Fanna-Fi-Allah continues to carry on the ancient wisdom of Sufi Qawwali in their music, with new album ‘Muraqaba’, released 19th October via world music specialists Buda Musique. A wisdom that is not only heard, but profoundly felt, Fanna-Fi-Allah embody a universal message of devotion and tolerance that is crucial to our time. As musicians, they hold the flame of traditional Sufi Qawwali music, with the blessings of their teachers; some of the greatest masters of the qawwali form in India and Pakistan. To the uninitiated, Qawwali is a passionate devotional practice in which the fire of divine love (ishq) is ecstatically expressed through the mystical verses of Sufi poets, sung in Urdu, Farsi, Hindi and Punjabi. The origins of qawwali music date back about a thousand years to the first sufi mystics who came to India. Qawwali has evolved into an immense art form spanning over hundreds of years of poets, languages and musical evolutions. The group's founding members based in Canada and the US have spent over 20 years learning this classical art. Sung with a powerful soaring chorus and accompanied by the energetic rhythms of tabla and group clapping, the Beloved is celebrated with ecstatic devotion. During their 17 years of world-wide touring, Fanna-Fi-Allah have offered audiences a unique glimpse into this rich and vibrant culture; playing at many international festivals and concerts in major cities. They have enthralled audiences in the USA, Canada, Pakistan, Europe, Indonesia, India and Egypt with their dynamic skill and passionate musical precision. With ten “unofficial” albums already behind them, ‘Muraqaba’ is their first to be released and distributed in Europe and was produced by super fan Chris Martin of Coldplay in his Malibu studio. “Most of the themes are based on very old poems, which we must infuse with a new energy, with a new vibe. In terms of rhythms, improvisations, even of the poetic parts that are likely to grab a new audience, the challenge is always the same: keep a certain freshness of spirit but do not betray the masters while doing it!”, says bandleader Tahir Hussain Faridi. ‘Muraqaba’ first and foremost carries a message to the world. “Sufism is a universal philosophy, which goes beyond questions of gender, frontiers, nationality. This exploration is an experiment with God and existence, which helps us to bear the world. Our master has always taken care to listen to everyone, to give each person the keys he needs to open up to another world. He truly gave us a new perspective on life on earth, a personal development in a collective movement.” Fanna-Fi-Allah have been blessed to play qawwali in its traditional setting at the honoured tombs of sufi saints in Pakistan and India, where qawwali originates. These include the sacred shrines of: Data Ganj Baksh (Lahore), Baba Ganj-e-Shakar (Pak Pattan), Baba Bulleh Shah (Kasoor), Baba Lasuri Shah (Faislabad) and in India at the tombs of Khwaja Nizzam-Ud-Deen Aulia, Amir Khusrau - considered to be the inventor of tablas and the founding father of Qawwali, Pir Inayat Khan (Delhi), and Khwaja Mueen-Ud-Deen Chishty (Ajmer). “Every festival is a special moment, where you can perfect your art and charm a new audience with your own compositions, your poetry.” Fanna-Fi-Allah also allowed the tablas player Aminah Chishti, disciple of the venerable Ustad Dildar Hussain Khan, to break a taboo: she was the first woman to perform in the tombs of these “divine” mediators and pilgrims. “Traditionally, women are not allowed to play Qawwali in temples. It took us some time to get there, but when we gained the respect of the elders, I asked permission for my wife to join us in the temple. It was a very big deal!” This authorization granted to a percussionist was not without repercussions on all the women of a country now under pressure from fundamentalists. “Even if some temples are the target of attacks, even if singers are assassinated, the faithful continue to come. This culture of tolerance remains present, preserved from the materialist values of the West,” says Tahir Hussain Faridi. Fanna-Fi-Allah recently allowed us an even deeper glimpse into this Sufi world of Pakistan with the documentary film, ‘Music of the Mystics’, the first comprehensive feature film on the qawwali music tradition, narrated by the masters themselves.