Iqbal Asif Jewel

Of all the Eid releases this year, "Rock 202" and "303" were notable studio albums. The dual release comprises of 28 bands' songs and covers all genres associated with rock: thrash, heavy, black, death, funk, ballads, hard and alternate -- making this a must-have for any rock music enthusiast.
Musician Iqbal Asif Jewel told The Daily Star: “We started with 110 bands and 160 demos. 'Rock 202' was supposed to be the only release but some demos were so outstanding that we had to include the bands that made them. Basically it went something like this: I found out that there aren't any band albums around this year from G series; for this reason I asked around if I could contribute one with all the available rock talents. This was a challenge and I decided that even if it was released on the night before Eid, something should go!”
Luckily and due to all the hard work of Jewel and the bands, it got released much earlier. The albums took four studios -- Green Desk, Red Dragon, Sound Garden and Pebble Studio -- and was recorded and mixed in only 13 days! "Rock 202" covers tracks from Rock House, Urban Fiction, Raat, Beshaurgo, Overture, Crematic X and Mohakal. There is also Black, Yaatri, Arbovirus, Mechanix, Road 31, The Joint Family and Jewel's own special X factor.
“I tried to put a bit of everything in both albums. So not only heavy metal bands like Mechanix and Urban Fiction feature there but also some soft notes by Yaatri, et al can be found.”
So what was the criterion that Jewel was looking for in the selection? “Basically I wanted the bands to be active: that they wouldn't stop after one track but would continue to contribute to the music industry. Some of these youngsters have amazing talent and energy. It was the co-operation of them all that made it possible to bring out the albums at such short notice.
In 'Rock 303' there are new and old bands: Artcell, Bhoutist, Aflamed, Kral, Phoenix, Gene Split and Eclipse. Artcell was absent initially when I asked them, but they made time. Sumon made a special contribution,” said Jewel. Psychopath, Rhee, '71, Bohemian, Groove trap and Breach were some more bands featured in this album.
Jewel also has plans to organise a concert featuring the "Rock 202" and "303" bands.
“Location is a problem, not to mention the equipments. Consequently, it might turn out to be a series of concerts. Perhaps there could be a spot allotted by the government where rock, like many other arts, can be practiced. We need to work together to develop the Bangla rock culture. We have various problems like heavy tax on musical instruments, lack of venues, a traditional mindset that limits the growth of rock...Due to lack of initiatives, most of the rock musicians have been compelled to take up corporate jobs rather than devoting themselves fulltime to their art,” Jewel said.

The writer is a freelance contributor