Jaubi Vinyl, CD & Tape 2 Items

In Pakistan the interest in local traditional music is slowly dying. As western music and sounds are increasingly favoured, fewer musicians reach for traditional Hindi instruments, like the Sarangi, Cajon or Tabla. It’s a reflection of modern times, and the need for instant interaction and fast data exchange. Learning and mastering traditional Indian music is incredibly difficult and requires a lifetime of dedication. Fortunately, the quartet Jaubi appears to be preserving these ancestral musical roots, whilst boldly taking influence from modern sounds/artists, an example of this is their reconstruction of J Dilla’s beats. Jaubi (pronounced jaw-be) is an experimental ensemble based in Lahore, Pakistan. The band was founded in 2013 by Zohaib Hassan Khan (Sarangi), Kashif Ali Dhani (Tabla), Qamar Abbas (Cajon) and Ali Riaz Baqar (guitar). Jaubi is an Urdu word, roughly translating to ‘whatever’, which is their music philosophy, creating whatever sounds good and whatever feels good, as a goal. The musicians put a strong emphasis on incorporating the complex elements of Hindustani classical music and compose everything by ear. Nothing is ever written down, which follows the aural tradition of this type of classical music. Zohaib is an 8 th generation Sarangi player, hailing from Amristar Gharana ancestry. Kashif and Qamar also belong to musical families, whilst Ali is a self-taught guitarist and hip hop enthusiast. The diverse backgrounds of the members allow for an interesting amalgamation of musical ideas, creating a sound that is unique on a global scale. Jaubi’s musical philosophy suggests a relaxed approach though the band wants to follow their masters like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia or Ustan Zakir Hussain, who promoted the fusion of Indian music around the world.

JAUBI continue the Nafs journey, which commenced with the single “Satanic Nafs” (featuring the remix by legendary LA producers The Gaslamp Killer & Mophono) released in March 2021. Now JAUBI draw on the elements of North Indian classical music, Hip-Hop and modal/spiritual jazz in their debut LP entitled “Nafs At Peace”.

The 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.

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.

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 a struggle for purity, 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, which is what the mothers of the other musicians also did for their children.
The first step of the journey can be heard on “Satanic Nafs” which refers to the lowest level of the Self which was released 26th March 2021 through Astigmatic Records.

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.