Distancer

British-Iranian musician Hiatus (Cyrus Shahrad) began the musical exploration of his heritage in 2005, aft er discovering his father’s record collection while working as a journalist in Tehran. Combining electronic sounds with samples of vocal and instrumental music he creates impeccably produced aural worlds that oft en seem vivid enough to touch. Traditional Iranian instruments like kamancheh (spike-fiddle), his father reading Persian poetry, the soaring voice of Malahat Haddad, electronic sound sculpturing: all merge to create the sense of a slow-motion dance in some beautiful twilit location.

Th is is very sty lish music, and is presented with a series of music videos which, with their old clips of Iran and artful abstract shapes, convey a certain nostalgia combined with a hopeful future vision. Indeed, experiencing this combination of archive footage with cutting-edge music I half expected Adam Curtis’ voice to cut in, telling me it was all a fantasy. Th oughtful though this music is, it is not moody and has the power to exalt. Haddad’s vocals create a stratospheric lift while Shahrad’s electronic beats on the closing track transport us to that future party we all hope to be at someday…