Sufi nights a hit with young professionals

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When Pakistani folk singer Arif Lohar performed in the city recently, Sufi music grabbed more takers than any other genre that single night with more than 400 people turning up at Club Sirocco to witness a magical evening with soulful tunes.
The times are a changing and what’s interesting is this shift in the music that Delhiites prefer to listen to. “There was a time when people wanted only club or electro on any given Friday night just to dance the night away. But today, many corporates and young professionals want something relaxing after a week of madness at work. They are the ones who come to Sirocco on Fridays. Sufi music is in great demand these days,” says Parvesh from Club Sirocco.
Even the places known for rock nights, are now trying Sufi fusion with rock for their guests. Pramod, manager, Blues, tells us, “We started Sufi nights on Tuesdays but the response was dull. Then we decided to make it a part of our rock nights on Thursdays. We’ve been hosting these nights for many years now, and thought Sufi will add to the popularity as it’s a really popular genre of music today. When we clubbed the two, we realised that youngsters can relate well with the fusion. And now we only have bands who can perform the two genres together.”
At Pebble Street, the place has seen 20 per cent rise in footfall after introducing Sufi nights. “When we started initially, Sufi as a genre of music was still getting popular. The interesting part is that you can experiment with Sufi and infuse other genres in it to suit the ambience and crowd’s demands. People have started understanding Sufi more than ever before. We have Sufi nights at Pebble Street on Mondays,” says Nitin Kapoor, GM for the group that handles Pebble Street.
And young Sufi lovers couldn’t have asked for more. For Meru, a content writer, the nights have given her something to look forward to during a busy week. “In a crowded city like Delhi, the last thing you want to do is go to an overcrowded club playing heavy music. So the idea of Sufi is contemporary and interesting. Though I miss the original music in clubs, even the Sufi-Rock fusion is great,” she says.
“Different clubs host Sufi nights on different days, which makes it a perfect week for any Sufi lover. And I love the fusion of Sufi with other genres. Also, I don’t think it’s viable to play Sufi alone, as it won’t find many takers,” concludes Prakhar, a music lover.