From Paranoid Funk to Hypnagogic Pop, Sheykh Forever Covers Plenty of Ground on Debut Album Fire in the Master's House

Are you on the hunt for a little disco? How about some heavy rock? Or perhaps you're after a bit of hypnagogic pop? Funk too, you say? Well, believe it or not, you're in luck! Allow me to introduce you to Fire in the Master's House, a fourteen-track sonic rollercoaster courtesy of Iraqi-born, London-based musician Mostafa Al, AKA Sheykh Forever. Let's dive in!

Built on a heavy combination of vintage hardware and digital tools, Fire in the Master's House is intricately crafted. At the same time, there's a volatile, untamed, and even abrasive undercurrent that permeates the whole album. 

On tunes like I'm Your History, Ghosts!, and Lineage (Where Is My Baby?) Mostafa delivers densely layered arrangements that seamlessly shift between paranoid funk, warped AM radio pop, and heavy electronic grooves.

But then you encounter some more rhythmic, off-centre pop songwriting in songs like Sleeping Dogs, Where Is My Baby?, and the record's final chapter, Run for Cover. It's a dizzying array of sounds and styles that, at times, almost defies logic - yet everything falls into place with total conviction.

Exploring themes of displacement, propaganda, war, and survivor's guilt, Sheykh Forever's sensational debut record is one I won't be forgetting about anytime soon!

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