Imaad Wasif

Imaad Wasif is a Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter whose music combines elements of psychedelic folk and rock. Wasif’s music has been described as “unbelievably intense with sparkling, raga-influenced guitar and a mystic bent.”As of 2023 he began using the term Goth-Folk to describe his music. Wasif has released seven solo albums. He was the primary songwriter and guitarist in the bands lowercase, alaska! and Electric Flower Group, and also collaborated in the projects Grim Tower with Stephen McBean, the Folk Implosion with Lou Barlow and the sci-fi concept band ACID.

In 2006, he joined Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a touring member, playing acoustic guitar, bass and synths. He performed as the supporting act for most shows. Wasif also wrote songs with Karen O for the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are (2009), most notably the song, “Hideaway.”

His first self-titled solo album was released in 2006 on Kill Rock Stars. The record featured minimal, acoustic songs with psychedelic influences, reminiscent of Skip Spence’s Oar and Syd Barrett’s Opel, and was recorded by Mark Nevers in Nashville, TN. This record introduced Wasif’s primary lyrical themes; love, madness, transformation, solitude, exploration of the spiritual, which continue through his subsequent albums.

Wasif’s second album, Strange Hexes, was recorded in Los Angeles and self-released in 2008. The album is a “tense, trippy collection of songs that become fiercely emotional explorations.” The songs incorporate Eastern modal tunings and drones.

Wasif’s third album, The Voidist, was released in 2010 on Tee Pee Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, The Voidist is at once “regal and exuberant. Its unique sonic tapestry is sprinkled with ragas, blues rock, and something totally new that exists at the apex of these varied influences.” Influences that Wasif has cited include Paul Bowles, Gérard de Nerval, Neil Young, CAN, John Fahey, Captain Beefheart, Jimmy Page, and Vilayat Khan.

In 2017, Wasif released “Dzi,”. The album was recorded on a Tascam Cassette 8-Track Machine by Bobb Bruno, capturing a raw, live feel.

Wasif’s album Great Eastern Sun was released on December 1, 2018, on Nomad Eel Records. This album was recorded earlier in 2013 but held back from release as Wasif deemed it “too dark and personal.” In 2021, he self-released a compilations of rarities, demos and B-sides called “Afterimages.”

His seventh album, So Long Mr. Fear, was released on Aug 9, 2022. Co-produced again with Bobb Bruno and mixed by Lewis Pesacov, the album was recorded remotely during the pandemic year 2021. The album features a vocal appearance by Karen O on the song “Poet Of The Damned”. In 2023, the title track was remixed in collaboration with Money Mark and released as ‘Mr. Fear, So Long’.

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