Arafat Kazi’s journey into music began with childhood dreams and a sense of humor. “My childhood friends and I always wanted to form a band,” he recalls. “In Class 7, we started Success 7—Imran was on keyboards, Daniel on guitars, and I was on drums because I was fat. We weren’t great, so we thought it would be funny to call ourselves The Attempted Band.”
Though humor marked his early musical endeavors, Kazi’s love for drumming ran deep. His father gifted him a pair of drumsticks for his Class 5 birthday, marking a pivotal moment. “That was a big birthday for me—Daniel gave me my first heavy metal cassette, my cchoto mami gave me a compilation album, and my father gave me drumsticks. By the time I sat on a drum kit, I had some alacrity with my hands.”
Kazi’s drumming journey was influenced by legends. He learned from Sheikh Rezwan, the drummer behind Ark’s Taj Mahal, and had mentorship from two of the greatest teachers—Farshed Mahmud and Daiyan Mir. Kazi’s admiration for Mir is palpable: “He gave me his gear years later, and I still play one of his pieces in every setup.”
For Kazi, music isn’t just a passion; it’s a lifelong rhythm. Even outside drumming, he finds a cadence in his writing career. “In earlier centuries, poetry was called ‘numbers’ because it’s all about finding the beat, the cadence of language. Drumming is kind of like that—it’s like a conversation, much like music itself.”
Kazi’s musical explorations have spanned numerous projects and bands, each unique in its approach. One of his current projects, Hothat, is a particularly meaningful creation. “Hothat is a film, a band, an album—it’s a miracle we stumbled into,” Kazi shares. During the quiet of the pandemic, the band rented a mansion and created a whole album in five days. “It feels like a dream,” he reflects. “We’re still talking to sponsors, trying to find the right way to release it.”
His band The Attempted Band, despite its self-deprecating name, holds a special place in his heart. “It’s the love of my life,” he says. “We’re spread out across the world, but we make meaningful music. People often aim to play something derivative and get praised for it—we want to be original or great. When we make music, we want to say, ‘We did our best!’”
Kazi’s improvisational blues trio Ghee showcases his love for creative freedom. “We’re nominally a blues and jazz band, but the best way to describe it is ‘insanity,’” he laughs. The trio, formed with Rushlan Shabib Murshed on guitars and Jason Cammarata on bass, operates without limits, producing music that’s “as wild as it gets.”
His collaborations extend further into the experimental, working with Bill Burley, a musician existing in “the liminal space between music and sound.” Together, they’ve crafted challenging, monumental works, including a concept album based on Paradise Lost. Kazi’s diverse musical ventures also include playing in folk/soul/blues bands, recording albums with various groups, and even contributing to the pioneering music database for Radio Foorti, Bangladesh’s first FM radio station.
The genesis of Hothat was born out of a desire to create something different and wild. Initially, Kazi envisioned an 8-hour improvised instrumental piece with five drummers, inspired by the krautrock band Can’s Tago Mago. However, when he reunited with Zakir from Conclusion, their shared frustrations, hopes, and dreams gave rise to Hothat. “Friendship is music,” Kazi says, summing up the ethos of the band.
The journey wasn’t easy, but it was magical. “We slowly built up a core group of musicians, rehearsing six days a week. By the end, we had this beautiful, ambitious film and album.” The group now awaits the right opportunity to release it, with sponsors and platforms in talks.
One of Kazi’s proudest moments in the project was securing the legendary Ilajar Islam as the director. “He’s a genius,” Kazi says. “The story he told, nobody else could have shown it the way he did.”
Reflecting on Bangladesh’s current music scene, Kazi is overwhelmingly positive. “IT’S AMAZING,” he exclaims. From the early days of playing shows for 12 people to now seeing the rise of bands like Conclusion, EIDA, and Karnival, Kazi is blown away by the talent of the younger generation. “The imagination, skill, and thoughtfulness of these kids are incredible.”
He’s equally impressed by the diversity in genres, from death metal to hip-hop, citing artists like Drrt Gang, Pieket, and the women-led bands such as Tashfee and Xefer. He acknowledges that while mainstream bands haven’t necessarily evolved from their 2005 sound, bands like Cryptic Fate have remained a constant source of excitement.
Looking ahead, Kazi hopes more bands focus on creating a body of work, rather than single songs. “Working on long-form art like an album makes you think about your craft,” he advises. His personal goal remains simple: “I’ve gone through periods of fame and obscurity, success and failure, and all I want to do is get better at my instrument and make original music with my friends.”
For Arafat Kazi, music is more than a career; it’s the language of friendship and a creative exploration that knows no bounds. From childhood dreams of forming a band to playing with legends, Kazi has lived a life rich with music, collaboration, and the pursuit of originality. As he moves forward with Hothat and other projects, one thing is clear—his love for music remains as strong as ever. “Music is the language of friendship,” he says, and for Kazi, it’s a conversation he’s been honored to be part of for decades.
