Mahal

Hailing from the Upper Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the north of Pakistan, singer and multi-instrumentalist Irfan Ali Taj’s stated mission is to broaden global awareness of his area’s unique language and culture through music.

Singing in his native Khowar language (as well as Urdu and Persian) and playing the rabab, a lute-like musical instrument popular in the region, he combines strains of Pakistani folk with a patchwork of Western musical influences. Although a healthier dose of Chitral folk styles would have been welcome, for the most part it’s a pleasing combination, with Ali Taj’s graceful vocals and stately rabab lines sailing over jazz-tinged electric bass, rock drums and flutes on opener ‘Ta Khayala’. ‘Phik Biko’ adds synth washes and prog rock guitars while blues guitar licks combine beautifully with Ali Taj’s Eastern melodies on ‘Royane’. The winning, New Age-style ‘Passum’, which combines ambient synths with butterfly-like flutes, suggests possible future musical directions.