LONDON (The Thursday Times) — In 1990, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the legendary Pakistani qawwali singer, was at a crucial juncture in his career. Having already garnered international attention for his powerful voice and rapid-fire vocal improvisations, Khan was on the verge of redefining his musical style. That year, he would release Mustt Mustt, an iconic fusion record that combined traditional Sufi poetry with modern Western sounds under the guidance of producer Michael Brook. This album, blending slap bass, reverb-heavy percussion, and electric guitar, marked a departure from Khan’s usual repertoire, propelling him further into Western consciousness.
But just months before Mustt Mustt was released, Khan recorded four traditional qawwali compositions with Brook. These tracks, however, never saw the light of day – until now. Chain of Light, a long-lost album recently rediscovered and remastered, has been released 27 years after Khan’s untimely death at the age of 48 in 1997. This album offers an extraordinary glimpse into Khan’s vocal mastery at the peak of his powers, celebrating his unparalleled contribution to the Sufi music tradition.
The album opens with Ya Allah Ya Rehman, a well-known piece from Khan’s qawwali repertoire. A lively tabla groove and harmonium melody provide the foundation for Khan’s voice, which effortlessly soars with emotional depth. As the composition progresses, his vocal group – known as “the Party” – adds layers of harmony, while the undulating rhythm maintains a steady momentum. The second track, Aaj Sik Mitran Di, explores slower tempos, allowing Khan’s voice to weave through a more languid harmonium before the pace quickens, culminating in a breathtaking display of rapid sargam vocalizations.
However, it is on Ya Gaus Ya Meeran that Khan truly ascends to new heights. This nine-minute qawwali, a composition the Party had never recorded before, constantly subverts expectations by shifting tempos and rhythms, leaving Khan’s voice as the only constant. At its climax, Khan delivers the soaring refrain: “Every breath of mine is related to his chain of light,” a moment so powerful it lends the album its name.
This is no posthumous attempt to cash in on forgotten recordings. Chain of Light is a cohesive body of work that showcases Khan’s unmatched command of traditional Sufi qawwali before he transformed it with Western influences. The album serves as a reminder of the singer’s incredible talent, drawing listeners into his spiritual journey with every note.
Rediscovering and releasing the album
The story of how Chain of Light resurfaced begins in October 2022, when photojournalist Saiyna Bashir interviewed Michael Brook in his Los Angeles studio. During their conversation, Brook revealed the existence of unreleased tracks he had recorded with Khan in 1990 at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in England. Bashir quickly informed Zakir Thaver, her filmmaker colleague in Pakistan, about the discovery, and the process of reviving the lost album began.
The recordings had sat in Real World’s archives for more than 30 years, until they were unearthed in June 2021 by Oran Mullan, the label’s project manager. During a routine search of warehouse shelves, Mullan stumbled upon the 24-track, two-inch magnetic tapes labeled “Trad Album” by “Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.” Initially believing the recordings to be a previously released qawwali album, Mullan soon realized their significance. He and Amanda Jones, the label’s manager, fast-tracked the digitization of the recordings and sent them to Brook for further review.
Brook, who had collaborated with Khan on the albums Mustt Mustt (1990) and Night Song (1996), was unsure of what to expect from the rediscovered recordings. But as he listened to Ya Gaus Ya Meeran, Brook was struck by the harmonic depth and originality of Khan’s performance. The track, based on the poetry of Sufi mystic Abdul Qadir Gilani, carries a spiritual weight that Khan delivers with both precision and passion.
The rediscovery of Chain of Light adds another layer to Khan’s legacy. It offers a rare glimpse into his traditional roots, at a time when he was beginning to experiment with new musical landscapes. The album is being released by Real World Records, with the involvement of Khan’s daughter Nida and Usha Rajan, a family friend and custodian of his estate.
A musical journey across continents
Khan’s relationship with Michael Brook and Peter Gabriel’s Real World label marked a pivotal moment in his career. Having risen to fame in Pakistan during the 1980s, Khan’s international breakthrough came when Gabriel invited him to collaborate on the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988. The fusion of Khan’s qawwali vocals with Gabriel’s ambient soundscapes created a unique spiritual atmosphere that resonated with global audiences.
Reflecting on his first encounter with Khan at the 1985 WOMAD festival, Gabriel described the experience as “extraordinary.” Watching Khan perform at dusk, Gabriel felt the entire arena become “charged with the qawwali and that extraordinary, spellbinding voice.” Working with Khan in the studio later on, Gabriel was in awe of his ability to create emotionally powerful melodies on the fly, improvising entire compositions as if they emerged from the ether.
Brook echoed Gabriel’s sentiments, recalling how Khan would instruct the engineers to “wave in the window when you want us to stop,” as he and his ensemble could go on for hours. Despite the spontaneous nature of their sessions, Khan’s performances were always infused with “magic,” as Brook noted when listening to the newly rediscovered tracks.
A lasting legacy
Despite Khan’s collaborations with Western artists like Eddie Vedder and Trent Reznor, as well as his contributions to the soundtracks of Dead Man Walking and Natural Born Killers, his fame did not translate into financial success. According to the filmmakers behind the upcoming documentary Ustad, Khan’s lack of proper representation meant that he missed out on lucrative deals that could have secured his financial future.
Nevertheless, Khan’s music continues to resonate with audiences around the world. His collaborations with Western artists helped introduce qawwali music to new generations, while his traditional performances remain deeply cherished by fans of Sufi devotional music.
With the release of Chain of Light, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice once again bridges the gap between East and West, offering listeners a chance to experience the spiritual ecstasy of his qawwali compositions in their purest form. Three decades later, his music still shines with the brilliance of a true maestro, connected to the “chain of light” that transcends time and space.
