What does noori mean?

How was noori formed?

How did noori come into the limelight?

What have been the major milestones in noori�s career to date?

How many Albums/Songs has noori come up with?

What is noori�s genre of music?

What is the story of Manwa Re?

How does the band write their lyrics?

What are the concepts behind noori�s albums?

What is the general production process of a noori album?

How many videos has noori come up with so far?

What�s with noori being so heavily involved in their videos?

Who are/have been the core noori members to date?

Ali Noor�s Fact-file

Ali Hamza�s Fact-file

Mohammed Ali Jafri

Mandana Zaidi

KV

Wameez Mohyuddin Kadri

What are the main features of nooriworld.net?

What�s the basic technical structure on which this site has been developed?

Why do I face problems in opening certain links?

Can I use any media player to play audio/video files downloaded from this site?

How can I save the audio/video/media files I download from this website?

Is this site compatible with multiple browsers?

What is nooriarts?

What is the equipment/gear used by noori?

What�s about the logo for Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya (PPRJKGD)?

What is about this instrument that Ali Noor and Ali Hamza�s mother plays?

What if I have more questions?

What does noori mean?

The word �noori� if translated literally, means �made of light�. If the meaning is extended it implies that noori is also a source of light. At a conceptual level, the objective of noori is to take on the responsibility of attaining the qualities that are suggested by its name � that is to discover the dark, unexplored areas of life and shed �a new light� upon them.

How was noori formed?

The idea of noori came into existence way back when the two brothers, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, were in school. Ali Noor used to be the vocalist for the famous underground band Coven and Ali Hamza used to sit at home trying to figure out the chords for Coven songs on Ali Noor�s (left-handed) guitar. In the process of figuring out one of those songs (called Samson and Delilah) Hamza ended up composing his first song, which was in Urdu (called Do Dil). Hamza played it to Noor, and straight away Noor realized that Urdu songs could communicate much more compared to the English stuff he was doing with Coven (within Pakistan that is � obviously he had nurtured the Rock Star dream into a full time passion by then); And thus emerged the idea of Ali Noor and Ali Hamza forming a band that sang Urdu songs. So the two brothers set out on a new song making journey. They composed their first set of songs in a span of one night - the night before all their instruments were to be locked up due to the coming of exams!

Then one day, Ali Noor came up with this tune and asked Ali Hamza to write some lyrics for it. The song that was penned down was called Mein (and you can hear this song on noori�s second album � Peeli Patti aur Raja Jani ki Gol Dunya). The lyrics Hamza wrote gave Ali Noor another bright idea! -- Though Ali Noor had always had strong ideas about Pakistani Pop Music that existed at that time, Mein re-inforced the thought that Urdu music could be pursued without following the typical dilly dally of love songs that were, by that time, becoming quite meaningless and superficial. That one could use music to communicate many more ideas, especially those that talked about the state of people in our society.

Now that Noor and Hamza had the philosophy of their band sorted out, it was time to give it a name. There were many that came about (most of which were in English), but the one that stood out the most was �noori�. Not because it was similar to Ali Noor�s name (at that time Hamza was supposed to be the lead singer for the band), but because it conveyed a meaning that was linked to the idea which the band intended to follow. Of discovering something new, something that was not around at that time!

How did noori come into the limelight?

With the conception of noori (way back in Ali Noor�s school days) composing music became a full time passion for him. He has been at it since the age of 15 when he bought his first sound card and started recording his compositions on the computer. Between that time and the actual formation of noori as a professional act, almost two-thirds of Ali Noor�s time had been spent making music and pursuing his dream of becoming a Pop-Star. The rest of the time was either spent studying at school or (afterwards) working at his grandfather�s law firm. During this time, Ali Hamza had become more of a silent partner in this project; his input into noori came only in bursts and fits as he was pursuing his own educational and other agendas. However, during these times it was Mohammed Ali Jafri (ex-noori bassist) who had formed an alliance with Noor in pursuing this dream. Both Noor and Jafri toiled night-in-day-out, composing new tunes, figuring out new recording software, learning the art of audio engineering, planning strategies for the future, and doing almost everything that was required to turn the dream �noori� into a reality. In the process Ali Noor also did a few side projects, some commercial, some purely artistic in nature; but throughout his focus was on noori and noori alone, and all these exercises were a learning that would add to Noor�s experience as a serious artist.

