Sajid & Zeeshan
Encyclopedia
Sajid & Zeeshan are a Pakistani electronic music
duo from Peshawar
, composed of Sajid Ghafoor
(guitars and harmonicas) and Zeeshan Parwez
(synths, laptops and FX modules). Their songs are written by Sajid and arranged by Zeehsan, that vary from each other in terms of feel and expression. The group formed somewhere in the mid of 2003 and has scored two hits and critical praise for their innovative approach.
Both members completed their studies from the University of Peshawar
, Pakistan
and released their debut album through EMI
in August, 2006 titled "One Light Year at Snail Speed
" along with a video release of their fourth single from the album "Have to Let Go Sometime".
was responsible for creating an underground music scene in Peshawar
in the mid-nineties by establishing a band called "Still" with his younger brother, Sarmad Ghafoor, and also gave guitar lessons to young guitar enthusiasts. Sajid recorded a number of songs for the band "Still" but never got around to release them commercially, even though one of his singles was received very well in the Pepsi's Battle of the Bands.
Sajid was introduced to Zeeshan Parwez
through each others mutual friends and they both lived near each other. Years went by when suddenly they got together to do some recordings. Their first released single "King of Self" was made and after a year, Circa 2004, was on Pakistani television channels in the form of a low budget, unpolished video that told a story of two musicians (not Sajid and Zeeshan themselves) endorsing a brand and unable to get out of their contract deal which is taking control over their artistic abilities. Since this video hit airwaves, radio was soon to follow. That was how their music project started.
The song was critically acclaimed and was a success. The song became popular and won an award, winning the dance
/electronica
category all over the world and also made it the finals in the ‘Song of the Year’ contest for 2004. Subsequently they received an award for the same song at the 2nd Indus Music Awards for the best “Foreign Language Song” category. Their second song/video “My Happiness” was also highly appreciated and stayed on the Indus Music and The Musik
Charts for some time in Pakistan. In 2005 they released their third track/video “Freestyle Dive”. Being supported by a complete animated video, the song and video both got popular and an award at the first Indus Music Video Awards and also got nominated in “The Musik Awards” for "Best video" and at the "Lux Style Awards 2006
" for the "Best Video" category.
Ghafoor and Parwez released their debut album titled One Light Year at Snail Speed
through EMI Pakistan along with a video release of their fourth single “Have to Let Go Sometime”. Their first album is a collection of 11 songs and an instrumental track, all written and composed by Sajid Ghafoor and arranged and produced by Zeeshan Parwez. This effort took them almost a year to produce. The album has done quite well in Pakistan and remained in the charts for 11 consecutive weeks, according to polls of one particular news paper.
In 2008, Sajid & Zeeshan performed at the Coke Studio Sessions
with their song, "My Happiness", along with many other artists.
On March 26, 2011, Sajid & Zeeshan released the first single "Walk on Air" from their second album The Harvest.
and alternative guitar
styles to come up with a fresh sound. This project makes them come on one ground with Sajid on guitars and harmonics and Zeeshan with synths, laptops and FX modules to perform a set of songs, written by Sajid and arranged by Zeeshan, that vary from each other in terms of feel and expression.
The band draws upon a diverse set of influences including ATB
, American singer Jeff Buckley
and bands like Radiohead
, Counting Crows
.
Singles
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
duo from Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, composed of Sajid Ghafoor
Sajid Ghafoor
Sajid Ghafoor is a musician who, along with Zeeshan Parwez, forms the duo Sajid & Zeeshan. The duo, from the city of Peshawar, sing the majority of their songs in English.-Biography:...
(guitars and harmonicas) and Zeeshan Parwez
Zeeshan Parwez
Zeeshan Parwez is a Pakistani Music Artist. The duo of Sajid & Zeeshan , have recently released their first album, One Light Year At Snail Speed. He is also a director, his first show being On The Fringe, which is hosted by Fasi Zaka. He is known for his videos with various artists, Like Mekaal...
(synths, laptops and FX modules). Their songs are written by Sajid and arranged by Zeehsan, that vary from each other in terms of feel and expression. The group formed somewhere in the mid of 2003 and has scored two hits and critical praise for their innovative approach.
Both members completed their studies from the University of Peshawar
University of Peshawar
The University of Peshawar is a public sector university in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. The university was established in October 1950 by Mr...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and released their debut album through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in August, 2006 titled "One Light Year at Snail Speed
One Light Year at Snail Speed
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Sajid & Zeeshan*Sajid Ghafoor: lead vocals, lead guitar*Zeeshan Parwez: keyboardsProduction*Produced by Zeeshan Parwez*Recorded & Mixed at Zeepar Studios, Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province-External links:...
" along with a video release of their fourth single from the album "Have to Let Go Sometime".
History
Sajid GhafoorSajid Ghafoor
Sajid Ghafoor is a musician who, along with Zeeshan Parwez, forms the duo Sajid & Zeeshan. The duo, from the city of Peshawar, sing the majority of their songs in English.-Biography:...
was responsible for creating an underground music scene in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
in the mid-nineties by establishing a band called "Still" with his younger brother, Sarmad Ghafoor, and also gave guitar lessons to young guitar enthusiasts. Sajid recorded a number of songs for the band "Still" but never got around to release them commercially, even though one of his singles was received very well in the Pepsi's Battle of the Bands.
