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Reviews
Human Encounter Review, The Rocktologist, Rok Podgrajšek, Oct 2011 [permalink]http://www.therocktologist.com/ghazi-saeedi-salim---human-encounter.html Salim Ghazi Saeedi is an Iranian multi-instrumentalist with a love for avant-garde and progressive rock music. You don't really see many Iranian musicians playing progressive rock, so his music has definitely garnered a great deal of interest. Human Encounter is his second solo CD, released earlier this year hard on the heels of his debut, Iconophobic (2010). His website is also something to behold. Salim has taken it upon himself to enlist the help of people from as many different countries as possible who would help him create a sort of Tower of Babel on his website. He already has quite a few languages done, so his mission already looks to be a great success. Salim cooks up a real feast for us. He has been compared to Univers Zero and rightly so. His piano segments are particularly menacing, except he likes to get to the point a bit sooner than the likes of Univers Zero, the masters of foreboding atmospheres. His chamber rock tendencies sometimes take a back seat to his rock leanings, where there's definitely a Robert Fripp vibe going on, particularly from the Red period. Arabic music has really taken off in combination with progressive metal lately, but Salim has made it work with avant-garde music as well. It's especially effective when played on the electric guitar. His instruments of choice appear to be the electric guitar and the piano (keyboards). Seeing as this is a one-man band, he tackles all the other duties as well and admirably so. The only thing that takes some getting used to are the programmed drums, but it's only a minor complaint. Human Encounter is a well-crafted album that might have been even better with a bit more work. I feel that some themes are underdeveloped and the music needs to breathe a bit more at times. But yes, the potential for greatness is certainly there. It's also good to see that Salim has not abandoned the influences of his motherland, which make the album much richer and more distinct. I definitely look forward to hearing Salim's future endeavours. 7 out of 10. [GERMAN] Iconophobic Review, Rezensator.de, Marcel Peteroff, Nov 2011 [permalink]http://www.rezensator.de/saeedi_humanencounter.htm Human Encounter ist ein Soloalbum des iranischen Musikers Salim Ghazi Saeedi. Wenn man so will, ist es sein zweites Soloalbum. Zuvor erschien 2010 das Album Iconophobic, davor nahm er drei Alben mit der Band Arashk auf. Salim bewegt sich musikalisch im Bereich Avantgarde mit Anleihen an Jazz-Rock und etwas Prog, dazu lässt er immer wieder seine Wurzeln mit orientalisch klingenden Lines durchschimmern. Diesem Stil bleibt er auf Human Encounter treu. Wieder spielt er alles selbst ein, schrieb die Songs selbst und produzierte und mixte das Album selbst. Hier legt er allerdings ein Konzeptalbum vor. Dabei beschreibt er Phasen aus seinem Leben, die Songs sind den Phasen bzw. Erlebnissen und/oder Personen zugeordnet. Salim dazu in eigenen Worten: Als ich 1981 auf die Erde kam, kam ich unfreiwillig in Kontakt mit der menschlichen Rasse. Abgesehen von ein paar schönen Begegnungen, fand ich den Rest dunkel und grässlich. Human Encounter ist das Tagebuch dieser Begegnungen. Das Album habe ich in zwei Kategorien aufgeteilt: Die dunkle Seite - sie reflektiert die hässlichen Erlebnisse… Die helle Seite - sie reflektiert die vergnüglichen Phasen… Salim beschreibt die jeweiligen Erlebnisse in kurzen Songs. Auf Iconophobic waren mir die Songs manchmal zu kurz, hier hat Salim aber immer ein gutes Maß gewählt. Es gelingt ihm, mit den Songs die Phasen so kurz wie möglich und so ausführlich wie nötig zu beschreiben. Mit dem "Human Encounter Prologue" wirft Salim musikalisch gleich zu Beginn alles in die Waagschale und serviert ein kurzes Menü mit allen erdenklichen Einflüssen von Avantgarde bis Prog. "Lustful Fest Of Flesh" klingt, mit hohem Pianoanteil und interessanten Drumparts, insgesamt stärker nach Jazz Fusion. "You Many One Devils" knüpft an den Vorgänger an, geht musikalisch und emotional mit abgedrehten fuzzy Gitarrenlinien jedoch weiter. "Lonesomeness" beschreibt in ruhigerer Form die Phasen der Einsamkeit, das wirkt sehr stimmig. Den "Sadistic Teacher" beschreibt Salim eindrücklich, das "City Bombardment" wirkt weniger eindringlich als man hätte erwarten können. Mit diesen Songs wäre die dunkle Seite auch