The year 2000 gave Ali Noor his first major break through when the video of Manwa Re was released. The song was an instant hit, and still remains one of Noor�s/noori�s most sought after singles, but even the fame that Ali Noor got from �Manwa Re didn�t deter him from pursuing something he had been working on for over 7 years!

Another main reason that made Ali Noor stick to his dream was that while Manwa Re became an instant hit with the masses, some of noori�s original work that got leaked on the net, became an instant hit among the new generation of net browsers. And these people were spread all over the world! Though Ali Noor was initially upset with the fact that these songs were not supposed to be heard until they were complete and ready for release, it was this very leakage that created a huge following for noori, even before it came into the limelight�.

At the time when Manwa Re was released, noori had also taken considerable shape. The Noor/Jafri duo had made rough versions of songs worth three albums, and they had commenced work on their first. This was the time when the band line-up for noori also took its first form. The first recruitment had to be a drummer. Salman Albert (EP, Rubberband, Mekal Hassan Band) was then inculcated into noori to fill this spot.

In 2001, noori went public for the first time. The band was introduced on television for the first time in a show produced by Lahore based director/producer, Bilal Haider Shah; the video for a song titled Khalla that had been shot a few years earlier also premiered on this show. The album that was advertised for release was called Begum Gul Bakaoli Sarfarosh. But right in the middle of completing the album, Salman Albert left the band as he had some immediate obligations to fulfill. noori was once again an incomplete band.

For quite some time after this incident, not much activity took place as far as releasing an album was concerned. Noor and Jafri took this time out to reconsider their objectives ala noori. After almost a year of planning an re-planning, with much alterations made to the album song list and a consequent change of name, the duo were ready with the album that was meant to be noori�s first public release i.e. Suno ke Main Hun Jawan (SKMHJ).

The album was recorded twice. First time it was recorded with three band members: Noor, Jafri, and Farhad Humayun, an NCA graduate from Lahore who joined noori as its second drummer. In this period noori released its very first video � Tum Hans Diay. The song was very well received, and the new look of Ali Noor in the form of noori was very much appreciated by the public. In fact noori became the pioneers of the new generation of Pakistani pop acts that took over the scene from their predecessors in the previous millennium.

When the recordings for SKMHJ were completed and plans were being made for its release, once again, the drummer had to leave the band (Farhad is now leader of the well known percussion orchestra � Overload). However, this time, to the luck of the band, in came a new drummer.

John Louis Pinto II, a.k.a. Gumby had been in the music industry of Pakistan for the last fifteen years or so. He had played with the biggest names in this field, people like Alamgir, Vital Signs, Amir Zaki and Junoon to name a few, and was (and still is) unanimously considered the best drummer this country has given birth to. Right when Farhad left noori, Ali Noor met up with Gumby and asked him if he would be interested in joining noori as a band member. He accepted the offer at once saying that he had been keen on playing with noori from before and voila!... the noori trio was complete again.

By the time of Gumby�s enrollment noori had been established as an upcoming musical group that was taking its time to come up. A noori website was set up that was hit at least a hundred times each day from the day it was uploaded! Concerts had started lining up since the album�s first version was being finalized for release. While performing with a three member line-up the members of noori felt that justice was not being done to the songs which required more than one guitarist.

When Murtaza Jaffar, a guitarist who had been asked to join noori found it difficult to join the band and eventually backed out to pursue his professional career as a chartered accountant, Gumby suggested that Ali Noor should take, as the guitarist for the band, Ali Hamza. Hamza, after quitting his job as an Economics Research Assistant, had very recently started pursuing film making. Though Noor had always wanted Hamza to be an essential part of noori, the decision was tough because Hamza couldn�t play guitar to save his life; he had been out of touch with doing serious music for over five years... But still Noor asked Hamza to join the band as the second guitarist, an offer that Hamza accepted at once!

On February 8th, 2003, noori stepped into the world of professional music with the release of Suno ke Main Hun Jawan�
Note: To read more about noori go to the Bio�s section in this site.

What have been the major milestones in noori�s career to date?

(October, 2000) Ali Noor releases the video for Manwa Re on major Pakistani television networks as a solo artist. The song created waves all over the country and still remains one of the most renowned noori songs.

