Possessor of one of the greatest voices for several generations Ali Khan, who died in 1997, is probably best known to most people for his work with Massive Attack on their remix of 'Mustt Mustt' and Peter Gabriel (soundtrack to Last Temptation of Christ). His work featured on other notable films, Oliver Stone's 'Natural Born Killers' and Tim Robbins' 'Dead Man Walking'. He was also an inspiration to acts like the Asian Dub Foundation and Talvin Singh.
Born in Lyllpur, Pakistan, in 1948 Nusrat was trained in the tradition of qawwali by his father. On his father's death, in 1964, his uncles took over his training and in 1971 he emerged as a master in his own right.
This new album is essentially a spiritual one and features four qawwalis, one in Rajasthani Hindi and three in Urdu that were discovered in archives in his hometown of Lahore. 'Khawaja Tum Hi' and 'Data Teira Durbar' are in praise of two different Sufi saints and 'Koi Hai Na Ho Ga' and 'Noor-e-Khuda' are in praise of the prophet Muhammad. This aspect should not deter the secular listener, as the music is compelling.
Accompanied by an eight man chorus, a tabla player and a two-hand pumped harmonia Khan's voice weaves through the musical textures like a thread of gold. At times the music is hypnotic as the repetitive tabla rhythms underlay the soaring vocal patterns and a constant musical drone splashes colour behind the effect.
This album is both accessible and joyous and should be an influence on any new producers of dance music seeking new avenues of expression. Taken in conjunction with his previous albums on Real World and the work he did in film a picture is built of a man prepared to push musical boundaries with his musical open-mindedness.
