Tracery

Tracery is a track by Pakistani Qawwali vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The composition appears as the third track on the album Mustt Mustt, released on June 1990 under the label Real World Records. The album marked a collaboration between Khan and Canadian musician Michael Brook, who produced and contributed instrumental arrangements. Mustt Mustt was issued primarily on CD and later on vinyl and digital formats.

The track runs for 4 minutes and 52 seconds. It exemplifies Khan’s fusion of traditional Qawwali with contemporary production techniques, featuring layered vocals, harmonium, tabla, and electronic textures. The album’s title track, Mustt Mustt, gained international recognition, while Tracery showcased Khan’s improvisational vocal phrasing and the ensemble’s dynamic interplay. The recording sessions occurred in Pakistan and England, with Brook integrating ambient and minimalist elements into the arrangements.

Mustt Mustt became one of Khan’s most widely distributed releases outside South Asia, introducing global audiences to Qawwali through its blend of devotional lyrics and modern soundscapes. The album’s liner notes credit Khan as the primary composer, with Brook handling production and additional instrumentation. Specific lyrical themes or poetic sources for Tracery remain undocumented in widely available sources. The release contributed to Khan’s reputation as a pioneering figure in world music during the 1990s.

The original Real World pressing included nine tracks, with Tracery positioned between Allah Hoo Allah Hoo and Sayyid Ali. Later reissues and compilations occasionally featured the track in abridged or remastered forms. The album’s artwork, designed by John Warwicker, reflected its cross-cultural aesthetic, combining calligraphic elements with abstract visuals. No official music videos or live performances of Tracery from the era are publicly archived.