(April, 2002) noori officially comes out into the open with the video for Tum Hans Diyay. Though it was a departure from the folk based style of Manwa Re, this song at once clicked with young noori listeners. The video was a trend setter for many of the band videos, which were made in Pakistan, in time to come.

(October, 2002) noori starts performing live. From day one, the band�s live performances were extremely well received and the band was labeled as �one of the hottest live acts� of all time.

(February, 2003) noori launches their debut album, Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan. Released by Sadaf Stereo, the much awaited album was an instant success, making record sales within just one month of its release. Moreover, this was the first ever enhanced audio CD to be released by a Pakistani artist inside Pakistan.

(June-July, 2003) noori joins hands with television channel, Indus Music to create a two month long campaign dedicated to noori as the �Super New Jawan�. More than 20 different television programs were broadcast, which included regular IM shows, shows hosted by the noori themselves and lots of fan competitions as well. The campaign was concluded by one of the biggest noori concerts held at the Marina Club in Karachi.

(August-October, 2003) noori ventures into one of the most innovative campaigns in entertainment history, the Mobilink Jazz Concert in Your Complex campaign. In a period of 42 days, noori performed at a total of 110 locations all over the city of Karachi!

(February, 2004) noori goes international. The band performed at the Dubai Shopping Festival �04. The concert was held inside the global village where the DSF takes place. A record crowd of over 40,000 people gathered to watch the band perform live; definitely the largest audience noori had ever performed for.

(June, 2004) noori is the first Asian act to be taken up by BMG international for a Middle East release of Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan.

(July 2004) IM (Indus Music) AWARDS, noori wins award in the "Best Rock Song" category for their track 'Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan'.

(April-July 2004) noori sign-up for another commercial campaign: The Polo Cool Foxy Campaign. This campaign generated a lot of criticism against the band for selling themselves out to commercialism. It was at the commencement of this activity that the band decided to take a break and went into hiding for almost over a year.

(September, 2005) noori release their second album Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya. Released by Sadaf Stereo, this album is supposed to mark a fresh and new beginning for the band� (For more, read the Band Bio in the Bio�s section of this site).

How many Albums/Songs has noori come up with?

Officially noori has released two albums:

Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan (2003)
Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya (2005)

In addition noori and Indian pop-star Anaida have put out a duet single called Naya Jahaan (2004). The song has only been released online.

Some noori songs have also been - unofficially - put-up on the internet. Most of those songs have been included in noori�s second album (PPRJKGD) i.e. Khalla, Saari Raat Jaga, Jo Meray and Ooncha.

Another un-released noori song � the first to be put up on the internet � is Mujhe Roko. It is this very song that helped create a very strong noori fan-following way before the band came out into the open!

In addition to the above, another song written by Ali Noor and sung by Ali Hamza �Gawalmandi ke Siree Payay � nurtured a big following of its own. Whether this song will ever be included in upcoming noori albums? ... Only time will tell!

It is for people to know that noori had been in the melting pot for almost over 7 years before it came into the limelight. In this span of time many songs had been composed, finalized and then some of them were trashed. But some were not!

Let�s just say that there is a lot that is unseen and un-heard of in noori�s little bag of tricks (er� music)!

To find out more about noori�s official releases check out the Discography section in this site.

What is noori�s genre of music?

noori is a pop-music act. Pop-music basically implies that there is no hard and fast delineation of genre. If we listen to noori�s music there is an indication that most of their songs are influenced by western rock/soft rock music. However, at the same time, we also get to hear another side of noori which is influenced by the indigenous folk-based music of the sub-continent.

noori is not restricted by any genre of music, in fact the band aims to explore music in all its forms and genres as long as they get to communicate their ideas effectively. In noori�s own words, �[our] objective is to communicate ideas. Each song that we make has an essential theme and concept behind it. The music we choose is only a translation of those ideas into a melodic form. [�] we hope that as we evolve as a band, our music will also evolve, and so will our listeners.�

What is the story of Manwa Re?

Manwa Re is essentially a song that Ali Noor composed for a Pakistani film by Sajjad Gul.  It was a love song that was supposed to be shot for a wedding sequence. But the song got rejected and Ali Noor abandoned it like all other side projects that didn�t materialize � his focus being on noori�s music which was quite the opposite of what this song communicated.

