Coke Studio, Nescafe Basement or VELO Sound Station – what’s better?

Music is an important part of modern development, but does it seem to have developed in today’s music industry? These are the questions I ask myself as a 26-year-old who loves melodies from the fifties to the golden age of Pakistani cinema.

The music industry has seen modernization in many ways and that is one reason why we now see so much Western influence in Pakistani songs.

There aren’t many film industries where songs are an important part of movies, where a movie has at least four to five songs and there are actors dancing to these tunes. However, one of these industries is the Pakistani cinema. Filled with talented singers and composers in the genres of qawwali, classical, semi-classical and pop music, Pakistan has always been recognized for its music on an international level.

Coke studio when it first aired created waves in the music industry, it was a fresh concept that the people took well to. Coke Studio started in Pakistan in 2008. Launched by renowned musical band Vital Signs-led guitarist Rohail Hayat, the program brings together voices from different regions and presents them in a new way.

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Now, as Coke Studio has become an instant hit amongst the Pakistani population, you can’t think about the music industry in Pakistan, without Coke Studio coming to mind. Thanks to The Coca Cola Company for bestowing this behemoth of a music show some 13 years ago.

The Coke Studio model was really simple and uncomplicated: a list consisting of remakes of popular Pakistani classics, an all-star and glittering cast of the biggest names in music, and a top-class audio production.

After Coke Studio, Nescafé Basement followed along the same line. However, one major difference between the two music shows is that Nescafe Basement have indeed introduced many new musicians and popular songs, unlike the Coke Studio model.

As Coke Studio uses its brand value and star cast, Nescafe Basement on the other hand promotes raw talent like underground bands and artists, under the supervision of Xulfi. The main objective of Nescafe Basement is to fuse music and promote talent, while Coke Studio does fusion at its best but doesn’t promote talent.

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With Coke Studio having big names like Ali Zafar, Sajjad Ali, Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Nescafe Basement, on the other hand, promotes unknown names that no one has ever heard of but they are no less. The best songs in Coke Studio can be compared to the song ‘Tere Ishq Main Jo Bhi’ in Nescafe Basement – YouTube views tells it all. The singer was new yet his vocal quality was being compared with the stars of the society.

As Pakistan’s music industry has been undergoing a revival in the last decade with platforms like Coke Studio, Nescafe Basement and Pepsi Battle of the Bands showcasing their creative efforts, VELO Sound Station is the newest kid in our rapidly growing collection of corporate-backed music shows.

VELO Sound Station took off to a great start, receiving more praise than criticism. Starring Umair Jaswal (Maine Tumhari Gagar Se), Atif Aslam (Kadi Te Hans) and Natasha Noorani (Baby Baby), the opening episode of the new-fangled music show made headlines! Meesha Shafi’s rocking performance on the remake of Nazia Hassan’s ‘Boom Boom’ also made waves on social media.

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Powered by VELO Pakistan and produced by Bilal Maqsood, the format of the show is quite similar like Nescafe Basement or Coke Studio, however, VELO has added a limited audience dancing along to the music. Celebrities like Faizan Haq and Naveen Waqar were also spotted dancing along to the music in the audience.

As compared to Coke and Nescafe, this series provides a platform to revive and boost Pop Music and initiate future pop cultural trends in fashion and music industry of the country. As the VELO sound station has made people fall in love with its beautiful music, however, it is still unfair to compare it with Coke Studio or Nescafe Basement as it has just entered the arena and the latter has been around for more than a decade.

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