30M Records is a young label from Hamburg taking up the cause of spreading the gospel of experimental music from Iran. Fittingly one of the first 30M releases is from the one Iranian musician who I can already instantly name from the top of my head, since his last work "Scattered Memories" (on Karlrecords) left a huge impression on me and consequently ended up in the ranking of my top 22 favorite albums of 2019.
SABA ALIZADEH - I May Never See You Again (2021)
Given the title of its predecessor it seems a bit monothematic when the promo text for the new album talks about "meditations on the subject of memory". This new album is different than "Scattered Memories" though.
Where that album heavily featured the city of Tehran in themes and samples, "I May Never See You Again" comes across as a closer, yet more abstract internal monologue.
The pieces which are easisest to access are probably the two collaborations with German singer Andreas Spechtl (Ja, Panik), who irradiates a calmness, which reminds me of Toby Driver's last solo albums, respectively the smoother performances on later Kayo Dot records.
There are also tracks, which prominently focus on Saba Alizadeh's masterful spike fiddle craft and partly pair it with haunting droning electric sounds. Due to the longing atmospheric tone of the kamancheh I find those very easy to enjoy, too.
The more experimental Alizadeh gets, the more it sounds like his music has been recorded somewhere in a metaphysical space within the body, and sometimes the intimacity created by this is a little much to bear, be it in "Ablution", which seems to drown in bubbling and rushing inner ear noises or in the closer "Azin", which finally goes too "artsy" for me. It's just uncomfortably close breathing noises, and I frankly cannot stand it. Luckily skipping this shortens the whole listening experience only insignificantly - and pieces like "Norouz 99", "Phasing Shadows" or the title track more than make up for it.
All in all Saba Alizadeh once again leads the listener on a subtle sonic adventure, which demands and rewards attention.
However as an entirety "I May Never See You Again" doesn't feel as cohesive as "Scattered Memories" for me. I'm mostly missing parts of the richness in Persion folkloristic influences and field recordings, which made that release so spectacular and tied it together, here.
Where that album heavily featured the city of Tehran in themes and samples, "I May Never See You Again" comes across as a closer, yet more abstract internal monologue.
The pieces which are easisest to access are probably the two collaborations with German singer Andreas Spechtl (Ja, Panik), who irradiates a calmness, which reminds me of Toby Driver's last solo albums, respectively the smoother performances on later Kayo Dot records.
There are also tracks, which prominently focus on Saba Alizadeh's masterful spike fiddle craft and partly pair it with haunting droning electric sounds. Due to the longing atmospheric tone of the kamancheh I find those very easy to enjoy, too.
The more experimental Alizadeh gets, the more it sounds like his music has been recorded somewhere in a metaphysical space within the body, and sometimes the intimacity created by this is a little much to bear, be it in "Ablution", which seems to drown in bubbling and rushing inner ear noises or in the closer "Azin", which finally goes too "artsy" for me. It's just uncomfortably close breathing noises, and I frankly cannot stand it. Luckily skipping this shortens the whole listening experience only insignificantly - and pieces like "Norouz 99", "Phasing Shadows" or the title track more than make up for it.
All in all Saba Alizadeh once again leads the listener on a subtle sonic adventure, which demands and rewards attention.
However as an entirety "I May Never See You Again" doesn't feel as cohesive as "Scattered Memories" for me. I'm mostly missing parts of the richness in Persion folkloristic influences and field recordings, which made that release so spectacular and tied it together, here.
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