schon abgehakt. Die Bright Side wird orientalisch eröffnet. "For Eugene, Distilling the Delicacy" ist ein gitarrenlastiges Feature für den Maler Eugene De Blaas. "For Ali, Who Does Live Many Births Mercifully" ist eine kurze, aber schöne Hommage an Ali Moini. Sehr interessant klingt Salims Gunstbezeugung an den großen Kurt Cobain mit "For Kurt, The King Without Crown". Der große Jazzer Thelonious Monk wird mit "For Thelonious, and His 88 Holy Names" bedacht. In durchaus vergleichbarem Stil folgt eine Hommage an "Jeremy Brett", allerdings gibt es hier relativ rockige Gitarrenparts. Den Abschluss bildet die Ode an ein Mädchen im roten Kleid, welches 1995 vor Salims Augen verschwand. Musikalisch gießt Salim das Erlebte in eine leicht schrägen Jazz-Fusion. Fazit Salim Ghazi Saeedi deutete schon auf Iconophobic seine Qualitäten an. Der Mann bewegt sich spielerisch zwischen Avantgarde und Jazz-Fusion mit subtilen orientalischen Motiven. Das Konzept von Human Encounter wirkt interessant und wird musikalisch schlüssig untermalt. Die Produktion klingt wieder gut, erstaunlich sind die recht lebendigen Bass- und Drumsounds. Wer keine Berührungsängste mit Künstlern aus dem Bereich Avantgarde hat, der sollte sich Salim's neues Album unbedingt anhören. Human Encounter Review, ProgNaut webzine, Lee Henderson, Nov 2011 [permalink]http://www.prognaut.com/reviews/salim-ghazi-saeedi2.html First of all I want to say that I’ve listened to (and reviewed some of) Salim’s recordings (both solo and under his band name Arashk) over the last year and have been impressed with each one. This new solo ‘Human Encounter’ breaks even more ground and I am still highly impressed by Salim’s multi-level talent. This new release is a concept based on Salim coming from another world and having various encounters with people on earth. Once again, I’ll let the ones who buy the CD read more and enjoy the story lines that Salim introduces with the music. It’s very interesting and not what you’d expect. There are dedications to people as varied as Kurt Cobain, Thelonious Monk, Iran-Iraq war bombs, and his 4th grade teacher. And it is all tied together with his twelve songs. Salim stretches his canvas even more on ‘Human Encounters’ than ever. He brings in elements of much of his past works (classical, industrial, metal, progressive rock, eastern and fusion) but on this he expands with both traditional and modern jazz, RIO, and a more elaborate avant garde structure in some of his compositions. In fact, X-Legged Sally fans will like this one. There was only a place or two (track 7, 8 & 9) where it felt like it was improvised and rushed to complete. The music was far more simple than Salim could have made it and even sounds conventional at times. While not a perfect CD, it rates a strong 8 out of 10 in my book. It’s clear that this time, Salim has produced something cerebral, sometimes intricate, and different than his other music. It’s truly a sign of growth and zeal which he continues his inventive style of music. I feel certain we will see more unfold in the music world of Salim. As long as he is careful not to rush things, he is destined to create a series of recordings that will go down as some of the most unique in the progressive music genre. He has already created some great stuff over his last three releases. I don’t use the word ‘great’ lightly. The jazz thing is hard to pull off in this field of RIO, which has already provided the music world with decades of masterpieces from dozens of bands. There is a lot of music on ‘Human Encounter’ that sits nicely with that world. I only have one other wish, I would have liked more than the 33 minutes of music and can only believe Salim felt strong about the songs as they were. Otherwise, I would have tried to talk him into spending more time and adding more music and possibly extending or reworking some extra parts into a couple of the songs. So all in all, I was thrilled to get the new CD and will keep it with the other Salim Ghazi Saeedi recordings in my collection. I always love the way he works the main rhythms and counter rhythms, lays out a composition, and has such a strong storyline behind the music itself. I like the way he thinks. I look forward, once again, for the next project from this talented man. [French] Human Encounter Review, Music Waves webzine, Realmean, Nov 2011 [permalink]http://www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=7709 L’ésotérisme de Salim Ghazi Saeedi a quelque chose de fascinant.