However, in 1998, Ali Noor�s grandfather (Mr. Raza Kazim; see What is about this instrument that Ali Noor and Ali Hamza�s mother plays?) decided to set up a video department in his institute and hence procured a lot of video production equipment. Ali Noor, who was actively involved in setting up that department decided to test this equipment (cameras and video editing suite etc.) by shooting a video for Manwa Re. He teamed up with Mariam Pasha (daughter of renowned filmmaker, Shireen Pasha) and the two just loitered around the city of Lahore shooting random images. Having edited their footage, Noor and Mariam realized that the video was not all that senseless as they had thought it to be.

Just for the fun of it, the song was given to Ptv. and Indus Music (which had just launched at that time). Ptv at once rejected the video (in fact banned it) as there were some objectionable shots in it (namely of the Lahore Red-Light-Area). But it was Indus Music that promoted the song heavily, and just like that, in a matter of weeks the song became a nation wide hit!

Manwa Re is still considered to be the most popular noori song; but, even though it was included in noori�s debut album (Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan), it remains a kind of a step-song for noori as the rest of the album had been written with a totally different philosophy in mind.

How does the band write their lyrics?

There are no fixed rules that have been set out for writing lyrics to noori music. But so far the procedure has always been as follows:

First the melody lines are composed; then a rough arrangement is given to the song; this is followed by (or sometimes simultaneously happens with) conceiving a theme/idea behind the song. It is on this idea/theme that words are fitted into the already composed melody line. And voila! ...� A song is born!

What are the concepts behind noori�s albums?

You can read the respective album themes in the Discography section of this website.

What is the general production process of a noori album?

Though they usually take place simultaneously � as an album progresses � one could break the production of a noori (and probably any other) album into three distinct processes:

1.      Composition, Arrangement and Lyric Writing:

a.       This is the very first stage where one comes up with a basic melody line. The basic song structure (i.e. composing vocal melodies for the chorus, verses, bridge etc.) is also laid out in this stage.

In the case of noori, the themes of the album is chalked out first and hence the composition process is very much focused towards catering to that theme. Almost all noori songs in the first two albums (in fact there is only one exception to the case) have been composed by Ali Noor; and quite a few of them had been composed long time before noori even came out into the open.

b.      What follows the melody composition stage is the process of arranging the different melodic parts into a complete single song. This process can also be considered as fine-tuning the basic melodic structure. This is also where detailed instrumentation is added into the song i.e. the basic guitar riffs and chord structures, bass lines, rhythm patterns, loops, keyboards etc. are laid out. In short, this is the point when life is given to a song.

c.       Arrangement is followed by song or lyric writing. Only once the vocal melodies have been finalized, their rhythm patterns set out, can one write down the lyrics to the song. But before these can be penned down, the two brothers discuss in detail the concept and ideas they have laid out for that specific song.

2.      Studio Recording Process:

This process serves two purposes: One, it is an extension of the arrangement process where each specific melody (vocal lines, guitar riffs, bass lines, rhythm patterns etc.) is fine tuned and, if need be, re-composed. Second, all this is done because this is where the final print is made for all that is to come in the album (i.e. all tracks are laid out). This is, as Gumby puts it, what remains with you for the rest of your life. And so this is where the tedious process begins. This is where you have no option to make a mistake. And you keep recording again and again and again until everyone is fully satisfied. This is where each band member acts as a monitor for the other members.

There are two types of recordings that are done: One is the recording of live instruments; these include - in noori�s case - vocals, drums, guitars and bass. The other is the recording/arrangement of synthetic sounds; sometimes there is the use of loops where there is no recording required as such (one only has to arrange and edit the loops) and then there is the recording of instruments via a midi-controller/synthesizer (these include the recording of piano parts, synth pads, percussions and basically all other instruments that cannot be played by the band members). Apart from the live instruments, where each band member contributes according to their role, all other recording is done by Ali Noor.

3.      Mixing and Mastering:

This is definitely the most boring, but the most important and critical stage of the production process. This is the stage after which there is no turning back, unless you want to scrap the whole thing. This is also the time, where the band heavily relies on the skill and support of Mekaal Hasan, who has been the Sound Engineer for both the noori albums released so far.
 
