In a checkered collared shirt and classic denims, Omran Shafique sits comfortably next to Sikander Mufti, who looks like an athlete with his well-built physique and a crew cut. Both the guys are having lunch with one eye on their plate and the other taking in the animals running wild on National Geographic.
The venue is Ali Azmat's open and notorious bachelor pad where the guys crash on and off. "The music industry is so small yaar, we're friends," Ali answers the quizzical look passed at him. Other than being a friend, Omran Shafique is also the latest addition to Ali Azmat's live and studio setup. He's playing on Ali's next album, which insiders say is sounding pretty darn good. With the funk that is Omran Shafique's signature and Ali's well known love for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, perhaps it was inevitable that they would collaborate.

Soon, Ali disappears behind the walls of his room, leaving Omran and Sikander out. After all, this interview is about Mauj.

The beginning
It was 2000 when Mauj found its first footsteps, in empty spaces and garages, where two men – Omran Shafique and Mohsin Atif – started jamming together, discussing ideas and concepts. "It was me and Atif back in the days in Houston. We had day jobs. It wasn't serious but a 'loose' musical project," says Omran reminiscing to the past. Two guys turned to four when Mohammed Agha and Shuja Yasin joined in on guitars and drums respectively.

"The idea was to do music with a punk feeling to it with some strange lyrics," laughs Omran.
True to their word, Mauj's first single, 'Khushfehmi' is punkish and lyrically, somewhat strange. The single was released via internet and created a stir in the local scene. "I came here and I heard that people liked it so we teamed up with Babar Shaikh in 2004 and the 'Khushfehmi video' was made," says Omran stroking his chin.

"I saw it on TV and I really, really liked it," chips in Sikander Mufti, who is lying cozily on a sofa with a cigarette burning at his fingertips. He lets Omran do the talking about Mauj. It is, after all, his brainchild, just like Co-Ven is the proud achievement of Sikander Mufti, who has almost always been around in the various stages of metamorphosis Co-Ven has undergone.

Over the years, Mauj went through a crux of musicians and from the sound of it, one can't believe that the songs of Mauj (clips of other songs are available on their website www.maujonline.com) have been recorded and produced in a garage in Houston.

"Taha Malik, whose forte is electronic music more than anything produced and roughly mixed our material. In the later days, we brought in Harvey Dennis – who was with me in our college band Drench – to play on drums. Due to some problems with time and date, it was Dennis who played on some numbers," says Omran of the line-up.

In entity, Mauj is a band that began in the United States but for it to work in Pakistan, the band had to move here. When Salman Ahmed picked up his bag and moved to New York, it was a breaking point for Junoon. Ultimately, what makes any band work are the constant jam sessions. Omran understands this reality very well and hence, decided to move to Pakistan.

"I moved here but to expect everyone, Dennis, Atif and the others to come here is unfair." And like a savvy, smart musician, Omran did so with a contingency plan. "Sikander is a part of Mauj. I want all Co-Ven guys to be Mauj but the logistics need to be worked out. Sameer is the bass player for Mekaal Hasan Band so one has to be sure that no problems arise at the time of concerts," says Omran logically.

The plight of music
Unlike many rock musicians, neither Omran nor Mufti are brooding in their sense of self-importance and more importantly, they are realistic musicians, even as they have ideals that define their music, and by proxy, them. Differentiating between Mufti and Omran would be a difficult task. Perhaps, the only real difference is their sense of skepticism and optimism. Mufti is disillusioned with the lack of structure that plagues our music industry. Omran is slightly more optimistic, but he too has his share of doubts.
"Do you know that when one goes to the Passport office (NADRA), they laugh or guffaw when you say you're a musician?" asks Omran grimly. I nod, knowing fully well that in Pakistan, even as the scene has grown tremendously, it is still not accepted by most as a proper career in the society.

"You know, we're not worried about Mauj. Inshallah it will do well," says Sikander thoughtfully. After a long hard drag, he says, "Co-Ven is destined for more. I know it is. Pakistan is not the final stop," he says of the band that has fought hard in the face of adversity.

Coming back to Mauj, they made a great comeback this year! Come 2007 and Mauj were out with 'Paheliyan' and this time, Sikander Mufti was in the video with Omran. With a vibrant video shot in a barbershop and four men in black, it instantly got noticed and is currently amongst the most-showed videos on all music channels.

The next step is concerts for a band like Mauj.
The one factor that keeps a musician alive, often, even without a proper album release is live concert. Having seen Co-Ven live a number of times and if they are anything to go by, Mauj will be just as brilliant, perhaps even more so because of their catchy, punk riffs that make one want to move. Having said that, concerts in Pakistan all look the same. Unlike the West, where a proper stage is put up with lights playing to effect, here, it is the same traffic signal.

"As creative individuals who enjoy doing something different and new, we would love to put up a show that is interesting," says Omran. "What ends up happening, we have to pull every resource just to get a decent PA system so the possibility of even finding the right people to put up a show with visuals attached seems impossible," he says skeptically.

Sikander adds, "I've always wanted to design show. I have so many ideas about light design, stage design and so forth. But here you have a show to play, you also have to see security and the 'know-how' is missing from the scene completely. For instance, on one song, let's say I want dominantly red lights and at some point, I want a blue affect on stage, who should I say this to? Ek Billo hai, uss ko main kya samjhao? Main bolo red to woh kahey, 'sir mein to sari lightein chalaonga'. More importantly, once you design a show, you set a standard. Like on one tour, you use a certain stage design like it's done in the West."

One may say that why don't they do it then if they have the ideas. But like everything else, without the right people, proper funding and a structure, new bands like Mauj and even Co-Ven have no leg to stand on. It is this reason that many bank on endorsements for big-budget videos. Others tour, sometimes rigourously and continuously for years after an album is released because it is the ONLY way to survive.
Looking at the bigger picture, it is clear that Pakistani masses look for entertainment in music. It is this entertainment factor (of beats) that makes Ali Zafar and Atif Aslam, the superstars of music. The masses want music they can dance to or "cry to," according to Sikander who knows fully well the taste of the Pakistani audience. But this fact doesn't disillusion him or Omran. They both agree that even Co-Ven has a market, even if it is smaller and Mauj is gaining strength with every passing day.

One would think that a band like Mauj is ready to release its album, especially if an all English-language music outfit like Co-Ven has managed to do so. But then again, it is not about a deal but about the 'rights'. "If you were to ask me to write down on a piece of paper what a record label in Pakistan does for an artist, I would give you a blank page," says Sikander sadly.

"Tell me, what does a record label in Pakistan do for a musician?" asks Omran and the answer is nothing really other than distribution.

"You make a song, video, you record an album in a studio. You get your butt to concerts. You do it for free and the record label owns you," says Ali Azmat as he walks by.

Mauj is finished with its album, most of it anyway but they have not signed a deal with any record label because they don't want to lose the rights to their own songs. "This guy (point to Omran) hasn't sold off his rights because he gets tution from moi," laughs Ali Azmat.

"The rights to our own songs should belong to us. There is no other way to do it," says Omran passionately.

It remains unclear exactly when Mauj will see a commercial release but with their talent and passion, Mauj will continue to make waves, come hell or high water.