Drummer and percussionist Kami Paul talks to Instep about the purpose behind making Sultanat, the markets that are responding to it and some issues within the music scene.
Kami Paul is not a stranger to the music scene, playing drums/percussion for the likes of Noori and Meesha Shafi, among others. He was also the drummer on Coke Studio in its last edition as a house-band member and featured with his band, Mughal-e-Funk (MEF) in the same season with the song, ‘Aurangzeb’.
Kami Paul’s great pride and joy lies – not only in playing drums as a session player – but in his band, Mughal-e-Funk.
Featuring Rakae Jamil, Kami Paul, Rufuz Shehzad and Farhan Ali, the super-group released its debut instrumental album called Sultanat last year, which took inspiration from subcontinent and in particular, the Mughal era. But MEF has taken the idea and converted it into music that is a mixture of both contemporary and traditional ethos, presented in a form that remains unique to them.
Speaking to Instep, Kami Paul explains that the response to the album has been decent and most interest has been shown by listeners from United States of America and India.
“We basically made this album for the musicians,” begins Kami.
“We wanted to take out our internal stories, particularly me. It was as if I could not create anything creative anymore,” Kami tells Instep about the importance of Sultanat to him on a personal level. “Now that it is out, my bucket is empty and I can work on new stuff.”
“We made this music and will continue to make it for ourselves and our happiness and for our personal satisfaction” Kami alludes to the rest of the band and the purpose behind MEF’s existence.
As for Mughal-e-Funk’s presence outside the music scene, Kami and the rest of the band remain happy. They played the Lahooti Melo 2019 and made new fans while performing.
“The response is coming from the USA and India; they like it [Sultanat]; a lot of bands in Pakistan love it and we are happy because this is what we wanted,” Kami reiterates.
As for making monetary gains out of creating this album, Kami tells Instep: “It is tough for an artist to survive, especially in Pakistan because we don’t have that culture. There is a problem because we have not been able to converge and become an industry.”
Kami notes how lack of a proper industry can create a situation where artists have to go abroad to find success.
The drummer says that even as the music scene is picking up now, there are many musicians who do not get session gigs, something Kami has mastered. “They’re sitting at home, there’s no stability. Now brands have become record labels.”
It is an astute observation. The music industry is bankrolled by the corporations. When asked what about artists who are not bankrolled by a platform, owned by a corporate, Kami admits that there are many. “Only 25 per cent come out, 75 per cent don’t. But I do feel a lot of us have seen this struggle and it is important to stay positive through it all.”
Will the resurgence of cinema help the music scene flourish?
“In a way it is helping musicians. But everything is sequenced. Live music is not happening the way it used to,” Kami says, alluding to a different time. “The producers of films, sometimes, get the work done outside Pakistan. The budgets are small so you can’t blame the person who is doing sequencing; he needs a better budget to do more. The circle doesn’t exist.”
When asked if government intervention is needed to help artists, says Kami: “Pakistan is home to a lot of art and artists and the government should take ownership before they pass away like Pathanay Khan and Mehdi Hasan.”
