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.
Album of the Week // 7-11 June
JAUBI - Nafs At Peace [Astigmatic Records]
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 'Latarni' 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 was released by Astigmatic Records on 28th May 2021 and is available on vinyl, CD and all streaming platforms.