DISTRICT UNKNOWN 2012 PROJECT Band History:

District unknown is considered Afghanistans first metal band. The band was formed in 2008 when the 2 cousins; Lemar Saifullah and Qais Shaqasi, met the Foushanji brothers, Pedram and Qasem. It took some time for the band to establish who was playing what, but once everyone found their places, it was clear that the band had the raw chemistry. Like most bands District Unknown first covered heavy rock and metal songs. Their initial performances were raw and gritty, but the crowd gave them respect for getting into it. In search of their musical identity they began to compose their first songs. Genres were introduced and disguarded like trash as they turn up the distortion to levels, no Afghan had ever attempted before. Through 2009-10, the band honed their skills playing underground gigs at youth centres, expats hangouts and the Afghan National Gallery. As they grew as musicians, so did their stage presence and it didnt take long for them to be seen as the leading band in the small but volatile Kabul music scene. With Saifullahs leaving in early 2011, the band faced a new chapter of exploration with session musicians, and eventually ended up with a new style which was coined in the Rolling Stone Article as Psychedelic Metal. District Unknown at the moment is trying to find support in order to record and publish their first EP called Anatomy of a 24-hour life time. District Unknown is inspired by bands like Opeth, Anathema, Tool, Pink Floyd, Porcupine tree, God speed you Black Emperor and Bjork.

Band Line up:

Present:
1-Qasem Foushanji - 2008 to 2012 Front man- Bass guitar/ growl and backing vocal Being one of the founders of district unknown, Qasem is a visual/mixed media artist, who has exhibited and sold his work in Afghanistan. He at the moment is working in a documentary project Kabul at Work. He writes most of the lyrics for the band and the visual concept of District Unknowns up coming EP was conceived by him.

2-Qais Shaghasi 2008 to 2012 Rhythm guitar Having lived his entire life in Afghanistan through various governments, Qais certainly has the real Afghan experience in the band. This is reflected in his quiet nature in public. Yet when he climbs on stage he unleashes his darker side and rips into riffs that bewilder the locals. He has been the most dedicated member of the band and has sacrificed his career and personal life to keep DU alive. 3-Pedram Foushanji 2008 to 2012 Drum and Percussion Being Qasems brother, he listened to almost the same songs that Qasem grew up with. He started playing traditional middle eastern percussion at the age of 7. With no access to music education, he taught himself how to play the drums from copying his favourite metal heroes beats. Clearly the band leader, Pedram now writes the main themes for each new composition and directs the other members in their roles in the musical process. 4-Sasan Fanoon- 2011 to 2012 Lead guitars/backing vocals Born in a musician family, Sasan learned about Eastern and Western classical music at a young age. He went to Afghan National institute of music and graduated in field of guitars. After DU success at the Sound Central festival they went in search of new members and Sasan was at the top of their list. 5-Faez Soltani- 2011 to 2012 Lead vocals/ background keyboards/ Violin/Cello Like Sasan, Faez was too an ANIM student. Graduating in the field of violin, he was very interested in experimental music and particularly in District Unknowns new abstract scores. He has an uncanny talent for adding more to an already established composition and therefore has become a valuable asset to DU.

Formerly:
1-Lemar Saifullah 2008 to 2010 Lead guitars/ clean vocals Lemar grew up in India and Pakistan where listened a lot of eastern classical music. Through friends in Pakistan he was introduced to metal and automatically became obsessed with the eternal search for the perfect

distortion. He dedicated the rest of his spare time to learn the art of shredding. After the Talibans era he returned to his mother country Afghanistan, where he hooked up with his cousin Qais and they went in search of other like minded musicians. Lemar was the face of the band and was known for his antics and challenging political comments on stage. 2-Nasir Ahmad 2010 Keyboards Nasir Ahmad is a jazz/pop keyboard player and vocalist. He formerly was a member of the popular afghan pop band Arian. And he played keyboards with District Unknown for their appearance in Sound Central Festival and all other festival shows.

EP description:
ANATOMY OF A 24-HOUR LIFE TIME District Unknowns 1st EP
Anatomy of a 24-hour life time, will be District Unknowns first EP album to be released. Having experienced everyday life in an atmosphere where each phone call can be a worst tragic news, hearing about peoples death is as normal as hearing the weather forecast, and where all the abnormal are normal and visa-versa, District Unknown tries to reconstruct the very moments of 24 hour life in Kabul, Afghanistan. The EP starts at midnight, a young man is sleeping. Through the first track: Nightmares He asks himself: Is everything I see real or a dream? Is this something I can stop or is it outside of my control? The second track: The day dreams explores everyday life. Our young man is trying to grasp the realities that he does not find satisfactory, but look very normal to the society around him. The song explains the everyday feelings of an Afghan who has been living in his mother country for a considerable amount of time, but still not comfortable within it. The subsequent track, Kill the beast/ Trial for a better reality: The beast is the fear that paralyzes anyone who is caught in such a situation. If killing that fear is the only way he can escape, then he must confront the beast.

But suddenly 2 seconds after the blast [the final track], our young Afghan, while thinking how to kill the beast is actually a victims of an attack. In this most intense moment, he tries to establish whether he is dead or alive. Whether now is reality or just another nightmare, another panic attack at night. This is all very possible to be encountered in a 24 hours in Kabul.

District Unknowns Wish List to make the EP come to life:

GEAR: DU has some gear but needs a lot more to make it possible for the entire band to practice all together. Currently they still need, 1 x electric guitar, 2 x guitar amplifiers, 1 x bass amplifier, 1 x vocal amplifier, 1 x violin/keyboard amplifier, Drum stands, Cymbals, sticks, stings, picks. Estimated total: $5000

PRACTICE ROOM RENT DU needs to rent a space for 8 months [Feb- Sept] to practice and write their new compositions in. $400 P/month. Estimated total: $3200

PRACTICE ROOM CONSTRUCTION No rental in Kabul is ready for musicians to use, therefore a sound proof practice room needs to be constructed by local carpenters with experience in building a sound proof environment. Estimated total: $2000

EP RECORDING STUDIO TIME DU wishes to record a 5 track EP, this translates to 7 days in an Afghan professional studio. Estimated total: $3500

EP MIXING Once DU has recorded the tracks they need to spend another week in the studio mixing the tracks [one on one with the producer] Estimated total: $2800

EP MASTERING Once DU has mixed the tracks they need to send the track to the US and UK to have them mastered. Estimated total: $2000

CD ARTWORK Once DU has the tracks complete they need to employ a graphic artist to create the graphics that will compliment their music. Estimated total: $1000

CD PRESS AND PRINTING Once DU has the artwork complete they need to press and print the CD for distribution. Estimated total: $1000

WEBSITE AND PR Once the CD is ready DU needs to have their site launched that will contain the tracks mentioned above as well as videos, pictures, bios and all other relevant data needed to complete their online presence. Estimated total: $1000

Total Budget: $US 21,500

*The Calendar release for this EP Project will coincide with the release of the feature length documentary being made about DU by Argus / Playworks Productions. Estimated time of release is summer 2012. For more information contact: Manager: argusprods@gmail.com Musician:foushanji.p@gmail.com