Pakistan-rooted music and arts platform Humnava is continuing to position itself as a cross-cultural collaboration initiative, bringing together artists, producers and instrumentalists from multiple regions through residency-style music creation and long-form collaborative projects.
Co-founded by producer and creative director Xulfi alongside Muhammad Ibrahim, the platform’s first season was developed through an immersive camp in Hunza that brought together more than 30 musicians and creatives from Pakistan, Germany, France, Algeria and Zambia. Rather than functioning as a conventional release-led music property, Humnava has been structured around cultural exchange, collaborative songwriting and regionally rooted storytelling.
Its latest rollout, Qataghani, reflects that wider approach, featuring contributions from Algerian singer-songwriter Bakrin Timflati, German producer-musician Dorian Jonas Goetsh, French violinist Blaise Merlin and several Pakistani instrumentalists and performers. The project combines regional instrumentation including Hunzai rubabs with electronic production, percussion, chants and string arrangements influenced by musical traditions across Central and South Asia.
Curated by Xulfi and Sherry Khattak, Humnava Season 1 has focused on creating collaborations that connect local folk traditions and indigenous instruments with contemporary global production approaches. The project has also placed significant emphasis on location-based recording and visual storytelling, with its content filmed and recorded across Hunza’s mountainous landscape.
Speaking about the larger vision behind the platform, Xulfi said Humnava aims to create “space for traditions, regions and artists to meet honestly and create something new without losing where they come from.”
