Pakistan is for the peaceful

"Ustad Saami's mastery of the 13th-century, pre-qawwali, surti vocal tradition is now unique. Recorded at his Karachi home with his sons on harmonium, tamburas and tablas, their trancy, ritual drones inevitably suggest psychedelia. Saami's voice hangs, floats and falls in slurred, alien arcs catching the microtonal notes between western scales ... The small band create dense fugs of sound, the intimacy of Ian Brennan's taping almost overwhelming ... Play loud, and be transported".

"Top of the world" - "This is an incredible performance by Pakistani master vocalist Ustad Saami, one that demands that you listen and re-listen to immerse yourself in the subtleties of line that he manages to create. Since his first recording was released early last year he has become something of a world-music celebrity, famous for his command of microtones ... If you want to imagine what it sounds like, think of a cross between the musical rigour of a deeply serious dhrupad crossed with the devotional conviction of qawwali, but without the flashy fireworks that are usually associated with that genre. This is particularly evident in the opener 'Prayer for a Saint', a weighty piece of musical contemplation. The second track, 'Aman (Peace)', is, as befits its name, a more gentle and soft exploration in which the vocal lines feel weightless as they soar above the accompanying harmonium".

"Three long, meditative ideals of 49-note microtonal singing".