INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Rock the vote: Pakistani political music keeps the party goingISLAMABAD: As the crowd swells with
the synth-driven dance track."We are enjoying it a lot," shouts Nauman Khan over the ear-splitting volume as he dances with friends at the
bars.Pakistani political rallies have been transformed in recent years to festive blowouts, designed to entertain as much as inspire
supporters to vote.The formula was first perfected by Asif Butt -- better known by his stage persona DJ Butt -- an erstwhile wedding DJ who
first shot to fame when he played a rally for cricketer-turned-opposition leader Imran Khan in 2011.It was there that the Lahore-based DJ
began to perfect his craft, playing contemporary songs to warm up the crowd and musical interludes to the speeches on stage -- injecting
some dramatic theatre into long stretches of oratory."Imran Khan is a quick learner
He understood quickly where he had to pause for music and where he should continue speaking," says Butt.The mashup was a hit, paving the way
to younger and more urban voters.Political parties in Pakistan have used music as a way of spreading slogans and unifying supporters since
the rise of pop music in the late 1980s, following the end of a military dictatorship.But increasingly, and thanks to DJs like Butt, the
rhythms of political rallies are filling a vital space in the deeply conservative Islamic country, providing the music-obsessed masses with
landscape.He has played to crowds numbering tens of thousands, spent time in jail, and even manned the decks during a riot as police cracked
In the rural northwest he sticks to traditional folk tunes, while in urban areas the playlist is exclusively pop."DJ Butt and the PTI are
cottage industry, with political parties across the country hiring DJs on the campaign trail to attract voters.At a PTI rally in Lahore,
portions of the crowd resemble a mosh pit as men spin in circles, hands flailing in response to deafening political anthems."The younger
old, with the lyrics largely centred on the personalities of party leaders."Arrow to the heart", an ode to the late former prime minister
something that still attracts party leaders and workers alike," says Shabana Noshi, who provided vocals on the now iconic track.Since being
province, where the PPP draws its support, Noshi says.And for the faithful, a PPP rally is not complete without the song."No rally during
the elections could be successful if the party song is not played on big speakers," says PPP supporter Naqash Saeed in Karachi."Whenever it
is played my partisanship gets stronger."In this picture taken on July 17, 2018, Asif Butt, better known by his stage persona DJ Butt,
performs during a rally of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Islamabad
Pakistani political rallies have been transformed in recent years to festive blowouts, designed to entertain as much as inspire supporters
vote", while supporters chant slogans and sway to the synth-driven dance track."We are enjoying it a lot," shouts Nauman Khan over the
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters from behind bars.Pakistani political rallies have been transformed in recent years to festive
blowouts, designed to entertain as much as inspire supporters to vote.The formula was first perfected by Asif Butt -- better known by his
stage persona DJ Butt -- an erstwhile wedding DJ who first shot to fame when he played a rally for cricketer-turned-opposition leader Imran
Khan in 2011.It was there that the Lahore-based DJ began to perfect his craft, playing contemporary songs to warm up the crowd and musical
interludes to the speeches on stage -- injecting some dramatic theatre into long stretches of oratory."Imran Khan is a quick learner
He understood quickly where he had to pause for music and where he should continue speaking," says Butt.The mashup was a hit, paving the way
to younger and more urban voters.Political parties in Pakistan have used music as a way of spreading slogans and unifying supporters since
the rise of pop music in the late 1980s, following the end of a military dictatorship.But increasingly, and thanks to DJs like Butt, the
rhythms of political rallies are filling a vital space in the deeply conservative Islamic country, providing the music-obsessed masses with
landscape.He has played to crowds numbering tens of thousands, spent time in jail, and even manned the decks during a riot as police cracked
In the rural northwest he sticks to traditional folk tunes, while in urban areas the playlist is exclusively pop."DJ Butt and the PTI are
cottage industry, with political parties across the country hiring DJs on the campaign trail to attract voters.At a PTI rally in Lahore,
portions of the crowd resemble a mosh pit as men spin in circles, hands flailing in response to deafening political anthems."The younger
old, with the lyrics largely centred on the personalities of party leaders."Arrow to the heart", an ode to the late former prime minister
something that still attracts party leaders and workers alike," says Shabana Noshi, who provided vocals on the now iconic track.Since being
province, where the PPP draws its support, Noshi says.And for the faithful, a PPP rally is not complete without the song."No rally during
the elections could be successful if the party song is not played on big speakers," says PPP supporter Naqash Saeed in Karachi."Whenever it
is played my partisanship gets stronger."
