The UK Northern collective release their debut album – a collection of works inspired by their Muslim, Christian & Humanist ideologies, that blend electronica, Sufi singing & Arabic instrumental virtuosity.

“So many beautiful elements” BBC Introducing

“Beautiful music with spiritual vocals” – DJ Ritu / Resonance FM

Having received support for their music on Resonance FM, BBC Introducing & other media, the Manchester, Sheffield & Doncaster world music collective Electric Sufi release their debut album Breathe In Love – a collection of works inspired by their Muslim, Christian & Humanist ideologies, that blend electronica, Sufi singing & Arabic instrumental virtuosity, while aiming to promote engagement with climate change issues, drawing traditions together rather than pushing them apart.

The background & meaning behind Electric Sufi’s songs is primarily based around Sufi music, where it’s traditional to rework existing words, phrases, poems & songs. Many of these have very ancient roots & it’s not always easy to distinguish between what is ancient & traditional from more recent writing. Electric Sufi continue this tradition, reworking texts from various sources & histories, using ancient & more recent Urdu poetry alongside the work of 13th Century Sufi mystic Rumi in Persian. The album also draws from some ancient Christian sources. In each case these sources are reworked into new versions, mixing electronica with ancient & tradition with cutting edge to create something powerful & different.

There’s a track by track description of each piece at the end of this document but meanwhile a bit about the personalities that make up this most interesting of outfits… Electric Sufi are Sheffield based Professor of Music & Sound Archaeologist at Huddersfield University Rupert Till, Manchester based singer-songwriter & environmental activist Sarah Yaseen plus Doncaster based multi-instrumentalist / University lecturer Mina Mikhael Salama.

Rupert has produced ambient dance, chillout & electronic music under the moniker Professor Chill including the 2018 album Dub Archaeology. He’s also written the book Pop Cult which delves into the mysteries of music & spirituality, participated in the BBC TV series Civilisations, plus written articles in The Quietus, Huffington Post & New Scientist. His research projects cover various subjects ranging from ‘The influences of Religion on British Club Culture & Electronic Dance music’ to ‘Sound Archaeology, Acoustics & Cave Art’.

Sarah, whose family roots are in Kashmir, is known in world music circles for singing in UK Womad favourites Rafiki Jazz & Danish all-woman ensemble Radiant Arcadia. In Electric Sufi she sings in Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Latin & English – & by doing so, draws upon a wide range of cultural influences. Inspired by Qawwali (Islamic devotional singing from India) & Ghazals (Arabic poetry), she has one foot firmly placed in a contemporary multicultural world & the other in the ancient lyrical & musical traditions on which she draws.

Mina, a Coptic Christian from Alexandria, Egypt, came to the UK in 2002, having been a soloist in the Cairo Opera. He has since performed at WOMAD, Edinburgh Festival, The Southbank, London as well as Cardiff, Leicester, Manchester & beyond. Along with Rupert, Mina has also contributed to the BBC TV series Civilisations where he demonstrated a 30,000-year-old Isturitz Vulture bone flute. On an international level, Mina has contributed to the music score on Disney’s Aladdin, directed by Guy Richie & starring Will Smith, Mena Massoud & Naomi Scott.

The trio brings much collectively & individually to the Electric Sufi sound, resulting in a rich tapestry of cultural & musical layers of influence. Their album Breathe In Love is a wonderful introduction to this enchanted world & their message of hope.