"Sohail Rana, versatile maestro of film and pop composition, and leading force in pioneering the cultural landscape of modern Pakistan. His longplay masterpiece, Khyber Mail is stocked with groovy eastern moods, electric organ, sitar soul and surf guitar." Alan Bishop (Sublime Frequencies / Sun City Girls) As the son of renowned Urdu poet Rana Akbar Abadi, Sohail Rana was born into a respected family in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, 1938. Having achieved academic qualifications in his formative years in Karachi, Rana moved into a career in musical composition following a chance meeting with media mogul and future long-running creative collaborator Waheed Murad that lead to a job composing music for the Lollywood film industry. His early standout compositions for films like Armaan, Jab Say Deikha Hai and Heera Aur Patther marked the beginning of a filmography of 25 movies working in the industry alongside luminaries such as Runa Laila, Noor Jehan, Ahmed Rushtie, Tafo and M.Ashraf while balancing his non-film career as a stand alone popular music composer. Combining his well-studied interests in science, technology, music and English literature, Sohail's early records introduced experimental techniques and electric instruments to his unique blend of Western pop music and traditional folk.