In the mixing process one fine tunes the sonic quality of everything that has been recorded for a given song and then balances each recorded track with the others so as to come up with an audio signal where every recorded track (i.e. every instrument played in a song) can be clearly deciphered from the others and yet, the song holds a complete value of its own.
The mastering process is where the last final touches are given to all the songs so that they become part of a single album; this is where tones and levels of individual tracks are balanced out to create consistency between each and every song.


In short, just like the fact that there is a conceptual album theme that links the music and lyrics together, there is also a sonic theme to an album which creates a consistent link between the different songs in the album. The album production process is geared to fulfill the requirements laid down by each of these three themes.

How many videos has noori come up with so far?

noori Videography

Manwa Re
Released: October 2000
Direction: Mariam Pasha
Production: nooriarts

Tum Hans Diyay
Released: April 2002
Direction: Usman Zaidi and Mohammed Ali Jafri
Production: nooriarts

Jana Tha Hum Ne
Released: October 2002
Production: nooriarts

Gana No. 1
Released: February 2003
Direction: Babar Sheikh
Production: Diagram Films and nooriarts

Dil Ki Qasam
Released: August 2003
Direction: Wajahat Rauf
Production: MLive and nooriarts

Suno ke Main Hun Jawan
Released: January 2004
Direction: Sohail Javed
Production: Saya Films and nooriarts

Neend Ayay Na
Released: May 2004
Direction: Trevellyn Fynn and Mo
Production: ARY Digital and nooriarts

(Kuttey) Te Tho Uttey
Released: February 2005
Direction: Jawad Bashir
Production: Notankee productions and nooriarts

Nishaan
Released: Spetember 2005
Direction: Mandana Zaidi and Umer Amanullah
Production: nooriarts

Note: You can download these videos from the Discography Section of this site.

What�s with noori being so heavily involved in their videos?

Almost each and every one of noori�s songs has been composed keeping a visual idea in mind. Since their schooldays both Ali Noor and Ali Hamza used to intently watch the videos of their favorite bands, and since that time they had an idea about the significance of music videos for an artist. With time they nurtured the idea that a music video is the best way to realize the communicative potential of a song, and so when composing/writing their songs they always visualized what the song would �look like�.

When noori started out, they produced all their videos themselves. Though their concepts were well received there was continuous criticism of the technical weakness in their videos. The band openly accepted this criticism and resorted to the help of professional video directors/producers. Since the media industry (minus the commercial media sector) in Pakistan is in a very primitive stage of its development there are no set principles or functionalities that can be chalked out when two creative people decide to work together. Consequently it becomes very difficult to resolve a conflict of ideas, especially when there is no clear cut agreement/contract chalked out between the two parties.� And this is exactly what happened when noori collaborated with the professional video makers in Pakistan. Even though these videos were at par with the basic technical requirements of video making, the band felt that the ideas they had visualized for their songs couldn�t be communicated the way they had thought them out to be.

Consequently the band has decided to take full charge of their video making process, all the way from conceptualizing, to shooting to post production. Not to say that they are not willing to work with professional video makers in the future, but they�re clear that their involvement in making their music videos will be at least 100% if not more!

Who are/have been the core noori members to date?

Current Line-up:

Ali Noor � Vocalist, Guitarist, Composer, Producer
Ali Hamza � Vocalist, Rhythm Guitarist (2003-2005), Bassist (2005 onwards)

Previous Members:

John Louis �Gumby� Pinto � Drums (2003-2006)
Mohammed Ali Jafri � Bassist (2001-2005)
Farhad Humayun � Drums (2001-2002)
Salman Albert � Drums (2000-2001)

Ali Noor�s Fact-file

Date of Birth: 23rd September, 1977
Marital Status: Married
Father�s Name: Ali Kazim
Mother�s Name: Noor Zehra Kazim
Role in Noori: Vocalist, Guitarist, Composer, Songwriter, Producer, Band Leader
Education: B.A. L.L.B
Musical involvement outside noori: 
: : Vocalist for Pakistani underground band Coven (1993-1996)
: : Vocals on Coven�s debut EP Not in Your World  (1998)
: : Composed the song Yeh Bachay Kyoon Ro�ain for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (1997)
: : Composer/Vocalist for the album Rock Polo Roll, Produced by Condor Sports for the promotion of �Polo� � the sport (1999)
: : Too Good to be True,  composed as a jingle to launch the Honda City 2000 car (2000)
Other Interests: Big time computer freak, loves to format and re-install software, loves collecting all kinds of media related software, currently trying his hands at video editing/post production software (with the intent of mastering the art of color-correction). He also loves cooking Chinese food!

