Chain of Light is a studio album by Pakistani qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, published posthumously on 20 September 2024. The album features four traditional qawwali compositions recorded in 1990. It remained unreleased until rediscovered in 2021, after being lost for 27 years.[1][2] Produced by Michael Brook under the label Real World Records, the album is a part of Khan's collaborations, which began after his appearance at the WOMAD festival.[3]
| Chain of Light | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 September 2024 | |||
| Recorded | April 1990 | |||
| Studio | Real World, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:00 | |||
| Label | Real World | |||
| Producer | Michael Brook | |||
| Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan chronology | ||||
| ||||
The title Chain of Light, is taken from a phrase within one of the Sufi devotional poems featured on the record. However, the context and its authorship remains uncertain. The tracks on Chain of Light remained unreleased and were lost for several years before being rediscovered during an archival reorganization.[4]
Rediscovery
editIn 2021, the tapes for Chain of Light were rediscovered by one of the employees of the Real World Records Odhrán Mullan while cataloguing items in the archives of Real World Records after the company moved to a new location.[5] The tapes were stored at Real World Records' archive, which included World War II-era Nissen huts.[6] Mullan had previously been told that Khan was one of the greatest singers, but he did not appreciate it until listening to the tapes himself. Before being digitized, the tapes had to be carefully treated. Due to their age, they were slightly heated to remove moisture, as playing them directly would have caused damage.[5]
These recordings were remastered with the possibilities for a representation of his musical style during the period of his career.[6]
Background
editKhan's association with Real World Records began following his performance at the 1985 WOMAD festival, where his qawwali style gained the attention of Peter Gabriel. This led to a collaboration between the two, with Khan contributing to Gabriel's 1989 album Passion, which was the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). This partnership helped elevate Khan's profile outside Pakistan. This collaboration played a central role in working on Chain of Light album.[2]
The album was recorded in April 1990 at Real World Studios in Box, a village in the Cotswolds, UK. This was during the same period that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was collaborating with Canadian producer Michael Brook on Mustt Mustt.[7] The recordings took place following Khan's collaboration with Peter Gabriel.[3]
While some of the material from this session was released on albums such as Mustt Mustt (1990) and Night Song (1996), the tracks that make up Chain of Light remained unreleased at the time.[6]
Composition
editThe album features Khan on vocals and harmonium, with his musical group Nusrat Khan Fateh Ali & Party, comprised eight members, including brother Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, tabla virtuoso Dildar Hussain, and chorus team including Mujahid Ali, Rehmat Ali, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (nephew), Asad Ali, Khalid Mahmood, Ghulam Farid Sabri.[7]
It features traditional qawwali compositions, with Khan's team providing backing vocals. The ten minutes-long opening track, "Ya Allah Ya Rehman", follows the familiar structure of traditional qawwali, with Khan's vocals leading a rhythmic tabla groove and a harmonium.[3] The track features Urdu language which is originally sung by Khan himself.[8]
The second track, "Aaj Sik Mitran Di", begins with a slow tempo, before making way into fast-paced vocal improvisations in sargam (syllabic vocalization). The third track, "Ya Gaus Ya Meeran", is a nine-minute composition noted for its vocal complexity and devotional poetry of Sufism. It features tempos and rhythmic patterns throughout, featuring Khan's ability to intricate counterpoint and harmony.[3] Khan utilized varied musical interpretation through the track.
The fourth and the last track titled "Khabram Raseed Imshab" features Khan's different vocal range, traits for which he was known.[9] Its lyrics are derived from a Persian poem also titled Khabram Raseed Imshab by Amir Khusrau, a 13th century Indian Persian-language poet.[4] It is originally sung by Khan's father Fateh Ali Khan and his uncle[8] whose name is not known.
Launch
editThe launch of Chain of Light, described as a "lost album" by Variety,[1] Rolling Stone,[10] and The Telegraph,[11] among others, was hosted in Pakistan. The project was a collaboration between Pakistan-based Saiyna Bashir Studios and Peter Gabriel's Real World Records.
Supported by the British Council, a series of launch events were organized in various cities, including Islamabad, Pakistan.[12] It was released in Manchester on 10 September 2024, and Birmingham on 11 September. The album launch event was later organized in Paris on 13 September. The final pre-release took place in London, UK on 19 September 2034. It was officially dropped on 20 September 2024.[13]
Reception
editMusic critic Suanshu Khurana from The Indian Express described the album as "a gift to the world" with 4/5 rating.[6]
Writing for The Guardian in 2024, reviewer Ammar Kalia described Chain of Light as "...provides an extraordinary example of Khan's voice" with 5/5 rating.[3]
While referring to the album release, Pakistani daily newspaper The Express Tribune described it as "a treasure trove of unreleased recordings".[14]
Track listing
editAll tracks are composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Khan features in the lead vocals, while Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party members perform vocals in the background. Tracks are produced by Michael Brook[7][15][16] and recorded by David Bottrill.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ya Allah Ya Rehman" | Ahmed Raza Qadri | 10:47 |
| 2. | "Aaj Sik Mitran Di" | Pir Meher Ali Shah | 9:58 |
| 3. | "Ya Gaus Ya Meeran" | Naseeruddin Naseer Gilani | 9:32 |
| 4. | "Khabram Raseed Imshab" | Amir Khusrau | 11:28 |
| Total length: | 41:00[7] | ||
Personnel
edit- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – lead vocals, harmonium and lead tabla
- Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan – tabla
- Dildar Hussain – tabla
- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – background vocals
- Nusrat Khan Fateh Ali & Party – background vocals
References
edit- ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (21 June 2024). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Lost Album 'Chain of Light' to Be Released by Peter Gabriel's Real World Records". Variety. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Singh, Kanwal (25 June 2024). "Unveiling a Hidden Gem: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Lost Album 'Chain of Light' Emerges from the Shadows". The Wire. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Kalia, Ammar (6 September 2024). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Party: Chain of Light review". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Sheikh, Babar (29 September 2024). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is Dead—Long Live Nusrat!". The News International. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Holmes, Manny Masih & Jonathan (27 September 2024). "Unheard tapes by singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan found in Wiltshire". BBC Home. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d Khurana, Suanshu (4 October 2024). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Chain of Light: The King is Back". The Indian Express. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d "NFAK's 'Chain of Light' is finally here". The Express Tribune. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b "'Lost album' by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to be released on Sep 20". Images. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Lost Album 'Chain of Light' Released". Daily The Azb. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Millman, Ethan (19 June 2024). "A Long-Lost Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Album Will Release This Fall". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Niyogi, Agnivo (22 June 2024). "Chain of Light: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's long-lost album to be released by Peter Gabriel after three decades". Telegraph India. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Salamat, Sajid (29 August 2024). "Islamabad audience gets first earful of lost album by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan". Daily Times. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Mahmood, Rafay (2 September 2024). "A sneak peek into Nusrat's lost album 'Chain of Light'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ "'Chain of Light' to resurrect Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's magic as lost album eyes release". The Express Tribune. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Khurana, Suanshu (4 October 2024). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Chain of Light: The King is Back". The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Patil, Adwait (17 September 2024). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Voice Stunned the World (and Will Again)". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2024.