Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Lost Album ‘Chain of Light’ is Here
The legendary singer evokes a distinctive, powerful sound across four tracks
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Photo: Guido Harari/Loren Haynes/Real World Records
More than three decades after it was recorded, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s mesmerizing vocal prowess returns to the front with his posthumous album Chain of Light, released today, Sept. 20, 2024, via Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records.
Across four tracks and 41 minutes, the legendary qawwali voice – who died in 1997 at the age of 48 – lives yet again. Songs like “Ya Allah Ya Rehman” and “Aaj Sik Mitran Di” immediately take us to straight to one of the Pakistani artist’s legendary concerts in terms of energy and atmosphere. “Ya Gaus Ya Meeran” ups the intensity, while “Khabram Raseed Imshab” settles into a more jovial cadence.
According to the label, recordings of tracks from Chain of Light was made at Real World Studios in April 1990, during the same time he worked on Mustt Mustt with Canadian producer Michael Brook.
Along with Khan on harmonium and vocals, Chain of Light also includes Nusrat’s brother Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, tabla artist Dildar Hussain, chorus members Mujahid Ali, Rehmat Ali, Rahat Ali, Asad Ali, Ghulam Farid and Khalid Mahmood.
At the time of announcing the album in June, Real World Records’ Peter Gabriel – also the singer-songwriter in seminal prog band Genesis – said in a statement, “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.” He added, “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.”
According to the label, the album was forgotten in warehouse storage and was rediscovered when the label was relocating its archive in 2021.
In the decades since his death, the qawwali artform continued to get global recognition, with Nusrat’s family members like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan also rising to stardom using the format. From heavy metal to fusion to film music, Nusrat’s imprint on the music world remains seminal and Chain of Light might just introduce a new generation to his artistry, in addition to giving longtime fans a cause for celebration and nostalgia.
Hear ‘Chain of Light’ below. Buy/download the album here.