To read more about Ali Noor go to the Bio�s section in this site.

Ali Hamza�s Fact-file

Date of Birth: 21st March, 1980
Marital Status: Single
Father�s Name: Ali Kazim
Mother�s Name: Noor Zehra Kazim
Role in Noori: Vocalist, Bassist, Composer, Songwriter
Education: B.S.c. (Hons.)
Musical involvement outside noori:� Pursued music at an amateur level until joining noori; was among the founding members of the Music Society at LUMS (his alumnus college); he had made a few songs in his college days (Behnchod,� Kakkya) that got released over the internet and eventually created a �notorious� following of his own.
Other Interests: Hamza loves writing; to him it�s the best way of giving structure to his thoughts, and because of this love for writing he likes reading (all sorts of literature), he spends almost 4 hours a day reading all kinds of news world over and even outside it (he says he is collecting the raw material for his work as a writer). Once in a while Hamza indulges in a bit of Photography as well.

To read more about Ali Hamza visit the Bio�s section in this site.

Mohammed Ali Jafri

Even though he is no longer a noori member, Mohammed Ali Jafri helped lay the foundations of this band and his contribution deserves an exclusive space in this section.

Jafri�s association with Ali Noor dates back to Coven � an underground/rock band formed by Mohammed Ali and his brother Hamza Jafri (Ali Noor was one of the lead vocalists for this band).

In 1998, after Ali Noor had recorded with Coven (Not In Your World - E.P. released by Off Beat Pakistan � 1998) he asked Mohammed Ali to help him with his personal work. From that time, for a period of almost seven years, Mohammed Ali was more of a resident of Ali Noor�s house than his own. In the mornings both him and Noor used to pursue their separate professional lives, while their evenings were spent making music, learning new studio techniques, figuring out the latest audio software, and most of all, coming up with crazy ideas and figuring out the future course of noori.

If Ali Noor was the brain behind noori, it was Jafri who gave the �golden touch� to their work. In Ali Noor�s own words, Mohammed Ali is one of the most aesthetically refined individuals he had ever come across. Surprisingly, these aesthetics were highlighted the most when Jafri became actively involved in making noori videos. Throughout the SKMHJ tenure he developed his video making � especially editing skills (Jafri has edited 5 out of the 7 noori videos released during this tenure) to the extent that he decided to switch fields and pursue video/film making as his core profession. Today, Mohammed Ali Jafri�s work stands out from the rest as he maintains his individual artistic style � his golden touch is very much his own!

Mandana Zaidi

Now she is Ali Noor�s wife! But she has been an essential part of noori ever since noori has known her. In fact she is the hidden noori member, without whom the band can�t even function half properly. Her involvement in noori ranges from directing their videos to being the band photographer and stylist, graphic designer, coordinator for activities� you name it and she has done it!

In her own right Mandana Zaidi is a Fine Arts graduate from Punjab University. Currently she is teaching in the very same department from which she graduated. Her true passion and forte is painting.

KV

KV, is Murtaza Jaffar, who was supposed to be noori�s guitarist when the band was completed in 2003. Though he didn�t join the band as a full time member, he later joined the line up as a session guitarist for noori�s live performances. KV has played on a number of shows with the band when they were touring with SKMHJ. Will he continue to session with band? Well only time will tell�

Wameez Mohyuddin Kadri

Wameez is Ali Noor and Ali Hamza�s childhood friend from early school days. No he never studied with them at school � in fact he is older than both brothers � but he had been their neighbour for almost five years, and at a time when noori was in its very initial stages. Wameez has played a very positive role in the evolution of noori. Being a musician himself he has continuously been a source of critical feedback to the band for the longest time. With the launch of PPRJKGD, certain changes have been brought in noori�s line up for live prerformances. The songs in this album rely heavily on Keyboards, Synth-sounds, and Loops, and performing without these would seriously affect the whole feel of these songs. It is in this area that Wameez has stepped in and become a part of the noori performance line-up. He is currently sessioning for noori as a DJ/Keyboardist.

What are the main features of nooriworld.net?

