The first thing one will notice, when listening to "Pop Arif" is the heavy use of vocals compared to album no.1. For those who know Karuan personally, this will come as no surprise. Karuan had been singing and playing guitar in Indie-bands through out his teenage years and beyond.
The incorporation of vocals opens up a new dimension, making it even harder to describe "Pop Arif" in a couple of words. Bottom line though, is that Karuan is playing in his own league now. We here at Sunshine call it "Unique Urban-oriental Soul". His talent to incorporate the most diverse instruments into his clever and thought out arrangements have been driven to perfection on "Pop Arif". Flutes, guitars and foremost vocals are arranged and fitted into his soulful productions.
The outcome is a timeless album, full of real songs and not just simple tracks.
There´s not a single filler - this makes this album so well rounded. His open minded approach towards other genres, is best manifested with his selection of guest musicians: Classically trained Mara Mastalir, the up&coming L´Enfant Terrible, the leftfield spoken word artist Oddateee, Lai Cheun and Metin Yillmaz Kendal. Take "The Holy Is Under The Light" for example. State of the art uptempo club beats synched with energy driven guitar riffs and his slightly filtered voice make this song a happening. Perfectly suited for commercial radio, iPods, big festivals and small clubs alike, displaying the album´s cross-over potential.