Jaubi - Nafs at Peace (May 28, 2021 Astigmatic Records)

JAUBI - Nafs AT PEACE

Spiritual Journey from Pakistan

JAUBI continues the Nafs journey, which commenced with the well received single “Satanic

Nafs” (featuring the remix by legendary LA producers The Gaslamp Killer & Mophono) released

in March 2021. Now JAUBI draws on the elements of North Indian classical music, Hip-Hop and

modal/spiritual jazz in their debut LP entitled “Nafs At Peace”.

Nafs ( نَفْس ) is an Arabic word meaning “self”/“soul”. There are three levels of Nafs described in the Qur’an; (I) the soul inclined to evil, (II) the self-reproaching soul and (III) the tranquil soul.

This journey officially began back in April 2019 when London’s multi- instrumentalist and 22a Record label boss Ed “Tenderlonious” Cawthorne and Polish pianist/composer Marek “Latarnik” Pędziwiatr of EABS/Błoto, visited the group to record in Lahore, Pakistan.

Together they channelled their personal struggles at that time into the two recording sessions allowing the musicians to find a spiritual path to transcendence through this musical purge. The Vox Humana Oslo chamber choir provides beautiful choral harmony on the opening track.

Nothing whatsoever was written down during the recording sessions - no sheet music and no song titles, which allowed the six musicians to forget about their worldly issues. In many ways, the journey represents an expression of gratitude and an acknowledgement that the musician's inspiration comes from a higher power.

The album cover portrays the mother of JAUBI’s bandleader, tearfully praying to God to get her son through that dark period of his life. The album title ‘Nafs At Peace’ refers to the last purification step the self has been through. At this level, the Self no longer struggles because one has complete love of God, by becoming at peace and tranquil with God’s will. We hope all can achieve the stage of “Nafs At Peace” … Inshallah.

JAUBI’s album ‘Nafs at Peace’ is due to be released by Astigmatic Records on 28th of May, 2021. The album will be available on vinyl, CD and all streaming platforms.

1. Seek Refuge 02:18

2. Insia 05:15

3. Raga Gurji Todi 06:13

4. Straight Path 07:27

5. Mosty 07:40

6. Zari 05:51

7. Nafs at Peace 07:54

All songs composed by Ali Riaz Baqar except for 'Mosty' composed by Marek Pędziwiatr

Ali Riaz Baqar - Guitar

Zohaib Hassan Khan - Sarangi

Qammar 'Vicky' Abbas - Drums

Kashif Ali Dhani - Tabla, Vocals

Tenderlonious - Flute, Soprano Saxophone

Latarnik - Fender Rhodes Mark II, Grand Piano, Yamaha PSR-550,

Korg MS-20, Moog Voyager, Hohner Clavinet Pianet Duo

The Vox Humana Chamber Choir - Vocals on 'Seek Refuge'

Recorded at Riot Studios in Lahore, Pakistan in April 2019 (A2, A3, A4, B1, B2) and Newtone Studios in Oslo, Norway in August 2019 (A1, B3)

Session Engineers: André Viervoll (Newtone Studios) annd Farhad Humayun (Riot Studios)

Mix: Rhys Downing

Mastering: Paweł Bartnik

Executive Producer: Łukasz Wojciechowski

A&R: Łukasz Wojciechowski, Sebastian Jóźwiak & Oliver Reeves

Photography: Ali Riaz Baqar, Uzma Rao, Sebastian Jóźwiak

Graphic design: Animisiewasz

Calligraphy: İlkay Kanar

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Jaubi - Satanic Nafs (with The Gaslamp Killer & Mophono REMIX) / March 26, 2021 Astigmatic Records

Eastern mysticism re-imagined

by Jaubi & The Gaslamp Killer collab

In Islamic philosophy, each person has an aspect of the Self called the “Nafs” which is divided into multiple layers. Every day, a person enters into a spiritual battlefield with their dark side, their lowly desires, and Satan. Satanic Nafs is thus the lowest level of the self, due the love of oneself and evil desires. Achieving spiritual transformation involves a constant struggle against the lower nature of the self (Satanic Nafs). This struggle led JAUBI to discover the complex Qur’anic and philosophical concept of “Nafs”, which became the major conceptual driving force behind the all-new and original music.

The spiritual journey began when London flautist/saxophonist Tenderlonious and Polish Pianist Marek Latarnik Pędziwiatr (EABS/Błoto), both amongst the torchbearers of the new European Jazz scene, visited JAUBI in Lahore, Pakistan during April 2019. The six musicians collectively poured their personal turmoil of experiencing death, divorce, unemployment, drug addiction and religious disaffiliation into the recording sessions that served as a spiritual path to transcendence and artistic purity.

‘Satanic Nafs’ serves as a teaser for Jaubi’s debut album entitled ‘Nafs At Peace’ which itself is a musical exploration of Qur’anic verses and Islamic philosophies through a prism of Spiritual/Modal Jazz, North Indian Classical Music and Hip-Hop. The Nafs journey is strengthened with remix on B side done by Los Angeles legends The Gaslamp Killer and Mophono. Single artwork was designed by Australian artist A.Kid, also known for his work with Brownswood Recordings.

7 inch single “Satanic Nafs” will be released on 26th of March 2021 by Astigmatic Records. The pre-order starts from 5th of March on Jaubi’s Bandcamp page.

1. Satanic Nafs

2. Satanic Nafs (The Gaslamp Killer & Mophono Remix)

A Side

Written by Ali Riaz Baqar (A.Baqar)

Zohaib Hassan Khan - Sarangi

Kashif Ali Dhani - Tabla, Vocals

Tenderlonious - Flute

Latarnik - Moog Voyager

Recorded by André Viervoll at Newtone Studios

Mix: Rhys Downing

B Side

Written by Ali Riaz Baqar, The Gaslamp Killer & Mophono (A.Baqar, W. Bensussen, B. Illgen)

Drums: Gene Coy

Recorded by Mario Caldato Jr. at MCJ Studio

Mix: Mophono

Both tracks mastered by Paweł Bartnik - Heavyweight.pro

Executive Producer: Łukasz Wojciechowski

A&R: Łukasz Wojciechowski, Sebastian Jóźwiak & Oliver Reeves

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