Pakistani restaurant music

April 26, 2008 8:37 PM

I often eat at a couple of few different pakistani restaurant and have noticed they both play pretty much the same songs in the restaurant. Rather than ask the restaurant staff, I'm asking metafilter: Is there a common list of songs popularly played at these establishments? What are the songs that would be in such a list?
posted by mulligan to media & arts (6 comments total)

Since you've not really described the kind of music that's being played, I'm gonna go with Qawwali. Perhaps you could upload a couple of small audio clips?
posted by cyanide at 9:34 PM on April 26

Good try, cyanide, but he doesn't say same "TYPE" of music. He talks about the same songs. I'll be you that the DJ behind the music is a relatively young person. No matter the ethnicity of a restaurant, if young people are the DJs, you will be hearing the new pop music for that culture. Korean, mandarin, indian, pakistani, jamaican...or even american.

I bet you if you go to the nearest pakistani store that sells music, you will hear the same music. Its popular, its what sells, its what plays.
posted by hal_c_on at 11:55 PM on April 26

My theory is that lots of sub continental music sounds very, very similar..... (to non-language speakers) or may even sound the same. I reckon you're hearing various qawwali or bhangra tunes. Bhangra has a very distinct beat that you hear in all bhangra songs. If you don't, it's not bhangra of course.

Maybe, if you're absolutely certain it's the same songs.... a currently popular soundtrack. Which could be harder to track down... seeing as how many movies come out of the subcontinent each month!

You're going to have to ask. Best of luck finding out. And when you do, let us know. I"m curious now. I love bhangra and hindi movies/soundtracks.
posted by taff at 3:21 AM on April 27

My wild guess is that you're hearing music from the latest movies popular with Pakistanis. (What's the Pakistani equivalent of Bollywood?)
posted by airplain at 9:11 AM on April 27

That would be Lollywood.
posted by shipbreaker at 9:29 AM on April 27

I have always had great luck asking, once even having a waiter offer to burn me a copy of the playlist they were using.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:34 AM on April 27