Jumpy Underground Media - Interviews

Jumpy [Underground Media] - : Give us a little introduction about yourself ? [ your hobbies, education , date of birth etc ?

Saks: My full name is Saqib Ishrat. Most of my friends here in Texas call me Saks and hence the name Project Saks. I have been playing guitar since 1987. My hobbies include playing music and skydiving. I have been skydiving since 2000 and am a certified skydiver by United Stated Parachute Association (USPA), with close to 200 jumps under my belt. I was born on September 12 and I have a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from Texas A&M University.

Jumpy: How did PROJECT SAKS come into being ?

Saks: Last year I acquired some recording equipment and started to record some songs. Change of Mood was one of the songs that everyone really liked and almost everyone who heard it said that I should release it. First I didn’t pay much thought to it but as more and more people tried to convince me, I started thinking about it and eventually gave birth to Project Saks.

Jumpy: Do you have any musical background or education ? How did you start making music ? What do you think , is having musical education important ?

Saks: As far as musical background is concerned, I have taken a couple of courses in reading music, but other than that I have no formal education. I learned to play by reading books and magazines about music.
As far as making music is concerned, I guess once you can play an instrument you can make music, right? Having musical education, in my opinion is very important, especially if you are thinking about a career in music. Although there are plenty of bands and musicians here in US and also in Pakistan that make great music without having any musical education, but no one will ever deny that having musical education will add so much more complexity and versatility to your music.

Jumpy: Explain Music ? What does it mean to you ?

Saks: Music to me is an outlet. It’s an outlet of one’s feelings, their emotions, and creativity. It’s a universal language that everyone speaks and communicates with, whether they are musicians or if they just like to listen to music.

Jumpy: In your point of view, what are the aspects, or aspect that differentiates the music that you make from all the rest of the bands present ?

Saks: Sadly, I have been very out of touch of the Pakistani music scene for a while. I have certainly not heard all the bands that are out there in Pakistan these days. But I would like to say that I am trying to produce anything that I personally like whether it’s a musical masterpiece or a disaster. I am not worried about a certain genre of music and I am mixing all kings of styles in my playing. Most of the bands that I have heard are trying to stick to one style.

Jumpy: Which instruments do you incorporate in your music ?

Saks: Whatever sounds good for a song. Since I am a guitarist, I definitely have to have guitars in my songs.

Jumpy: What musical Instrument do you play and why did you choose to play it in particular ?

Saks: I play guitars, bass, keys, and drums. I have been wanting to learn violin these days, but haven’t had time yet. As far as that ‘why’ is concerned, I was always into rock music since I was a kid, which is why I picked up guitar as my main instrument.

Jumpy: In your point of view how important are the following respectively :
a - Lyrics
b - Sound
c - Recording
d - Use of Percussions

Saks: I think all of the above are extremely important depending on the song that you are writing. Of the four things mentioned above, recording I think, is the only constant. A bad recording can make a great song sound horrible. Other three can be omitted under different circumstances. For instance, in Change of Mood, there are no lyrics and thus not important at all. A slow, acoustic number can easily get away without any use of percussions.

Jumpy: What are your respective inspirations ? Musical icons ? or idols if any ?

Saks: Growing up, I was totally into Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N Roses, Aero smith, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and many others. Recently (in last 5 years), I have become a big fan of Jesse Cook and Gypsy Kings.

Jumpy: What are your views about the current music scene in Pakistan ?

Saks: Like I said earlier, I have been out of touch for while from Pakistani Music Scene. I have been trying to get back into it, and from what I have heard I am very pleased. There is tremendous talent in Pakistan that still needs to be discovered. One thing that I think is holding a lot of talent back is the lack of copyright laws, which leads to illegal distribution of music and lost wages for the musicians. If we can start respecting these laws, people will take music more seriously and the talented musicians will start taking music as their career. We can be light years ahead from where we are today, just by having strict copyright laws.

Jumpy: How do you see yourself, as a solo artist working with another well known band fit in this entire environment ?

Saks: I haven’t given this much thought. I am currently playing with a band here in Texas called Opre’. If a well known band approached me to play with them, I would certainly be interested in at least doing some recording with them, maybe even play a few shows.

Jumpy: Have you layed out a plan for your musical career ? if so .. please share it with us ?

Saks: I am currently playing with a band called Opre’. I played on Opre’s debut album Suragh (1998) also (Download the first album at www.opre.us .Apart from that I am working on a few of my own songs that do not fit Opre’s style of music. They will be available at www.projectsaks.com .I certainly do not have any plans of being a professional musician though. I love music to death, but until bands in Pakistan start to make really good money, I can’t say for sure that I would want to choose music as my career.

Jumpy: Can you explain to us about the whole underground music scene , scenario ? in your point of you how important is this label " of being an underground band " and what exactly does it mean ?

Saks: In my opinion, being an Underground Band or/an artist is a great compliment. Think about it; there are a ton of bands out there that are not mainstream and are still struggling. There is a lot of competition at this level. Before one gets the fame, they usually have the best composition out competing with other people’s best masterpieces. If you are recognized and get noticed at this level, the level of being and “Underground Band”, then you must have something good. After a band is famous, they usually are under a lot of pressure to come up with good songs and meet deadlines to release songs, which starts to hurt the bands capabilities as musicians. But being an underground band, you are under no contracts or obligations and have all the time to produce the masterpiece that could be remembered for centuries.

Jumpy: There is always room for amendment and changes ? what flaws do you see among the current music industry and how do you think these flaws can be corrected?

Saks: The biggest flaw that I see with the music industry in Pakistan is what I have stated earlier about having no strict actions against people breaking copyright laws. The second problem I see is that people aren’t always getting paid the royalties that they deserve. Then there are plenty of other elements that can be improved upon, like music recruits, producers, talent competitions, music education, and most of all, music awareness. I have seen great musicians suffer in front of a crowd that has no ear for music. These musicians will play a great song, but get no applause, but if some musician wannabe played the simplest beat that people can move to, it will be much appreciated. But none of that will improve until music industry becomes a huge business for everyone. Everyone out there is after money, and if there isn’t much profitability in some business, there will never be enough competition.

Jumpy: Your comments on our website " j4jumpy" ?

Saks: I think you guys are filling in the shoes of the “Music Recruits”. I am very impressed with such in depth coverage of the bands that are yet to surface the Paki music scene.

Jumpy: Final verdict for fans and new bands .. ?

Saks: My first video was the verdict for my fans, new bands and anyone else who cares: “Live Your Dreams.” No matter what your dream is, don’t give up just keep on trying. Even if you don’t fulfill your dream, you will probably learn so much in the process that it will be worth more than what you had hoped for.

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