Postcards From… is our space dedicated to the discovery of the sounds and the artists from all over the world with a focus on the ones who explore experimental tunes, electronic lines and contamination with their roots. Today our journey lands in Iran. We will introduce 5 artists which have (or we think they will) a significant role in the modern music scene.
Ash Koosha. Ash Koosha is a Tehran-born and London-based composer and producer who we introduced different times.F ormer rock musician and student of classical music, with his solo project explores the experimental side of electroacoustic music and the visual connection with the sound. In 2016, he releases his second album called I AKA I, out via Ninja Tune. In 2020, he’ss back with a new album called Bluud which the artist describes with these words: “It feels like Netflix and Doogh“. Check the video for the track “Dive“
Mohammad Reza Mortazavi. Mohammad Reza Mortazavi is an experimental Iranian Berlin-based percussionist, known for playing traditional Persian instruments such as the tombak and daf. According to the press release, After developing more than thirty new striking techniques and progressing to be one of the most prominent players in Iran, Mortazavi travelled to Germany, eventually settling in Berlin to record and perform regular concerts the world over.
Three years after Transformation (Flowfish Records), he has released a new album called Ritme Jaavdanegi in 2019, out via Parisian experimental imprint Latency. Check the track “Roaming Pulses“.
9T Antiope. 9T Antiope is the experimental/abstract electronic duo that includes Iranian musicians Nima Aghiani and Sara Bigdeli Shamloo. Merging acoustic instruments, electronics and sometimes vocals, their goal is to create a narration and tell a story the exploration of new sounds. In 2019, they have released a new full-lenght called Grimace, out via cult label Eilean Records. It follows 2019’s Nocebo and Harmisitice, a collaborative work with Siavash Amini. Check the track “In Hiatus“.
Tegh. Tegh is the project of Iranian Tehran-based electronic sound artist Shahin Entezami. His sound mixes noise lines and ambient-drone textures. According to the press release, he tries to bring new aural experiences to life by combining different audio elements and creating complex soundscapes. Two years after Downfall, he’s back with a new work in 2019. Unusual Path is a nearly 20minutes long track, out via Midira Records. It also includes remixes by Siavash Amini and Zenjungle.
Sote. Sote is the project of Iranian producer and musician Ata Ebtekar. In the past 20 plus years, his music has been published by various companies, such as Warp Records, Sub Rosa, Morphine, Repitch and Opal Tapes among others. According to the press release, His compositions and multi-channel installations are sonic tales synchronously decoding and regenerating customary pattern of thought in nature; aural designs of crisis and harmony where contempo aligns with folklore, orchestrating an artificial saga with a variety of illuminations and analyses.
In 2019, he’s back with a new album called Parallel Persia, out via Diagonal Records. It presents a series of compositional structures in which the sound’s frequency content acts as hyper-modulators on each other within a series of vast panoramic spectral environments. The music combines various synthesis techniques [notably, physical modelling, FM, wavetable, granular and additive] with Iranian acoustic instruments [santour, tar] that are pushed beyond ordinary operation. Thus the synthetic and acoustic combine with equal strength to form a euphonious and complete whole.
