Arooj Aftab

Good morning.

Today we’re listening to Arooj Aftab, a Pakistani music producer, composer, and vocalist based in Brooklyn. Aftab studied music production and jazz composition at Berklee, and her own work is inspired by Sufi poetry. She said her composition “is very much about the feeling that (Sufi poetry) leaves you with: calmness, peace, patience, simplicity.” We usually eschew vocals in this newsletter, but we heartily endorse her 2018 record, Siren Islands. On this spacey, radiant album she applied effects to analog synths and her own voice, creating “spiraling soundscapes for lo-fi dreaming.” We’re also playing 2021’s Vulture Prince, on which her own voice and an acoustic guitar come through pristinely. That record earned her a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Don’t miss “Mohabbat.”

Siren Islands - Arooj Aftab (50m, reverbed vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Vulture Prince - Arooj Aftab (50m, vocals throughout)
Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Have a really nice Wednesday.