Sohrab Fakir et al., [World Network Vol. 48: Pakistan/Sindh]

What is on offer here is the authentic article, the Qawwali, performed by the Sufis of Sindh. Sindh is the second largest province in Pakistan and comprises the lower half of the Indus Valley from Bhakkar down to the Arabian Sea and from the Kirthar in the west to the Thar Desert in the east. It covers 1,40,915 square kms and is about as large as England. Its ethnic groups range from the descendants of the ancient Aryans, the Secthians, the Arabs, the Turks, the Persians, the Rajputs and the Baluchis.

The performers here are not as famous as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, but the authenticity of the performances benefits. Captured during a drought in 1998, virtuosi on their original and ancient instruments accompany the ecstatic singing from gentle alap to the frenzied choral chants of the howling dervish. Call and response patterns drive the collective to it's climax, with the clatter of dholak percussion and haughty tones of surando. Whether you're looking to the heavens, or your feet are firmly on the ground, this is a powerful and intoxicating music. Full of heart, and good for the soul.