Sheykh Forever — Fire in the Master's House

Sheykh Forever — Fire in the Master's House

London, United Kingdom · October 16, 2026

Experimental Rock / Psychedelic Funk / Disco / Hypnagogic Pop

Sheykh Forever turns political anger into an adventurous musical statement with Fire in the Master's House. Across fourteen tracks, Iraqi-born musician Mostafa Al combines infectious funk rhythms, distorted guitars, psychedelic textures and electronic experimentation to confront war, displacement and the lasting consequences of violence. Songs like “I'm Your History,” “Ghosts!” and “Same Disease” explore painful realities while refusing to abandon melody or the dancefloor. I particularly appreciate the determination behind this entirely self-produced project, developed over four years in a home studio. A bold and imaginative independent album that proves protest music can be both deeply unsettling and irresistibly rhythmic.

Interview with Sheykh Forever

(•)> Fire in the Master’s House brings disco, heavy rock, hypnagogic pop and funk into a politically charged record. What made those particular musical languages feel capable of carrying the subjects you wanted to confront?

(•)> The album has been developing over four years while you were also releasing anti-war singles and performing headline London shows. How much did the live experience feed back into the writing and production of the album?

(•)> You describe Sheykh Forever as existing somewhere between “yesteryear and the distant future.” What does that space between the past and the future allow you to explore that a straightforward contemporary sound wouldn't?

(•)> There is a striking contrast between the record's serious political subject matter and its “booty-bouncing” funk and infectious hooks. Why was making the music physically enjoyable so important to delivering the message?

(•)> As an Iraqi-born artist living in London, how has your personal relationship with war, politics and displacement shaped the way those subjects enter your music?

(•)> You've written and produced the entire 14-track album yourself at home. What does working alone over such a long period allow you to do that a conventional studio environment might make difficult?

(•)> Four years is a long time to live with the same body of songs. Did the political meaning of any track change as the world changed around you while you were making the album?

(•)> Your songs are built around earworms even when the subject matter is confrontational. How do you write a chorus that can be instantly memorable without reducing a complicated political idea to a slogan?

(•)> The production combines heavy guitar weight with disco rhythms and electronic textures. Was there a particular track where you felt those seemingly incompatible elements finally became one unmistakable Sheykh Forever sound?

(•)> You've developed Sheykh Forever through singles and live performances before arriving at this larger album statement. Did you see Fire in the Master’s House as a culmination of that period, or as the point where the project finally became something different?

(•)> The title suggests a disturbance inside a place associated with authority, power or control. What does “the Master's House” represent to you, and who—or what—is the fire challenging?

(•)> After four years of building this record independently, what do you hope remains with listeners after the hooks fade: the political ideas, the physical energy of the music, or the tension between the two?

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check it out on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist