# Saptak

> Studio, 2010. By Mekaal Hasan.

The second studio album, released in January 2010 on EMI and Virgin Records and reissued with HD mastering in 2020. Eastern melody and mysticism set in the textures of jazz and rock. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Digital Fidelity Studios, Lahore. The track Andholan here is a different piece from the later album of the same name.

## Tracks

1. Chal Bulleya
2. Bandeya: A jazz-funk kafi written by the band, with distorted flute solos that sound part sarangi, part human voice.
3. Ranjha: A kafi that uses the folk story of Heer and Ranjha, the doomed lovers, for a devotee's longing for God.
4. Jhok Ranjhan: The band's first hit, from the late 1990s, and the first time guitar and flute played solos in unison, which became part of the band's sound.
5. Sanwal: The band's first hit and a long-running crowd favourite, first released on the 2004 debut Sampooran.
6. Bhageshwari: Built on a late-night Hindustani raag that pictures a woman waiting for her lover.
7. Huns Dhun: A tarana from the Indore gharana, reworked by the band as a haunting piece.
8. Waris Shah: A Partition-era elegy addressed to Waris Shah, the 18th-century Punjabi poet of Heer Ranjha.
9. Andholan: Mostly instrumental, with a sung centre and solos from every member. The title is the expressive slide between notes in raag singing, and the word also means a mass movement.
10. Mahi: Written by the band, with shifting tonal centres over an intricate 7/8 groove that makes it hard to play live.
11. Albella: A classical song in Hindi, reworked by the band.

## Musicians and credits

Javed Bashir (vocals), Mekaal Hasan (guitars), Mohammad Ahsan Papu (flutes), Amir Azhar (bass), Louis Pinto (drums), Pete Lockett (drums and percussion), Mike Mondesir (bass), Javed Akhtar (co-composer, hand percussion and keyboards). All songs written and arranged by the band; produced by Mekaal Hasan.

Listen in full on the site: https://mekaalhasan.com/music/saptak

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Web page: https://mekaalhasan.com/music/saptak  
All pages for agents: https://mekaalhasan.com/llms.txt