
stuff themselves)...and the listener keeps loving
them so that basically occupies the space for any
new aspiring musician or band which wants or desires
to do something different...I wish that the listener
can comprehend the difference between original,
creative. and substandard, ordinary.
Question: What we can expect
from "Entity Paradigm" in the future?
Xulfi: A second album by the end of December
Lots of new videos.
Lots of concerts : )
and a full fledged marketing campaign....
Question: How was the
experience with Mekaal Hassan?
Xulfi: It was rough at the start, but things
smoothed out after sometime. One needs to understand
the psyche of the person he or she is working with
It was difficult to understand how he worked at the
start but as time went on, I understood somewhat.
And then, he understood me too : ) he finally
understood how serious I am about making Irtiqa
sound better than any other album ever released in
Pakistan and then, it all became really nice and
work became easy.
Question: You guys were the
new "Super Sitaras" on IM. How was that experience?
Xulfi: That was really nice and fun! It was good
cause we didn't ACT in any of those episodes. We
behaved as we would do in any situation without the
camera so we were natural and normal. That made it
more fun I suppose
Question: How come "Rap" is in
only 4 songs?
Xulfi: Well, first, people were saying there is so
much rap in our songs and now when there isn't much
in the rest of the album, then people have come up
with a new question....anyways, that's how it all
happened in reality. RAP was a part of our thought
while composing the first half of the album, but as
the album progressed, the thought process changed
Question: What comes first.
The Music or Lyrics?
Xulfi: depends. sometimes, I come up with a melody
that I fall in love with instantly, in that case, I
wont discard that melody cause I don't have the
lyrics. Infect, I would write something or would ask
someone else to write something that goes with the
melody. and sometimes, lyrics are written already
and I make the composition according to that. and
sometimes, both things work at the same time for
different parts of the song.
Question: What do you think
about other Pakistani artists?
Xulfi: everyone is doing their bit in order to
improve the music scene in Pakistan. But I suggest a
bit of unconventionalism in their compositions and
music wont hurt anyone.
Question: Where do you see
yourself 10 from now?
Xulfi: I am not much of a planner. I like to go with
the flow. But yes, I do have some aims that I want
to achieve, some things that I want to discover.
Want to be the top producer of music in Pakistan,
and an influential artist worldwide. There are so
many other aims. But I would like to keep the answer
short
Question: Favorite musicians
(Pakistani)
Xulfi: there is no Pakistani musician who inspires
me, But yes, there are some real good artists that I
would like to mention. Rohail Hayat, Adnan Sami
Khan, Sajjad Ali.
Question: Favorite musicianss
(Other)?
Xulfi: Peter Gabriel
Question: Favorite songs
(Pakistani)?
Xulfi: tera chehra by adnan sami khan (ii wouldn't
ever call adnan sami an Indian, so for me, its a
Pakistani song and I like it a lot.) and yeah tera
chehra (the one without percussions, just on piano
and violins)
Question: Favorite songs
(Other)?
Xulfi: Stink fist by Tool
Three Libras by A Perfect Circle
Signal to Noise by Peter Gabriel
let me think of more.
Ridiculous Thoughts by The Cranberries
Fragile Dreams by Anathema
Amnesia by Toad the Wet Sprocket
Where do we go from here by Filter
Bombay Theme by AR Rehman
Soma by The Smashing Pumpkins
and
Pretty Good Year by Tori Amos
umm, well there are many more, but right now, these
are the ones that I can think of right now.
Question: What do you think
about "Question"?
Xulfi: Question is doing a great job in the
promotion of the young artistes of the nation. Keep
it up Question! Way to go!
Question: Final comments?
Xulfi: Life is too short to live in depression. Keep
smiling and enjoy this precious gift of life from
God to its fullest.
Interview By Omer Saleem
www.LahoriMela.com |