This website contains a total of 11 integrated sections and an additional external section. These sections are:

Home: This is the section that opens up on logging on to nooriworld.net. It contains a list of headlines that give the visitor a general outline of all site updates in a chronological order.

News: This is where one can get detailed information on tours, performances, major activities and other events and happenings related to noori. Here again the information is displayed in chronological order with separate sections created for each month of a certain year.

BIO�s: This section contains some essential information about the band and individual members, which the band feels necessary to communicate to all those who want to have some general information about noori.

Discography: This section contains information about all official noori releases. There are three sub-sections where two are exclusively dedicated to each of noori�s released albums and the third dedicated to all officially released noori singles. This section contains demo�s of all songs, released videos for respective songs, lyrics, album themes and credits to each of the noori releases. (For details on navigating this section see How do I navigate the Discography section?).

Press: This section contains a record of articles and reviews � about noori and their activities � that have been published in major online and print publications worldwide.

Photo Gallery: No explanation required.

Downloads: All media put out by noori other than that available in specific sections of this website can be downloaded through this section.

Links: This section contains links to a) all noori Fan-Sites and, b) the Band�s Favorites, which include certain websites which are regularly visited by the band members and which the band would like to recommend others to visit as well.

FAQ: As you can see, this section is there to answer all kinds of questions that are regularly asked about noori and this website. One of the major reasons why this section has been created is because after having all this information, THE BAND WOULD LIKE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY JOURNALISTS AND INTERVIEWERS, NOT TO ASK QUESTIONS WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED IN THIS SECTION!

Buy: Coming Soon.

Contact: Email addresses for General Information and Concert Bookings.

Forum: This is the external section of nooriworld.net. Here the visitor can sign-up as a forum member and participate in a host of discussions on issues linked with noori or even otherwise. For further details see the FAQ section in the nooriwold Forum (www.nooriworld.net/forum).

What�s the basic technical structure on which this site has been developed?

This website has been designed using (mainly) PHP � a dynamic language built specifically for web applications utilizing a database. Generally this language is used for websites which require regular updates on an almost daily basis (examples include online news magazines and stores). And this is exactly why it is necessary to utilize this language.

It was a common complaint with all previous versions of www.nooriworld.net, that they were never updated regularly. And the only reason for this was, that it is a very cumbersome process to update a static site built on simple HTML. However, with this new technical design, this complaint should be resolved once and for all.

Why do I face problems in opening certain links?

Important note about the site interface: As one would have noticed, the scroll bars in the interface have been customized according to the rest of the visual theme of this site. These scrollbars had to be designed from scratch and hence override the functionalities that the normal browser/operating system scrolls provide.

These scroll bars are meant to navigate frames within the main window of the interface; e.g. when you go to the discography section and click on S.K.M.H.J link, a new page is loaded in the frame located in the centre of the interface. The customized scrollers help the user navigate through the song-list presented in this frame.

Sometimes, a user might face the problem of clicking on some link within these frames (e.g. clicking on the CD icon in the Discography section) and the whole window will freeze and hence it will seem as if the link is not working. This happens because the frame containing this link hasn�t been loaded completely, and it stops executing all commands due to a conflict of commands taking place. This is a problem that occurs specifically because of the altered functionalities of our customized scrollbar. One cannot guarantee if this problem will be sorted out soon. So, until then one must follow the solution given below:

THE SOLUTION: WAIT FOR A PAGE/FRAME TO LOAD FULLY BEFORE NAVIGATING/CLICKING ON ANY LINK WITHIN THAT PAGE/FRAME.

Can I use any media player to play audio/video files downloaded from this site?

All the audio/video files available on this site are in the Windows Media format (i.e. .wma and .wmv files for audio and video respectively). To view/listen to these files the user must have a media player which supports these file formats e.g. Windows Media Player version 9.0 or later.

How can I save the audio/video/media files I download from this website?

If you have Windows Media player installed in your computer then, clicking a certain audio/video file for download will directly open the file in the media player and it will be played and downloaded at the same time. You can save the file through the media player once it has been completely downloaded onto the player (i.e. Buffering is 100%).

However, if you want to download the file first and view it later, you can right-click on the download link and use the �Save Target As�� command to directly save the file in a desired location.

The same can be done to directly download any file available on the website.

Is this site compatible with multiple browsers?