Sajid was introduced to Zeeshan Parwez
Zeeshan Parwez
Zeeshan Parwez is a Pakistani Music Artist. The duo of Sajid & Zeeshan , have recently released their first album, One Light Year At Snail Speed. He is also a director, his first show being On The Fringe, which is hosted by Fasi Zaka. He is known for his videos with various artists, Like Mekaal...
through each others mutual friends and they both lived near each other. Years went by when suddenly they got together to do some recordings. Their first released single "King of Self" was made and after a year, Circa 2004, was on Pakistani television channels in the form of a low budget, unpolished video that told a story of two musicians (not Sajid and Zeeshan themselves) endorsing a brand and unable to get out of their contract deal which is taking control over their artistic abilities. Since this video hit airwaves, radio was soon to follow. That was how their music project started.
The song was critically acclaimed and was a success. The song became popular and won an award, winning the dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
/electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
category all over the world and also made it the finals in the ‘Song of the Year’ contest for 2004. Subsequently they received an award for the same song at the 2nd Indus Music Awards for the best “Foreign Language Song” category. Their second song/video “My Happiness” was also highly appreciated and stayed on the Indus Music and The Musik
The Musik
ARY Musik is a 24-hour Urdu-English music channel from Pakistan.Originally created and launched from Dubai in 2003 under the leadership of the CEO Salman Iqbal and multiple Award Winner VP Wiqar Ali Khan...
Charts for some time in Pakistan. In 2005 they released their third track/video “Freestyle Dive”. Being supported by a complete animated video, the song and video both got popular and an award at the first Indus Music Video Awards and also got nominated in “The Musik Awards” for "Best video" and at the "Lux Style Awards 2006
Lux Style Awards
The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and honour the country's best talents in film, television, music, and fashion. Around 30 awards are given annually.The Lux Style Awards is considered...
" for the "Best Video" category.
Ghafoor and Parwez released their debut album titled One Light Year at Snail Speed
One Light Year at Snail Speed
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Sajid & Zeeshan*Sajid Ghafoor: lead vocals, lead guitar*Zeeshan Parwez: keyboardsProduction*Produced by Zeeshan Parwez*Recorded & Mixed at Zeepar Studios, Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province-External links:...
through EMI Pakistan along with a video release of their fourth single “Have to Let Go Sometime”. Their first album is a collection of 11 songs and an instrumental track, all written and composed by Sajid Ghafoor and arranged and produced by Zeeshan Parwez. This effort took them almost a year to produce. The album has done quite well in Pakistan and remained in the charts for 11 consecutive weeks, according to polls of one particular news paper.
In 2008, Sajid & Zeeshan performed at the Coke Studio Sessions
Coke Studio
Coke Studio is a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. Although it is adapted from the original Brazilian show named Estúdio Coca-Cola, it is fundamentally different from the original version where the show was a concert style show whereas the Pakistani version records its...
with their song, "My Happiness", along with many other artists.
On March 26, 2011, Sajid & Zeeshan released the first single "Walk on Air" from their second album The Harvest.
Musical style and influences
Ghafoor and Parwez have fused together electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and alternative guitar
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
styles to come up with a fresh sound. This project makes them come on one ground with Sajid on guitars and harmonics and Zeeshan with synths, laptops and FX modules to perform a set of songs, written by Sajid and arranged by Zeeshan, that vary from each other in terms of feel and expression.
The band draws upon a diverse set of influences including ATB
ATB
ATB may refer to:*The US Reorder tone is often referred to as an ATB, for All Trunks Busy*Active Time Battle system is a feature of role-playing games*Mountain bike is an off-road bicycle...
, American singer Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
and bands like Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
.
Band members
Sajid & Zeeshan- Sajid GhafoorSajid GhafoorSajid Ghafoor is a musician who, along with Zeeshan Parwez, forms the duo Sajid & Zeeshan. The duo, from the city of Peshawar, sing the majority of their songs in English.-Biography:...
– vocals, harmonics, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(2003–present) - Zeeshan ParwezZeeshan ParwezZeeshan Parwez is a Pakistani Music Artist. The duo of Sajid & Zeeshan , have recently released their first album, One Light Year At Snail Speed. He is also a director, his first show being On The Fringe, which is hosted by Fasi Zaka. He is known for his videos with various artists, Like Mekaal...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
, synths (2003–present)
Discography
Studio albums- One Light Year at Snail SpeedOne Light Year at Snail Speed-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Sajid & Zeeshan*Sajid Ghafoor: lead vocals, lead guitar*Zeeshan Parwez: keyboardsProduction*Produced by Zeeshan Parwez*Recorded & Mixed at Zeepar Studios, Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province-External links:...
(2006) - The Harvest (2011)
Singles
- Freestyle Dive
- Have to Let Go Sometime
- King of Self
- My Happiness
- Lambay
Awards
- Finalists in the ‘Song of the Year’ contest for 2004.
- The best “Foreign Language Song” category award at the 2nd Indus Music Awards.
- The “Best Music Video” category award at the 1st Indus Music Awards for "Freestyle Dive".
- Nominated at the “The Musik AwardsThe MusikARY Musik is a 24-hour Urdu-English music channel from Pakistan.Originally created and launched from Dubai in 2003 under the leadership of the CEO Salman Iqbal and multiple Award Winner VP Wiqar Ali Khan...
” for the "Best Video" category for "Freestyle Dive". - Nominated at the "Lux Style Awards 2006Lux Style AwardsThe Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and honour the country's best talents in film, television, music, and fashion. Around 30 awards are given annually.The Lux Style Awards is considered...
" for the "Best Video" category for "Freestyle Dive".