Download Garaj Band's Debut Album Garaj

Garaj Band Just Launched Their Debut Album And The Album Name Is Also Garaj.
To Download The Album Follow The Links Below:

01 - Dil Muchlay.mp3
02 - Dil Naal Dil.mp3
03 - Aja Mahi.mp3
04 - Tujh Bin Ghar.mp3
05 - Tum Bin Lagay Nahi.mp3
06 - Yadain.mp3
07 - Tum Bin Ik Pal Chain.mp3
08 - Ajana Morey Balma.mp3
09 - Ruk Ja Ruk Ja.mp3
10 - Jis Din Na Milo Gi.mp3
11 - Tanha Tanha.mp3
12 - Saanchay Sur.mp3

To Know More About Garaj The Band Read These Two Recent Articles From Dawn:

What’s up with Garaj?

Garaj, a musical group whose music is based on a fusion of classical, rock, funk and hip hop, has been making waves on the Pakistani as well as Asian music scene for the past three years now, at the same time representing Pakistan as ambassadors of music.

Garaj has performed from small-time gigs on a local channel to a place like Royal Albert Hall in London (a concert held for the Oct 8 earthquake victims in December 2005), and has been appreciated by both the masses and critics alike. The lineup comprises two very different individuals — Imran Ahmed (guitars) whose major achievements include a selection of one of his poems by a Hollywood artiste record company way back in 1989 and Karam Abbas Khan (vocalist) who hails from the Gawalior Gharana and has a rich classical background (his father, grandfather and great grandfather were established classical singers of their time).

Garaj recently held the launch of their self-titled debut album in Karachi. The show commenced with a band called Moaaz opening for Garaj consisting of Aun Zaidi (vocals), Arsalan Ejaz (lead guitars) and Abdullah Aziz ( rhythm guitars). They started the proceedings with a cover of Junoon’s Lal Meri Patt, an exhilarating performance which got a lot of applause. They wrapped up with an original number called Na Rahe with some profound lyrics and a crisp rock sound.

Garaj finally arrived on stage and the two-member band kicked off with a classical bandish called Rageshwari, a fusion of eastern and western music that also had been performed at the Royal Albert Hall. There couldn’t have been a better start to the gig as it mesmerised everyone there that night. Aaja Mahi was a full-of-life Punjabi folk song which seemed very fresh and involved a multitude of instruments. What followed was the much heard Dil Machle, the video of which has been airing on the local music channels for quite some time now.

The event continued in full swing with a ballad soaked in romanticism, Tujh Bin Ghar Soona, with Karam’s alluring humming. Tum Bin Laage Nahin Dil belonged to the same genre as well and interestingly has been appreciated by Mahesh Bhatt as well.

The mood switched to hip hop with the track Anjana Balma and the rollercoaster ride came to a halt with a bandish called Mian Ki Tori where Karam impressed everyone with his alaap and sargam.

Talking to Images post-performance, the band members unanimously said: “Our album deals with issues of love, lost love, reminiscent of good times and some easy listening, as well as the rich classical element which caters to almost every genre. The best part was the release of the album; we loved everything about it and through it hope to take Garaj to the next level.”

— Shahzeb Shaikh From Dawn

RISING STARS: A Gamble Pays Off

Fusion music with Urdu lyrics sung to a heady mix of western and eastern beats is by no means a new phenomenon. However, the sound Garaj produces is a different ballgame altogether.

lmran Ahmed and Karam Abbas have all the makings of a mismatched combination — Imran is seriously into heavy metal and rock while Karam is basically a classical singer. The latter hails from the famous Gawalior gharana, and is the son of the late Ustad Ahmed Ali Khan. Yet, the gamble seems to have paid off for the music they are making has an interesting edge.

On how this unlikely partnership came about, Imran says, “I had gone to a studio to record when I heard Karam there. I couldn’t get over his voice, and suggested that we form a band. To my surprise, he expressed interest and we got together. We were so thrilled with the music we made that we decided to go ahead with an album. And Karam came up with the name Garaj for the band.”

On why he opted for Garaj over other possiblities, Karam ****, “The word garaj has deep association with classical music, and it is something that comes up frequently when one talks about the various metres in this genre of music. I thought it was an apt name to describe our style of music.”

Commenting on how people appreciate classical music but are not willing to promote it, Imran says ruefully “Although good poetry and classical music is part of our culture, we have let the Indians highjack both, and are doing very little to keep this art form alive. Our objective, when we released our first self-titled album, was to familiarise youngsters with the classical genre by giving it a popular flavour and fusing it with English music.”

“After learning from our experiences, we are now experimenting some more with the sound in our second album. This time round we are blending pure classical songs with western music. There will be a far greater element of the classical genre in the new one as compared to the old, in which we have allowed ourselves to become a little commercial by including pop numbers. Our second album will carry a very different sound from what people are used to,” **** Karam.

With no high-end videos to promote themselves, Karam Abbas and Imran Ahmed of Garaj now realise that they have lost out in a big way. “Today, music videos are so important that even if Tansen showed up in person, he wouldn’t be able to make an impact without one,” Imran **** ruefully.

Considering that Garaj was formed in 2004 and its first album came out early this year, why did it take so long? “Initially, we lacked proper guidance and direction. But we learnt by trial and error, made a lot of mistakes and people put hurdles in our path. Nevertheless, we persevered and have become the stronger for our trials.”

With no high-end videos to promote themselves, since they couldn’t afford any, Karam and Abbas realise that they have lost out in a big way in the past. Says Imran “Today, videos are so important that even if Tansen showed up in person, he wouldn’t be able to make an impact without one!”

So far it has basically been Garaj’s live performances on various television shows that have kept the duo in the limelight. Unlike most bands, they have no qualms singing live, with or without music.

What is it that makes them think that a partnership based on mutual admiration will survive, when many bands before them (formed on the basis of years of friendship) have collapsed? Says Imran, “Generally, ego comes in the way of band members, causing a rift and differences. Neither Karam nor I have any such issues. We are both very down-to-earth, pragmatic people. We’ve seen some very trying times together and survived it all together. I don’t think handling fame and fortune will be such a big problem.”

After speaking to the duo, it dawned on me that without proper financial support and connections, emerging talent in this country tends to have a rough time establishing itself in the rat race of the showbiz industry. Considering that there is always a dire need for newer acts in the music industry, it is a shame when talented people such as the Garaj duo don’t manage to strike it big just because the who’s who of the industry are not willing to give them a listen. If they do manage to rise above all odds, Garaj stands a fair chance of being the next best thing after Fuzon with Shafqat Amanat Ali.

— Shanaz Ramzi From Dawn