Sounds Of Kashmir
Ali Saffudin & Noor Mohammad Shah
Concept
Kashmir has a rich history of arts and culture. None of this hidden; you can find musicians, actors, painters, dancers across the valley. Unfortunately, very few of them get a mainstream platform to showcase their art, rendering it difficult for folk or contemporary artistes to make a living.
As part of Art Matters, we want to bring together two generational talents from the valley: one folk, one contemporary - one who plays the rabab, and the other displaying proficiency in the guitar. Ali Saffudin represents the youth of Kashmir and is due for this first album release later this year. On the other hand, Noor Mohammad Shah is a famous folk singer, amassing fame as an online sensation for his powerful vocals and melodious riffs on the rabab and playing soulful renditions of Kashmiri folk songs. This collaboration features two incredible artistes, representing the voices of the valley and bringing us the sounds of Kashmir.
About Artistes
Ali Saffudin & Noor Mohammad Shah
Noor Mohammad Shah has attained mastery in playing the instrument called rabab. After almost a lifetime of performing, Shah finally got noticed across the country when he was filmed playing Kashmiri songs on the rabab by a car on a street corner. The video went viral on YouTube and prompted many industry musicians to reach out to him for collaborations. Among them was Muhammad Muneem, co-founder of one of Kashmir’s most recognisable bands, Alif. Shah & Muneem released a duet called Ride Home in December, 2018, which garnered over 3.5 million hits on Youtube. Despite his fame, Shah struggles to make a living, a reality that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Ali Saffudin is a singer-songwriter from Srinagar, Kashmir, and has been producing and performing his own music since 2014. He is gifted with the ability to translate the hopes and pain of an ill-fated generation into a blend of folk, rock, blues and Kashmiri Sufi music. Known throughout the valley for his magnetic and captivating voice that serves to amplify the plight of his people and the cultural heritage of the Kashmiri community, Saffudin is one of South Asia’s critically acclaimed voices. He deftly manoeuvres between tender, heart-wrenching ballads and power-packed, folk-punk anthems with his debut record that has set him to be recognised as one of the most exciting artists to emerge in the region today.
