Divanegi

Residing in the Gilan Province of northern Iran, Pedram Delara is a young tombak (goblet drum) soloist and rhythm composer. Although having studied with the maverick tombak master Bahman Rajabi from the age of ten, he chose not to pursue music academically, preferring an autodidactic approach. Conceived over a period of seven years, through a tumultuous time in his life, Divanegi is his second solo album – his first having been independently released in Iran when he was 19 years old. With the title translating to ‘madness’ or ‘mania’, the music on Divanegi appears to have been inspired by Delara's own mental health, with one track's title directly referencing borderline personality disorder. This is reflected in the dynamic extremities of many of the pieces, which veer from intense bursts of percussive virtuosity to moments of serene euphoria. This is exemplified on the 12-minute ‘Zan’, where the implementation of electronic textures and unsettling synthetic layers produces an atmosphere that is both oppressive and meditative.

Delara himself is the lone performer, stacking layers of tombak, dohol, udu, dammam, electronics, and various frame drums, while production is expertly handled by American Chris Hunt. Delara's unscientific approach is evident in his compositions, which come across as personal explorations of rhythm, rather than grounded in traditional structures. At 76 minutes, Divanegi is an intense and exhaustive listen, but will reward those willing to plunge into its uneasy depths.