In 1997, Real World commissioned the leading lights of the UK's so-called Asian Underground movement to remix and reshape the back catalogue of the great Pakistani qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Asian Dub Foundation, Nitin Sawhney, State Of Bengal, The Dhol Foundation and Fun^Da^Mental took their pick of Nusrat's classic album Mustt Mustt, while Talvin Singh, Joi, Aki Nawaz and Earthtribe reconstructed cuts from Night Song, the record made by Nusrat and his Canadian collaborator Michael Brook. When the project was nearing completion, tragedy struck: Nusrat died suddenly, leaving Star Rise as a memorial to this unique artistic visionary. A decade and a half later, it remains a strikingly modern tribute, from State Of Bengal's beautifully unhurried reimagining of Shadow right through to the fidgety, floor-quaking dub of ADF's remix of Taa Deem. Still sounds as fresh as the day it was put together... by a collection of DJs from an altogether younger generation. In fact the idea of mixing dance-floor beats with the sacred sound of qawwali might at the time have seemed anathema, but actually turned a whole new generation on to the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and consequently he was fêted by that younger generation in a way that would never have happened if that same age group had been exposed to the untouched rootsier sounds alone. 4/5 UKVibe - Jazz Culture Online (UK) A general seamlessness throughout is a tribute both to Khan's timeless vocal prowess and to the skills and taste of all concerned. Q Magazine (1997) (UK)
