Presenting a beautiful blend of traditional mystical music from the Sufi Tradition. Devotional and folk based music celebrating a tradition that stretches back a thousand years.

Sufi Soul performs Australian global fusion sounds from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Eurasia, blending timeless and hypnotic Qawalli chants, Ghazal poetry songs and folk song from the Sufi heartland..

Farhan Shah & Sufi Soul present a unique Australian world music take on the timeless music from the Northern subcontinent linking North Indian Hindustani music with that of Pakistan, Afghanistan, The Middle East and into Eurasia. The focus is especially on the hypnotic and mystical music derived from Sufi poetry  presented through  qawall style songs with their  strong beats and repetitive vocals as well as the Ghazals which are more melodic and poetry inspired.

The group features amazing soaring vocals, earthy rhythms, complimenting strings and drones and a passion for this ancient and timeless music, presented with energy and an Australian sensibility. The music is driven by tablas and percussion, smoothed with drones from the harmonium and tampura and embellished with  sweet strings from bouzouki and santoor.

Performers:

Farhan Shah is an Australian/ Pakistani composer, singer, lyricist and music producer.  He is the composer vocalist of his Pakistani band UDAN KHATOLA and runs music production studios in Karachi as UDAN KHATOLA STUDIOS.  He has composed and sung music for drama’s documentaries, videos and commercials as well as penning a song for the Pakistan national Jubilee Games team. Farhan is a collaborator on many projects and a singer with internationally touring  Sufi Qawalli ensemble Tahir Qawal. He is part of the AussieDes project and has worked as a singer with the acclaimed Rumi In Our Own Voice production in Adelaide. He has performed throughout Pakistan, Dubai, Australia and New Zealand.

Farid Drokhshan is Adelaide’s best known Afghan singer. Derived from Kabul where he worked in media and music, Farid has performed his blend of Afghan and North Indian influenced songs in Holland and Afghanistan and at many festivals and concerts in South Australia. Key events have included performances at the Adelaide Festival Centre and Adelaide Fringe Festivals and many key community events as well as several regional tours as guest artist. His powerful and emotive vocals are supported by fine playing of the harmonium.

Mahboobeh Abbaspoor is a celebrated Persian dancer who learnt the Sufi interpretation of Rumi poetry through dance in Iran. This dance tradition is the Persian version of the whirling dances of Turkey and Syria that has inspired both the arabesque and Indian interpretive dances of the regions. Sensual, graceful and beautiful dance where every move is subtle and intended, telling the story of Sufi poetry through a timeless interpretive dance.

Keith Preston  is one of Australia’s world music identities with a history as event and festival organiser and director as well as performing as a musician, writer and puppeteer. In world music he performed with many cross cultural acts including Shoor Jahan (Bengali) Amada(Balkan) Local Import (Italian) Dya Singh and Silk Rd (Afghan& Indian.) As manager/musician of Dya Singh group he toured to USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, UK & Europe on many occasions. Keith plays guitar, bouzouki and santoor as well as Bodhran drum.

Zahir Zahkariah Nadji ‘Nadji’ is a highly accomplished Oud player from Allepo, Syria  who has recently arrived in South Australia through the refugee settlement program. He brings 35 years of expertise as an experienced musician playing folk, popular, sufi and Arabic music.  He has a vast knowledge of regional songs and music as well as being a master improviser. We welcome Nadji to South Australia. Nadji is accompanied by Salah Almansori  from Iraq who played percussion in the famous Arabic Kuwait Television Band for over 20 years.

Shaheen Drokhshan is a young Afghan background tabla player with a remarkable track record. Despite his youth he has performed on the large stage on many occasions and collaborated with a variety of musicians. He has performed at the Festival Centre, Nexus Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse and Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide and toured with his singer father Farid to regional areas for performances.