Written by: Rafay Mahmood

There is good news for rock music lovers. Two of the finest rockers from Pakistan’s pop-rock scene are all set to collaborate on a project. While guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishti will bring his groove on and drive listeners crazy like he did when his first album with Aaroh, rocker Tanseer Dar will bring his signature rock vocals that brought depth to the brilliant rock music produced by his former band, Karavan.

When it comes to similarities, not only are Chishti and Dar equally gifted but both have also had their share of band drama as Chishti left Aaroh in 2004, while Karavan split almost a year ago. Those who have been following the rock music scene in Pakistan will know that this collaboration sets expectations high.

“I tried my best to make it completely different from the old stuff that I did in Aaroh, but I can’t really change my style,” Chishti told us. He says he plays from his heart and doesn’t really quite know how it sounds when he compares his older compositions with new ones; that decision, he say, is for his fans.

Talking about the collaboration, Chishti spoke about his faith in Dar. “A vocalist like Dar will spell the true magic in the album,” he said. “He has undiscovered talent and is the best amongst all the vocalists that I had tried for this album,” he added. Chishti also said that when he shared the rest of the tracks of the album with Dar, he was able to sing them all because of his versatility. “Dar has a lot of experience and that is why the album will sound more mature both in terms of production and vocals,” he added, clearly satisfied with the vocalist.

Dar says that Chishti was accommodating and allowed his creative insight into the whole project even though he is just a vocalist. Dar recommended changes to the tracks which were appreciated and acknowledged by Chishti.

“Where it was getting very filmi, I added a bit of cheekh pukar in it. The whole album has a variety of songs, ranging from heavy rock numbers to some commercial ones. But it’s not like I am singing Sonu Nigam or something,” he added.

“Nabeel had just called me to sing one song for his album but he liked it so much that I ended up singing them all,” laughed Dar.

As far as Karavan is concerned, Dar said he was bitter and clueless after the band broke up last year. While he has moved on, he admits that he owes everything to the band which gave him his true identity.

“It’s just one project. Karavan is like my baby. The songs that we made run in my blood. It’s everything to me and it will always remain this way,” said a rather emotional Dar when asked about his new collaboration.

The collaborative album is being composed, arranged and produced by Chishti, with Dar’s vocals. “The Nabeel Nihaal Project” is scheduled to be released at the end of the year, with a music video release planned earlier.