Irtiqa (Urdu: ارتقاء, literal English translation: evolution) is the debut album by the Pakistani rock band, Entity Paradigm. It was originally slated for a 25 September 2003 release date, but was delayed to 1 October. Entity Paradigm released singles from Irtiqa which were "Hamesha", "Hamein Aazma", "Kahan Hai Tu", "Aghosh", "Waqt" and "Irtiqa III"; the videos for "Waqt" and "Irtiqa III" were directed by Xulfi himself.
| Irtiqa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | October 1, 2003 |
| Recorded | 2002-2003 at Digital Fidelity Studios in Lahore, Pakistan |
| Length | 55:39 |
| Label | Lips Records, Rearts Records |
| Producer | Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, Fawad Khan, Mekaal Hasan |
| Singles from Irtiqa | |
| |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Desiest.com | 7.3/10 link |
| Pakistani Music Channel |   link |
| Ultimate-guitar |  link |
Singles like "Waqt", "Hamesha" and "Kahan Hai Tu" did well in the charts. Irtiqa was considered a critical and commercial success.
Concept edit
Irtiqa means 'progress' or 'evolution', and this album talks about progress in life. The cover of the album depicts a sketch of an unborn baby. The first track 'Irtiqa I' starts off the album with a soft voice of a newly born baby, indirectly pointing towards progress after birth. The songs that follow after are carefully composed and it seems that EP strictly means business.
On the whole "Irtiqa" is not just a music album, it's a concept, it's a theme and not many musicians in Pakistan making music is based on a specific theme or subject and be able to maintain that theme throughout the album but not just in a single song.
Track listing edit
All music composed & arranged by Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, Fawad Khan & Ahmed Ali Butt.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Irtiqa I" | Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan | 2:19 |
| 2. | "Hamein Aazma" | Ahmed Ali Butt | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Kahan Hai Tu" | Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, Ahmed Ali Butt | 4:14 |
| 4. | "Hamesha" | Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, Ahmed Ali Butt, Ali A. Khan | 4:57 |
| 5. | "Waqt" | Ahmed Ali Butt, Danish J. Khan | 6:41 |
| 6. | "Aghosh" | Ali A. Khan | 6:15 |
| 7. | "Irtiqa II" | Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan | 1:05 |
| 8. | "Rahguzar" | Fawad Khan, Salman Nasir | 6:27 |
| 9. | "Fitrat" | Ahmed Ali Butt | 4:17 |
| 10. | "Barzakh" | Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan | 7:44 |
| 11. | "Irtiqa III" | Danish J. Khan | 8:29 |
Personnel edit
All information is taken from the CD.
- Entity Paradigm
- Fawad Khan: lead vocals
- Waqar Ahmed Khan: drums
- Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan: lead guitar, vocals
- Ahmed Ali Butt: vocals, keyboard
- Salman Albert: rhythm, vocals, drums
- Sajjad Ali Khan: bass guitar
- Hassan Khalid: rhythm guitar
- Production
- Produced by Mekaal Hasan, Fawad Khan & Zulfiqar J. Khan
- Recorded & Mixed at Digital Fidelity Studios, Lahore, Punjab
- Guitar sound engineer: Mekaal Hasan, Fawad Khan & Zulfiqar
- Drums reprogrammed: Fawad Khan
- Drums sound engineer: Fawad Khan & Zulfiqar J. Khan
- Assisted by Mekaal Hasan
- Photography: Usman Saeed
- Art direction & design: Safwat Saleem
- Album art: Tania Danish
- Inlay illustrations: Safwat Saleem
External links edit
- Irtiqa at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Guitar Tabs for Entity Paradigm
- Official website