Nafir
As we sit here on International Women's Day, peacefully sipping on a glass of 'çay', we can't help but realise that the fight for equal rights and women's rights in particular may seem universal, even though it's an entirely different one depending on the country you're living in and the traditional power structures you are bound to. Freedom and equality to this extent are relative. While here in Germany the most prominent current buzzwords on this nationwide holiday are 'gender pay gap' and 'equality of opportunities', the ongoing women-led fight against the authoritarian patriarchal regime in Iran, for instance, where laws and regulations are based on religious ideology rather than best practice, is something else to say the least.
Last Friday, Tehran-based electroacoustic artist, composer and kamancheh virtuoso Saba Alizadeh (whom you may remember from the Hamburg-based 30M imprint's brilliant 2021-released "This is Tehran?" compilation) unveiled an emotional new single "Nafir" (engl. 'Clamour') with a poignant companion video directed by visual artist Siavash Naghshbandi, an impressive artistic statement and a gloomy metaphor depicting life in Iran after five months of righteous political uprising, brave resistance and incessant struggle that sadly continues to be met by violence, brutal intimidation and cowardly, inhumane, fundamentalist revenge tactics. "Nafir" thus represents the piercing sound of this popular outcry for justice.
Alizadeh's instrument, the kamancheh, is commonly said to resemble the spectrum of the human voice, which is why he used it prominently in his latest composition to channel the clamour of those persecuted and tyrannised: "It's the voice of the shed tears and blood, [...] a metaphor for singing, for the gathered voices and cries of the oppressed, fighting against the darkness," he explains. “This section is based on the rhythms of T’azie (traditional religious mourning ceremonies during the Shia commemoration of Ashura) but at the same time resembles the sound of explosions (the sound that became the soundtrack of our lives in Iran for the past 5 months) and a respirator machine. It is at the same time a spray paint can that is writing slogans on walls or wiping them out. At some point in the piece the rhythm section crescendos and tries to distort and destroy the kamancheh melody but it is not able to,” he describes.
What remains is hope. Jin, jîyan, azadî! (engl. 'Woman, life, freedom')
Watch the video to "Nafir" below and lend an ear to Alizadeh's 2021-released album "I May Never See You Again" on 30M Records.
More posts
Soul Tropical
It's been pretty much three years on the dot, since we did a short but enthusiastic write-up on Marseille-based multi-instrumentalist, DJ, singer/songwriter, producer and Zimpala (if you know, then you know) co-founder David Walters' tribute to worldwide Creole culture, fittingly titled "Soleil Kréyol" and produced by musical mastermind Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart. Last Friday, he returned to French imprint Heavenly Sweetness with a brand-new LP that we dare say [...]
Dindin
As we zoom in on contemporary sounds from West Africa this week, following Jean Trouillet's Globalwize 'Mali Special', we bring you the recently released longplayer of Lisbon-based multi-instrumentalist and singer Kimi Djabaté. Hailing from Guinea-Bissau, Djabaté is not just a gifted guitarist and percussionist, but also a balafón (African xylophone) virtuoso, who has collaborated with the likes of Mory Kanté, Waldemar Bastos, Netos de Gumbé and, most [...]
Mournful Kingdom Of Sand
Following our Altercat Argentine jazz double-header in January, we complete this month's Akuphone 'sounds from here and yonder' double-header with the enigmatic, cabalistic duo Ak'chamel and their latest sophomore feat titled "A Mournful Kingdom of Sand". Hailing from "a border state", this mysterious joint venture describes itself as "fourth world post-colonial cultural cannibalists circumcising the foreskin of enlightenment," which sounds about as ominous as [...]
Sharav
The concept of 'land' is an abstract one, which is glaringly obvious in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It should not come as a surprise then, that the opening track of Jerusalem-based improvisational trio Leviot's spellbinding debut full-length "Sharav" on Akuphone is titled just that. But regional claims and territorial disputes are not at all what this release is concerned with. Leviot (Hebrew for 'lionesses') is a novel project conceived by [...]
Ese Puerto Existe
Humming Sun Ra's "Door of The Cosmos", we direct our attention to Paris-based Venezuelan trio Insólito UniVerso and their brand-new sophomore full-length on Olindo Records. "Ese Puerto Existe" ('that port exists') is the follow-up to the group's fascinating 2018 debut "La Candela del Río" and sees them continuing to explore the possibilities of Venezuelan music with dreamlike ease. Heralded by an EP last September containing the title track and another tune [...]
Ahl Nana
Ever since we chanced upon them during the early days of our online editorial, Belgium's Radio Martiko collective has been among our favourite reissue labels with an undeniable Midas touch for otherworldly global releases. Over the years, we've covered some of their work, but you best check their discography to grasp the full extent of their digging feats. Long story short, here comes their latest release, unearthing the "lost recordings that defined the modern [...]
Buster Goes West
"And a top of the morning to you, sir!" Such is the comically refined style of this fictional character named Buster, a larger than life personality with a big heart, quite loquacious, always courteous, very much romantic and a tad bit eccentric. Tokyo’s tropical-infused five-piece of Tropique! just released their debut full-length on Electric Cowbell Records and it is a truly marvellous affair.
"Buster Goes West" is a life-affirming eleven track album of [...]
O Paraíso
Pitter patter goes the rain against our window. Berlin at this time of year is a monotonous blend of different shades of grey, suggesting we stay inside and seek inspiration elsewhere. Luckily for us, the Paris-based No Format! imprint just released the ninth and "new solar album" by Brazilian singer-songwriter Lucas Santtana, inviting us to join him in marveling at this life on earth. And we are more than happy to follow suit.
"O Paraíso" is the name of his [...]
Sirto
This year, we vowed to take our time, to be more mindful in an attempt to experience and appreciate every moment the universe bestows upon us. Just like this debut album of the Ghent-based musical collective Jiraan. Founded in 2016 and led by Syrian/Belgian violinist and composer Shalan Alhamwy, the Jiraan Ensemble includes "musicians from a broad spectrum of musical worlds. Together, they explore the common ground between musical traditions and create a novel [...]
Bronca Buenos Aires
Continuing our two-release exploration of essential jazz from Argentina by ways of Berlin imprint Altercat Records, today, we bring you this originally 1971-released and recently reissued "jazz poem" by late Argentine jazz legend and multi-instrumentalist Jorge López Ruiz (El Grito, Viejas Raíces). Last week, we had already featured the delicately crafted and beautifully arranged 1975 solo album by Chilean pianist Matías Pizarro (who played alongside López [...]
Pelo de Rata
Starting where we left off, we dare say, there's nothing like a healthy introductory dose of visionary Latin American jazz to get back into the flow of things. Towards the end of last year, the always stellar Berlin-based imprint Altercat Records surprised us with an Argentinian jazz double-header and a welcome follow-up to the label's 2021-released reissue of Jorge López Ruiz's project Viejas Raíces. We mention that because said seminal figure of the [...]
A Great Miracle
The annual Xmas delirium has just about reached its peak and with the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah or Chanukah well underway, we decided to share this little holiday gem from San Francisco's Reboot imprint, presented by the multi-talented American musician, scholar, curator and author Jeremiah Lockwood. Stripped down to a one-man, one-guitar recital, Jeremiah Lockwood brings us eight solo guitar songs to accompany the Jewish festival of lights or any other [...]