Final Descent Presents: Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (IR/DE)

Den Berlin-baserede iranske percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi bygger bro mellem sine iranske rødder og Berlins technoscene. Med udgangspunkt i traditionelle persiske trommer sætter han gang i Basement med sin unikke, håndspillede techno.

Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (IR/DE)
Iranske Mohammad Reza Mortazavi har sat helt nye standarder for, hvad en percussion-solokoncert kan være. Med sit enestående spil på de persiske håndtrommer tombak og daf skaber han et netværk af dansevenlige rytmer, tempofyldte beats og tranceagtige teksturer, der ikke står tilbage for den mest avancerede elektroniske musik. Melodier og polyfonier fletter sig ind i hinanden i tilsyneladende endeløse rytmiske variationer og skaber et dragende, hypnotisk lydunivers.

I over 20 år har Mortazavi bygget bro mellem sine iranske rødder og sin tilværelse i Europas technohovedstad Berlin. Med udgangspunkt i den traditionelle persiske percussiontradition har han udviklet sin helt egen form for minimalistisk håndspillet techno – et udtryk der både lyder medrivende, kontemporært og samtidig som noget, der altid har eksisteret. Med ét ben solidt plantet i den iranske tradition og et nutidigt udsyn fra Berlins technoscene har han formået at sætte nye standarder for, hvordan traditioner kan udfoldes i et moderne musikalsk landskab.

Mortazavi har optrådt for dansende koncertgæster på blandt andet Roskilde, ALICE/Global, Fusion og WOMAD Festival samt i prestigefyldte koncertsale over hele verden. Med sin utrolige fingerfærdighed og et bredt spektrum af overtoner formår han samtidig at spille polyrytmiske kompositioner og sofistikerede melodier. Som tv-kanalen ARTE har formuleret det: “Når man overværer den utroligt virtuose solist, kan man nemt få indtryk af, at han ikke blot har to, men mindst seks hænder.”

Mohammad Reza Mortazavi begyndte at spille tombak som seksårig, og allerede tre år senere havde han nået så højt et niveau, at hans underviser ikke kunne lære ham mere. Som tiårig vandt han for første gang den årlige iranske tombak-konkurrence, hvor kun landets bedste spillere deltager. Siden har han udviklet mere end tredive nye fingerteknikker og revolutioneret den traditionelle spillestil. Senest har han udgivet sit niende soloalbum, Nexus, og indgår også i duoen YEK sammen med den elektroniske producerlegende Burnt Friedman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TRko_2uLBs
https://mohammadmortazavi.bandcamp.com/album/swamp-ricardo-villalobos-variation

Mere info på finaldescent.org

☉☉☉☉ ENGLISH ☉☉☉☉

The Berlin-based Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi builds a bridge between his Iranian roots and Berlin’s techno scene. Drawing on traditional Persian hand drums, he ignites Basement with his unique form of hand-played minimalist techno.

Iranian musician Mohammad Reza Mortazavi has set entirely new standards for what a percussion solo concert can be. Through his extraordinary playing on the Persian hand drums tombak and daf, he creates a network of danceable rhythms, fast-paced beats, and trance-like textures that rival even the most advanced electronic music. Melodies and polyphonies intertwine in seemingly endless rhythmic variations, forming a captivating and hypnotic sonic universe.

For more than 20 years, Mortazavi has built a bridge between his Iranian roots and his life in Europe’s techno capital, Berlin. Drawing on the traditional Persian percussion heritage, he has developed his own form of minimalist hand-played techno—an expression that sounds both compelling and contemporary, yet timeless at the same time. With one foot firmly planted in Iranian tradition and a modern outlook shaped by Berlin’s techno scene, he has set new standards for how tradition can be explored within a contemporary musical landscape.

Mortazavi has performed for dancing audiences at festivals such as Roskilde, ALICE/Global, Fusion and WOMAD, as well as in prestigious concert halls around the world. With astonishing finger dexterity and a wide spectrum of overtones, he is able to perform polyrhythmic compositions and sophisticated melodies simultaneously. As the TV channel ARTE put it: “When watching the incredibly virtuosic soloist, one easily gets the impression that he doesn’t have just two, but at least six hands.”

Mohammad Reza Mortazavi began playing the tombak at the age of six, and only three years later he had reached such a high level that his teacher could no longer teach him anything new. At the age of ten he won the annual Iranian tombak competition, open only to the country’s best players, for the first time. Since then, he has developed more than thirty new finger techniques and revolutionized the traditional playing style. Most recently, he released his ninth solo album, Nexus, and also performs in the duo YEK together with electronic producer legend Burnt Friedman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TRko_2uLBs
https://mohammadmortazavi.bandcamp.com/album/swamp-ricardo-villalobos-variation

More information at finaldescent.org