Miles (band)
Encyclopedia
Miles is a popular rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

 from Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest bands in Bangladesh, forming as early as 1978.

Miles currently consists of Hamin Ahmed on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

, Shafin Ahmed on Bass, Manam Ahmed on keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

, Iqbal Asif Jewel
Iqbal Asif Jewel
Iqbal Asif Jewel is a Bangladeshi singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. His first band was Legend, whose initial album was Onnobhubon...

 on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, and Syed Ziaur Rahman Turjo on drums. All members perform vocals save for the drummer.

From 1982 to 2006, Miles have released six albums
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

. Among these first two were in English, containing both original songs and covers. Their first Bengali album, Protisruti, was released in 1991. Their fourth album (second in Bengali), Prottasha, came out in 1993 and sold approximately 300,000 copies within few months of its release and is still one of the best-selling album in Bangladesh. Their latest musical effort was Protiddhoni, released in 2006.

Early Years (1978-1981)

Miles was formed in August, 1978 with Happy Akhand on keyboard and vocals, Farid Rashid on bass guitar and vocals, Hamin lead guitar and vocals, Shafin rhythm guitar and vocals, Shahedul Huda on drums and Robin on keyboard and also vocals replacing Happy.

For the first three years, Miles performed regularly at Chameli Supper Club of Hotel InterContinental (now Sheraton
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...

).

In 1981 Kamal Moinudding joined as Drummer after Shahedul went to a foreign country.

Miles and A Step Further (1982-1990)

In 1982, they made their first public appearance on Bangladesh Television
Bangladesh Television
Bangladesh Television , also known by the acronym BTV, is the state-owned Television network in Bangladesh. It started broadcasting as Pakistan Television in what was then East Pakistan on 25 December 1964. It was renamed Bangladesh Television after the independence in 1971. Broadcasts in full...

 and performed their first live show in Shilpakala Academy premises in front on an audience of 1,500. In the same year, they brought out their first album - Miles. The album was in English and contained 3 original songs and 7 covers.

From 1983 to 1990, Miles played at the Sonargaon Pan Pacific Hotel's discothèque and coffee shop in Dhaka for six nights a week. In between, in 1986, they released their second album, A Step Further, which was also in English this time with 7 original and 3 cover songs. They also performed many solo and joint concerts during this time.

Protisruti and Prottasha (1991-1993)

In 1991, Miles released their first Bengali album - Protisruti. This album contained 12 original songs. This album launched the band to unprecedented popularity with a number of hit songs. The next year, they performed their first, and solo, concert outside Bangladesh in Bangalore, India. They performed three hours of English rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 before an audience of 7,000.

In 1993, Miles released their fourth album (second in Bengali), titled Prottasha. The album, containing 12 original songs, enjoyed record-breaking sales, with approximately 300,000 copies selling within few months, and is still the best-selling album by a band in Bangladsh. This led to many TV appearances and one-year sponsorship agreement with Pepsi Cola.

Best of Miles (1994-1995)

In 1994, Disco Recording, a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

-based recording company, released a compilation CD, titled Best of Miles. This was the first CD by a Bangladeshi band and is still the highest-selling CD in Bangladesh. They next performed their second concert in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Again a three-hour rock concert of English music, this time in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

 with an audience attendance of 5,000. The concert received high press coverage in India.

Miles also performed two concerts in Persian Gulf states
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
"Arab states of the Persian Gulf" or "Arab Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" or "Arabic Persian Gulf states" or "Arab States of The Gulf", are terms that refer to the six Arab states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, bordering the Persian Gulf....

 of Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

 and Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...

. Channel [V
Channel V
Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...

] and MTV Asia covered their concert and tour news.

Prottoy (1996–1998)

In 1996, Miles performed in India for the third time. This time it was in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

 and mostly Bengali songs were played in the two and half-hour concert in front of 7,000 audiences.

Prottoy, the band's fifth album, came out later that year with 11 original songs, all written in Bengali. The album sold high in Bangladesh, giving Miles their third consecutive hit. They then went on a two-month tour of USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. They performed in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Dallas, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 to audiences of 500 to 2500 people.

During 1997, Miles's songs received increased airplay on Indian FM radio and the band released their first single's cassette, Proyash. BBC later aired a number of Miles's interviews and popular songs. Also Miles's interview was published in Janomot, a Bengali newspaper from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

The band performed in many charity concerts and throughout 1998, Miles again performed in Kolkata and made a number of music videos that were aired on satellite TV channels including MTV. Miles released a compilation album in India, titled Best of Miles (Vol. I). The perennial seller received huge radio airplay. And six months later the band released a second compilation album, Best of Miles (Vol. II), in India. The two albums received great reviews in the local press and Miles became well known to the young people of West Bengal, India.

Protiddhoni (1999-2006)

In 1999, in front of an audience of 35,000 people, Miles performed their largest concert in Chittagong Divisional Stadium
Chittagong Divisional Stadium
-See also:*List of Test cricket grounds...

. In the same year Miles added another guitarist, Iqbal Asif Jewel
Iqbal Asif Jewel
Iqbal Asif Jewel is a Bangladeshi singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. His first band was Legend, whose initial album was Onnobhubon...

, to their line-up. They also performed the highest number of concerts in India by taking part in a concert held at Shibpur Engineering College, making it five performances.

In 2006, after almost ten years, Miles released an album, titled Protiddhoni.

Shafin's Departure and Comeback

On January 12, 2010, Prothom Alo
Prothom Alo
Prothom Alo is a major daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka in the Bengali language.-History:Prothom Alo was founded on 4 November 1998. As at January 2009, it had an average circulation of 435,000...

published news regarding the departure of bassist Shafin Ahmed reportedly due to personal reasons. To his accordance, Miles is no longer a band of mutual respect, creativity and democracy. He also said he would pursue a solo career for himself and, apparently, sees no possibility of taking back his decision and rejoining Miles. His sudden departure has made quite the fuss throughout this music loving nation and pleads and efforts to bring him back has started.

After leaving Miles Shafin started his own band called 'Rhythm of Life' and he played guitar there. He played on numerous events with his new band.

Then on the Concert for 'Eliminating Violence Against Women', Shafin had rejoined the band in his old bass-playing post.

Musical style

Miles describe themselves as a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...

 act. "We have been inspired by blues, latin, jazz, rock and techno music," says Manam. "So our music is a combination of varied sounds and styles."

Band members

Current Line-up:
  • Shafin Ahmed - bass & vocals
  • Hamin Ahmed - guitar & vocals
  • Manam Ahmed - keyboards & vocals
  • Iqbal Asif Juwel - guitar & vocals
  • S Z R Turjo - drums & percussion


Former members:
  • Dip - bass guitar and vocals
  • Schumann Zaman - Bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

  • Happy Akhand - keyboards, vocals
  • Robin - keyboards, vocals
  • Farid Rashid - bass guitar and vocals
  • Larry Burnaby - guitar
  • Ishtiaq - guitar
  • Kamal Mainuddin - drums
  • Shahedul Huda - drums


Other members:
  • Khayem - bass guitar
  • Milton - drums
  • Mahbub Rashid - drums

Discography

  • Miles (1982)
  • A Step Further (1986)
  • Protisruti (1991)
  • Prottasha (1993)
  • Prottoy (1996)
  • Protiddhoni (2006)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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