Peter Gabriel's Real World Records will release a new album of unheard recordings by legendary qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on September 20, over 27 years after his death.
Discovered in the label's tape archives, the 'lost' album, Chain of Light, features four traditional qawwali tracks and captures Nusrat at the height of his vocal prowess.
Recorded at Real World Studios in April 1990 with his eight-member party of singers and musicians, it includes one previously unheard track. This session took place during the same period he worked on Mustt Mustt, his seminal crossover album with Canadian producer Michael Brook.
The Legacy of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Over the course of his musical career, NFAK became a cultural icon whose list of esteemed fans extended well into the realm of western rock and pop.
The late Jeff Buckley famously said of the singer “He’s my Elvis”. Nusrat also counted amongst his fans The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder. Having a six-octave vocal range, his voice also appeared on the soundtrack of movies by Hollywood directors Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and Tim Robbins.
Nusrat’s relationship with Peter Gabriel and Real World Records began after his watershed performance at the 1985 WOMAD festival, which was the first time he performed to a predominantly western audience.
Shortly after that, he was signed to the label and his international profile rose through a collaboration on Gabriel’s 1989 album Passion, music from which featured in the film adaptation of The Last Temptation of Christ.
“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,” said Gabriel.
“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.”
