This track is based on the 256 Hz healing frequency, as its root chordal structure. I have some personal field samples here, including wind & bird sounds.
This track from my 'Meditation Series' is part of a video series too, by the American musical project by the name of 'Astral Voyage'.

Meditation Series (Root Chakra Healing)

Coming Of Age

Prog. Psybient-Lofi Set (Noods Radio, Jun. '22)

A rehearsal that Pat Thomas and I had, to explore our sound as a duo.
We have played together before, also in a trio with a Violinist & multi-fiddle player from Cambridge.
This is a snippet of Pat and my spatial recording from our jam at the Vortex Jazz Club, London, Dec. 2022. He plays the Electronics and also the Grand Piano at points. I am doing Voice & Ableton (Electronics), pulling in my folk acoustic samples at times as well, in addition to other MIDI tracks and samples.

Pat & Maham: A Live Soundscape

This, an old composition by my late guru, Bhai Ghulam Mohd. Chand, was re-renditioned at a workshop-cum-festival called 'Milon Mela' in Santinikiten Bolpur, Bengal, India.
This particular Sufi kalam (Guru Nanak's poetry), from the Guru Granth, is composed in Raag Yemen; 
It has here in accompanyiment, Baul instruments as the 'Do-tara' (strings), 'Khol' (percussion), 'Manjira & Bells' (chime instruments), and in addition the Flute and Murchunga (Jew's harp).

Baul musicians: Ashok Das & his troupe (Do-tara, Khol (percussion), manjira & bells)
Murchunga: Juan Pino,
Flute: Marco Coppola,
Vocals: Maham Suhail

'Aav Ho Sajana' (Shabd Kirtan + Baul sounds)

'Tajalli' is an Urdu-language word, meaning a revelation or a sign ('tajalli'aat': plural). 
This beautiful kalam/poem, is from 'Diwaan-e-Naseeri', one of the (multi-lingual) volumes by the great Hunzai figure, intellectual & spiritualist,  Allama Naseer. I spontaneously composed this piece on the ancient Chardah that my new-found guru Mohd. Sadiq gifted me in Hunza (Pakistan).
The Chardah is traditionally known to be played in Sufi or 'Zikr' 'mehfil's'/sittings in the Ismaili culture/sect, accompanied by the Duff. This poem is about the (abstract) experiences of the poet when he began on the (spiritual) journey of realizing the beloved Divine in his own heart.

Poetry (Urdu):                                                       Allama Naseer (late)
Vocals/Chardah (Pamiri Rabab)/Composition:  Maham Suhail
Afghani Rabab (sympathetic strings):                Ulfat Rahim

Tajjali'aat, I (Revelations)

A very spontaneous jam under the beautiful huge tree at Abani Biswas's theatre village in Santinikiten, Bengal (India). 
These are Punjabi language lyrics from a kalam/poem in praise of 'Laal Qalandar' (famous Sufi saint, buried in Sindh, Pakistan).

Vocals, Tambourine: Maham Suhail,
Flute: Marco Coppola,
Murchunga/Jew's Harp: Juan Pino,
Harmonium: Baul musician 

'Laal Saaein', Milon Mela Jam

‘Sajan Yaar’ is a Siraiki Sufi song, with lyrics by the Sindhi saint, Razi Faqir Saaein. The mood of the song is that of separation, longing, as well as love & praise for the beloved (Divine). The style of the melody & music reflects the traditional Sindhi ‘raagri’. 
The basic vocal melody was composed by the veteran folk performer, Wahid Allan Faqir, one of the 2 vocalists in this duet (Maham Suhail being the other). ‘Sajan Yaar’ is produced by Maham, and the instrumental arrangements & some vocal rendition, are also by her. The song is to be video-shot, and the official video is expected to be released later this year.

Composition: Wahid Allan Faqir
Music Arrangements: Maham Suhail
Production: Maham Suhail
Recording Studios: Alhamra & Sohail Abbas
Mix: Shehryar Khan
Master: Tamour Hassan

Vocals: Maham Suhail, Wahid Allan Faqir
Guitar: Annan Yousaf
Mandolin/Bass: Nawaz Ali
Dholak/Tabla/Matki: Ustad Dado Khan
Iktara/Khartal/Manjira: Sajid Faqir
Backing vocals: Sajid Faqir

Sajjan Yaar

The word 'oolaj' is Sanskrit for 'entangled'. 
Here, it has a metaphorical reference to the lady singing, who is alone on a dark cloudy night waiting for her beloved to return home.

