In 1997, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan passed away of sudden cardiac arrest. On September 20, a lost album titled Chain Of Light by the Pakistan musical icon will be released after it was discovered in the tape archives of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records.
Gabriel signed Khan in 1989. “I’ve had the privilege to work with a tonne of different musicians from all over the world in my time, but perhaps the greatest singer of them all was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,” Gabriel says. “What he could do and make you feel with his voice was quite extraordinary and we were very proud to have played a role in getting him to a much wider global audience. It was a real delight when we found out this tape had been in our library. This album really shows him at his peak. It’s a wonderful record.”
Chain Of Light comprises four traditional qawwals (Sufi Islamic devotional songs), one of which has never been heard before. It was recorded with his eight-strong party of singers and musicians at Real World Studios in April 1990 while he was working on Mustt Mustt.
Producer Michael Brook added, “It touches you, it is a once in a lifetime experience. Like the immanent light of the record’s title, these songs are transformative and transcendent in a way that crosses languages and cultures. It draws the listener in, no matter their expectations. Thank God, or whatever you believe in: the voice has returned.”
Below, watch the album teaser and see the tracklist.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Ya Allah Ya Rehman”
02 “Aaj Sik Mitran Di”
03 “Ya Gaus Ya Meeran”
04 “Khabram Raseed Imshab”
Chain Of Light is out 9/20 on Real World.