Warn-U

Music of the Ayshay project is Fatima Al Qadiri's reinterpretation of Islamic worship music,[2] and the name Ayshay is “whatever” in Arabic.[3] Warn-U is a tone poem[3] touching on genres such as krautrock,[4] proto-techno,[4] and hypnagogic pop[4] and only consisting of Qadiri's own falsetto vocals, which are pitch-shifted, time-stretched and layered on top of each other.[5][3] Warn-U garnered comparisons by critics to Björk's album Medúlla (2004)[6][4] as well as the works of Julianna Barwick.[5][6]

The official press release from Qadiri's website states that the voices execute a "dizzying array of mixed, sometimes indefinable emotions," sounding "menacing and yet strangely comforting" and "ancient and bizarrely futuristic."[3] Even Qadiri admitted she didn't know how to feel when she listened to Warn-U, "and in many regards I hope I never can."[3] Paul Lester of The Guardian analyzed the vocals are altered to the point of sounding like electronic instruments rather than human voices.[4] The EP closes with Los Angeles production duo Nguzunguzu's twelve-minute "megamix," or "remix suite," of all the record's original tracks.[3][7] The remix adds tribal Roland 808-style drums to the songs[8][9] and what The Monitors described as "richer samples and effects."[8]

On 28 February 2011, a music video for Warn-U's title track was released and depicts was Dave Segal of The Stranger described as "feathery gothic dread, strange architecture, kinetic geometric shapes, mystique-laden figures, fisheye lens shots of an elevator, and, most importantly, luscious lips."[10] On 25 July 2011, Nguzunguzu's remix of the EP's title song was released.[11] An MP3 download for the title track was released on 25 August 2011,[12] and the EP was finally issued on compact disc, digital format, and vinyl on 26 September 2011.[3]

Lester wrote in a piece for The Guardian, "We should WARN-U: this music will reverberate in your brain and resonate in your mind's eye long after it's over."[4] A writer for The Monitors called it "another interesting release from the label that keeps on giving, delivering an album that any open minded electronica fan should definitely invest in."[8] However, he opined that "the didgeridoo sounding vocal effect gets a little grating sometimes, while the free form nature of the tracks may also sound dragging at times."[8] In a review of the EP for Pitchfork, Colly similarly wrote that, "while at times beautiful and certainly inventive, WARN-U is somewhat one-note, and it can be difficult to differentiate between the three short original tracks. It's also free-form to the degree that it can sometimes be difficult to engage with."[5] Both Colly and The Monitors were the most favorable towards Nguzunguzu's megamix of Warn-U,[5][8] Colly writing, "this is where WARN-U is most accessible and arguably most enjoyable, since the addition of structure helps bring Al Qadiri's more avant-garde leanings back toward earth."[5]

Derived from Warn-U.[7]

Derived from the liner notes of Warn-U.[7]

• Written and produced by Fatima Al Qadiri
• Mixed by Matt Boynton
• Mastered by Rob Laakso at Vacation Island in Brooklyn, New York
• Artwork by David Toro
• Artwork photography by Winona Barton-Ballentine

• Fatima Al Qadiri official website