Yes, this site can be accessed through most of the available web browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape, Safari, Firefox). However we can only guarantee perfect functionality with the Windows based Internet Explorer. There have been instances of incompatibility of certain site features with browsers other than the Internet Explorer.

We would recommend that in order to comfortably navigate this website, the visitor should, preferably, use Internet Explorer.

What is nooriarts?

nooriarts is the parent company that owns the copy and production rights to all audio-visual material produced by the company in the name of noori.

What is the equipment/gear used by noori?

Guitars:
Ibanez Electric RG series (left handed) [Live/Studio]
Martin Left Handed Acoustic-Electric [Live/Studio]

Bass:
Warwick Standard Series (4-String Electric Bass) [Live/Studio]

Keyboards and Synths:
Alesis Quadrasynth [Keyboard Synthesizer � Studio/Live]
Korg Trinity [Keyboard Synthesizer � Studio/Live]
Yamaha � QY100 [Synth Module � Live Only]

Effects Processors:
Boss GT-6 [Guitar Processor � Live Only]
Boss GT-6B [Bass Processor � Live Only]
Behringer Multicom Pro XL � MDX 4600 [Dynamics Processor(s) for Vocals and Drums � Live Only]
Behringer Virtualizer Pro � DSP 2024P [Multi-effect Processor(s) for Vocals and Drums � Live Only]
Behringer Ultra Voice � VX 2000 [Voice Processors � Live Only]
Note: Amplification/Miking of Guitars/Processors is avoided by the band, especially for live performances within Pakistan

Drumkits:
DW (Drum Workshop) Custom Made to Gumby�s requirements � [Studio Acoustic Kit]
Yamaha Club Custom [Studio/Live Acoustic Kit]
Pearl [Studio/Live Acoustic Kit]
Yamaha DTXtreme [Studio Electric Kit]

Equipment Specific for Live Performances:
Alesis Studio 12R � 12 Channel Mixer (for Drums)
Behringer EuroRack UB2442 FX-Pro � 16 Channel Mixer (for Front of House Mix)
Behringer EuroRack Pro RX1602 � 8 Channel Mixer(s) (for Individual Monitor Mixes)
Behringer Powerplay Pro-8 HA8000 � 8 Channel Headphone Distribution Amplifier (for distributing the signal to Individual In-ear Mixers)
AKG SR40/GB40 � Guitar Wireless Bugs
Senheiser EW300IEM � Wireless In-Ear Monitoring Devices

Notes on Studio Recording:
As the entire studio recording is done via a computer, the equipment/software used in the recording process keeps changing with time due to rapid technological advances in this field. To give a general overview noori material has been recorded using a variety of Digital Audio/Sound Modules made by different companies (Yamaha, Creative, Korg, Roland and EMU to be precise). Many audio production softwares have been experimented with but, at least for the two albums released, the basic software used has been the Cakewalk/Sonar Audio Production Suites (integrated with a large variety of Software Modules for which it would be virtually impossible to provide a list).

What�s about the logo for Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya (PPRJKGD)?

For PPRJGKD, it was decided by the band that a graphical theme should also be created that runs in consistency with that of the album. With the help of graphic artist Atif Ghauri, the band developed this visual theme which is highlighted by the logo on the album cover. The logo shows two individuals, a man and a woman (Peeli Patti aur Raja Jani) whose heads seem to have merged into a single globe (Gol Dunya).

For the time being this visual theme is completely open to all kinds of interpretations and criticism; however THERE IS A STORY BEHIND THIS GRAPHICAL THEME (especially the logo), and it will be narrated in due time!

What is about this instrument that Ali Noor and Ali Hamza�s mother plays?

Well her name is Noor Zehra Kazim. And she plays this instrument called the Saagar Veena. It is an Indian Classical Music Instrument that has been invented by her father Mr. Raza Kazim. Mr. Raza Kazim is a lawyer/philosopher/inventor who runs an institute called the Sanjan Nagar Institute of Philosophy and Arts. Raza � as he likes to be called � has played a vital role in influencing, to quite an extent, the ideas and philosophy which noori adheres to. One can have a fair idea about his work and ideas by visiting the institute website: www.sanjannagar.org

What if I have more questions?

The FAQ section means that its there to answer �Frequently� Asked Question. Without your questions this section would become redundant. Feel free to mail your questions at [email protected]. If we can answer them, we will!!