Title: Mekaal Hasan’s iconic Lahore studio reduced to ashes
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On Tuesday evening, a fire broke out at Mekaal Hasan’s iconic studio in Lahore. An electronic malfunction caused a blaze that reduced everything at Waris road recording facility to ashes within minutes. No fire extinguishers worked and although the fire brigade arrived at the location within ten minutes it was still too late to salvage anything, as the team members, including Mekaal himself, rushed for their lives.
“Everything, including the equipment and the infrastructure, has been burned down,” Hasan told The Express Tribune in a telephonic conversation. “The damages would roughly cost between 100-200 million rupees.”
The state-of-the-art facility was not only an ashram of sorts for musicians but also a studio equipped with the latest recording equipment and infrastructure. Everything inside the control room was burnt during the fire, and instruments and air conditioners in other rooms too either melted or got brushed by the fire and smoke.
Photo: Facebook/Guitar Collective
“It’s a tragedy but we can’t do anything about it apart from looking ahead with a new resolve,” said Hasan. The producer has reached out to all the great names of the music industry who have been associated with the studio to help him rebuild the space.
“All the artists that I have recorded, which ranges from Atif Aslam to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, from Noori to Jal, Xulfi to Fawad Khan, I have asked them to help me rebuild the studio by sending in their donations,” Mekaal reaffirmed. “You know this wasn’t just a studio, it was a happy place for musicians. It’s a space that has launched the biggest singers, instrumentalists, and maestros of the country. I am sure all of them will warm up to this task.”
The rebuilding of Mekaal Hasan’s studio space will take place through a formal campaign that will target ex-pats and Pakistanis separately. Mekaal will be establishing a GoFundme account for those who are willing to donate from abroad and something easily accessible for the people willing to contribute from Pakistan.
Photo: Facebook/Guitar Collective
The idea is to appeal to the artist community and the people of Pakistan said Hasan. “Every artist has a following and their own set of well-wishers. This space is responsible for some of the most incredible music that has come of out our region and now it needs your support.”
While the news of the fire spread in the music circles on Tuesday evening, few people know, that like a true rockstar, Mekaal, along with the members of Mekaal Hasan Band went on to play a live show at Ali auditorium, right after confronting this tragedy. “We had to look forward. It was our own show that we were doing for our own fans so we couldn’t cancel it and I am glad we didn’t,” concluded Hasan.
Photo: Facebook/Guitar Collective
Established in 1995 as Digital Fidelity studio, Mekaal’s music facility formed the backbone of the Pakistani music scene in the 90s. Every artist from Lahore, young or old, traditional or non-traditional, has spent a significant amount of their early days trying and failing at this facility. Some of the iconic acts that recorded their album at Mekaal’s studio include Junoon, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Jal, Noori, Zeb & Haniya, Fariha Parvez, and Coven to name a few. Among the acts that rose to fame in the last decade or so are Poor Rich Boy, Khumariyaan, Sibti, and even the likes of Gen Z sensations Manu and Bilawal Lahooti have had their share of skill polished here.
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Published Date: 06-Jul-2022
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