Risham Faiz Bhutta – also known as RFB – exudes a contagious energy in her performances. I included this particular recording on Hamnawa Select June ‘21, but had unfortunately not written about it until now.

This female vocal above a dance rhythm is not very common in this industry. What stands out even more for me however, is the power of RFB’s vocal. The clear force of her voice seems actively restrained in other recordings in comparison. This is especially true of her collaborations with male artists. I hope that in future collaborations RFB finds the space to really belt, even if it overshadows other singers on the recording. Everyone will be better for it.

Credit is due to Abdullah Kasumbi, who continues to cement his stature as one of the most exciting producers of this moment. His work with Hasan Raheem is his best known work, but Abdullah’s prowess is no secret to industry insiders. Recent interest in electronic music has allowed Abdullah’s work to find a larger audience, but there is reason to believe that there is much more to come yet.

I apologize for erroneously linking to the June playlist when I sent out the July playlist. This has been fixed on the website.