On aurait pu penser qu’après un parcours déjà étoffé en compagnie du
groupe Arashk, ainsi qu’un premier essai en solo que nous avions
chroniqué l’année dernière, l’artiste se déciderait enfin à
civiliser quelque peu son propos musical, ou tout au moins nous
livrerait une clé ou l’autre pour le rendre plus aisément universel. Sur le fond, Salim définit son album comme un miroir du yin et du
yang de l’humanité. Avec une amertume marquée pour le déséquilibre
constaté, le côté sombre de l’homme, comme il le nomme lui-même,
apparaissant comme beaucoup plus répandu que le côté lumineux. Il
choisit de rendre hommage à ce dernier, essentiellement sur la
seconde moitié de l’album, au travers de compositions dédiées à
quelques artistes connus ou moins connus (les intitulés des morceaux
pourront vous orienter, et Salim en dit davantage sur son site).
Néanmoins, il n’y a pas de différence notable de tonalité musicale
entre les deux axes; "Human Encounter" est un fluide uniformément
étrange, mais aux propriétés successivement inquiétantes,
mélancoliques, introspectives. Il n’est pas possible, évidemment, de recommander "Human Encounter" pour ce qu’il n’est pas : une création artistique accessible, aux formules accrocheuses, séductrices ou immédiates. A la lecture de cette chronique, vous devriez toutefois disposer de quelques indices pour savoir si vous êtes éligible à la tentative d'une expérience parmi les plus insolites… Notez bien la symbolique de l’imagerie : Salim semble s’éloigner vers des rivages inconnus. Certains y verront la confirmation qu’il a choisi de tourner le dos au plus grand nombre. Mais d’autres pourront comprendre qu’il nous invite à le suivre, au long de son parcours initiatique. [DUTCH] Human Encounter Review, Digg*, Quincy Cloet, Nov 2011 [permalink]http://digg.be/articles.php?id=3669 Voor Digg*ers van: 'No One Knows About Persian Cats'. Onze collega's van de filmredactie spreken er graag in lovende termen over: het alternatieve filmcircuit is een fel onderschatte, begerenswaardige grabbelton van verschillende stijlen en achtergronden. De waarheid is ongetwijfeld wat ambigu: de kwaliteit durft soms al eens sterk te wisselen. Nu en dan verschijnt er echter iets dat durft te verrassen en misschien zelfs jan met de pet naar de cinema kan lokken. In 2009 draaide de Iraanse film 'No One Knows About Persian Cats' voor een korte tijd in de Belgische alternatieve cinema's. Net zoals soortgelijke films, werd het islamitische regime op indirecte wijze stevig op de korrel genomen. De film deed dat aan de hand van een aantal portretten uit de ondergrondse muziekwereld in Iran: twintigers verzot op Westerse muziek volgden in de voetsporen van hun grote voorbeelden door ook zelf te musiceren. 'No One Knows About Persian Cats' toont bovendien op treffend wijze hoe een autoritair regime altijd op gespannen voet met de kunstwereld leeft. Muzikant Salim Ghazi Saeedi kwam niet in het geheel voor, maar zijn levensverhaal past in ieder geval perfect binnen het verhaal dat 'No One Knows About Persian Cats' vertelt. Als experimenteel rockartiest heeft hij al sinds jonge leeftijd ondervonden hoe moeilijk het is om (moderne) muziek te verspreiden in Iran: "the music scene was merely limited to 'permitted' materials that mostly embraced traditional and conservative music. Most of contemporary western music - especially rock music - was never published by domestic or foreign publishers and so never existed on the market." Het internet zorgde in de voorbije tien jaar echter voor een geleidelijke opening van de ondergrondse muziekwereld en gaf jonge artiesten de kans om via internationale sociale netwerken hun muziek aan de man te brengen. 