This is an old-time 'bandish' (traditional musical term, meaning 'composition'), originally in Raag Bhairav, & Ek-taal (6/12 bt.) 'theka' ('beat cycle'). 
Nawa (currently Delhi-based American Cellist)& I improvised on this at a dance studio in Kolkata, while I was living in this lovely city.

Cello: Nawahineokala'i Lanzilotti (PULSE Ensemble)

'Oolaj', on Cello

This is a jam session of my singing voice with Mehreen Murtaza's sound installation, based on the sonic response of plants to external stimuli. 
The installation, which was put up at the Bagh-e-Jinnah as part of the Lahore Biennale Foundation (Arts) event this March (2018), was titled 'How Do We Conduct Ourselves in the Company of Trees?' The principle theory is the conversion of electromagnetic waves generated by the plants/trees, into sound waves translated through the synth machine.
This sound-piece, as a second episode of the same project, is an improvised (spontaneous) jam. The plants, to whom clips were attached on one end, and an output into a sound synthesizer at the other, have been responding quite in tune and in sync with my voice, as you shall notice in this piece. 

At the park during the first episode with the huge Bargad tree, I also used spoken word, touch stimuli (theatrical/physical movements) and Tibetan singing bowl sounds to interact with the ancient tree (in addition to my singing voice).

Singing with Plants (A Bio Feedback Experiment)

It was 5 of us, in a studio in Berlin, jamming & recording live: 3 vocalists in 3 different styles of singing/languages, one electronic DJ, 3 traditional instruments played by myself and my fellow music artists.
An improvisation led to the creation of this song, during our Goethe Talents Scholarship program in Berlin, Germany.
The genre is World Music, and I have experimented singing unconventionally, the 'Tarana (S. Asian Classical)' form of singing, as well as my own Urdu lyrics composed right then.

VOCALS:           Maham Suhail (Urdu, Tarana (syllables)), 
                           Bylwansta Normvl (English rap), 
                           Davy Muini (Kalenjin)

TAMBOURINE: Maham Suhail
ELECTRIC         
GUITAR:            Davy Muini
DJ/ELECTRO    
BEATS:              YiZhen (Josee) Wu (DJ Ci)
SHAKERS:         Vera ZW

RECORDING     
ENGINEER:        Robbie (Impression Studios, Berlin)
PRODUCER:      Goethe Institute, Berlin

'Stranger' (Impression Studios, Berlin), Live Rec.

'Sadda' is an Urdu word, meaning 'call' (like calling out). The verses chosen here, are from a poem of mine which is like a monologue to God, so it is like a prayer. 
For this sound-piece, which was part of the National Art Exhibition at the Alhamra Art Gallery (2018), was accompanied by my Art Photography. It is an avant-garde piece, which uses one sound sample, self-recorded, as its basis, layered with some effects and then, my voice.

'Sadaa (Like A Prayer)'

This piece came about in 2015, after a trip to Cholistan Desert. This digital sound design experiment though, is based completely on acoustic sounds. 
I had the wind sounds of the vast open desert in my subconscious when I played these key instruments and was singing along at a point, and then blended them on software and created this haunting piece!

'Desert Winds' (19 - 09 - 2019)

Using sound samples from my personal library as additional elements to a Voice & Piano piece that I composed a few days ago, this piece explores overlaps between the acoustic music and digital scraps, Ableton-assisted MIDI tracks.

This is that side to my sonic practice, which can delve into experiments very much pertaining to sound design for soundtracks! Enjoy! :)

(When the) Dream Is Over

An eclectic blend of sounds, with the vocal lyric being the 'Tarana' form of South Asian singing. 

The song is in an odd beat of 11.5-beat cycle, and with an Eastern & Western fusion of instrumentation.

Pauna - 6

I work with sounds of kinds: Mainly sample-based New Music soundscapes.
Avant-garde treatment of recorded atmospheric and even traditional, musical sounds...
I drive my inspiration from Mother Nature, from ancient cultures and from the calling of the soul.

Maham S.

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