Apocalypto soundtrack vocals by famous Qawwali singer

[SecretOfFatima]

I was a bit shocked with this so i got to share it with you all.

While James Horner composed the soundtracks, the actual vocals are by someone with a great voice called "Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan" who normally sings a native pakistani/indian type of music called Qawwali.

Qawwali, the driving devotional music of Pakistani and Indian Sufism, grew out of an infusion of North Indian music with Central Asian and Persian texts some 700 years ago. Slamming hand percussion, staccato hand clapping, bellowing hand-pumped keyboard harmoniums, and the atmospheric vocals of qawwali lead vocalists are among the characteristic sounds of this robust religious genre. Qawwali's intended effect is the elevating of listener and performer alike into mystical realms of spiritual and ecstatic enlightenment.

Here is a youtube video taken while they were recording
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noSOADyejPQ
(wait until about half way to see the actual recording)

And here is a typical Qawwali video by the same singer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCp6GfitmoE

Does anyone know exactly where "Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan" is from?

These other links don't seem to say
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahat_Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan
http://www.answers.com/%20Rahat%20Nusrat%20Fateh%20Ali%20Khan
but i suspect he may be from pakistan due to the name and the way people are dressed in the second video.

Great voice anyway!

Hope you enjoy.

 

[SecretOfFatima]

yep, "Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan" is from Pakistan.

So I think would be only resonable to assume that he may actually be a Muslim brother.

I do hope everyone in pakistan goes and sees Apocalypto.

 

[Secundulus]

Whatever his religion, it was a great movie and a great soundtrack.