'Human Encounter' is het meest recente album van Saeedi en wordt door hemzelf omschreven als een "jazz-rock concept album" dat uitvoerig inspiratie put uit zijn levensverhaal. Het album splitst zich op in twee delen, waarvan vooral het eerste een donkere, bijna sombere indruk geeft. Liefhebbers van progressieve rock (King Crimson) en experimentele jazz (John Zorn) zullen mogelijk hun gading vinden in zijn muziek. 'Human Encounter' scoort echter niet over de volledige lijn goede punten. Saeedi is een multi-instrumentalist en dat heeft uiteraard gevolgen voor de wijze waarop zijn muziek geconstrueerd is. Een - overigens vrij makke - proloog illustreert hoe dat in zijn werk gaat: gefragmenteerde geluiden, waarvan heel wat door een synthesizer gehaald, creëren een chromatische spanning en schetsen het globale kader van het album. 'Lustful Feast of Flesh', het volgende nummer, wekt daarentegen al een totaal verschillend gevoel op. Saeedi brengt op zijn piano diepe bastonen tot leven, die geregeld overgaan in een zacht en prikkelend klankspel. Het geheel is sober ingevuld, met her en der percussieslagen en tevens wat begeleiding op een basgitaar. De Iraanse muzikant bevindt zich stilistisch alleszins in het vaarwater van experimentele jazzmuzikanten. 'Human Encounter' brengt een aantal leuke ideeën aan het licht. De wijze waarop hij een zacht, maar wervelend tempo in 'You Many One Devils' creëert, contrasteert mooi met de fragmentarische ingrepen op piano en gitaar. Zijn melodieuze interventies zijn telkens spitsvondig en brengen het uitgeklede karakter van de muziek niet in het gedrang. Ook 'Lonesomeness' is best aardig dankzij een fijne interactie tussen piano en bas. De eenzaamheid van de titel laat zich mooi in de uitwerking reflecteren. Het is niettemin geen volmondige Persian dream. Na een aantal nummers krijg je als luisteraar redelijk snel een gevoel van herkenning en bijhorende verzadiging. Eenmaal het verhaal en de stijl van het album uitgeklaard zijn, reiken er zich nog maar weinig echt vernieuwende ideeën aan. Salim Ghazi Saeedi lijkt af en toe wat moeite te hebben om het monotone opzet van zijn verhaal gepast te doorbreken ('Sadistic Teacher'). Een stijlbreuk, compositorisch of op vlak van instrumenten, had misschien meer variatie gebracht. Ook de afwezigheid van lyrics, zorgt ervoor dat het moeilijk is om iets meer te weten te komen over Saaedi's levensverhaal en de effecten daarvan op zijn muziek. De enige grote verandering die hij aanbrengt, is het vormelijke contrast tussen het eerste en tweede deel van het album. Bij 'For Eugene, Distilling the Delicacy' begint dat met een vleugje Perzische folkrock, die gelijkenissen met Gábor Szabó en John Berberian oproept. Hetzelfde klankgeluid zet zich verder 'For Ali, Who Does Live Many Births Mercifully'. Hoewel Saaedi aardig van start gaat in het tweede deel, hervalt hij ook hier in dezelfde fout. Vooral 'For Kurt, The King Without Crown' is een kleine misser, door de weinig originele imitatie van rockabilly (denk maar aan de arthouse film 'Roadracers' van Robert Rodriguez). 'Unknown Red-Skirt Girl, Who Vanished Before My Eyes in 1995' herstelt enigszins het evenwicht met een geweldige pianomelodie die een aantal keer in de compositie terugkeert. Hoewel Saaedi hier met schoonheid afsluit, hebben we toch het gevoel dat er meer uit het originele idee valt te rapen. Het beluisteren en beoordelen van 'Human Encounter' komt op het einde neer op de volgende vraag: is de waarde van een album gebaseerd op het aantal goede ideeën of het uiteindelijke resultaat? 'Human Encounter' bevat een karrenvracht aan kleine, gedenkwaardige elementen, maar slaagt er niet in om uit te groeien tot een begeesterend album. Het instrumentale opzet is onvoldoende om als brug te fungeren tussen zijn levensverhaal en zijn muziek. De grondstoffen zijn aanwezig, alleen is het resultaat niet helemaal wat we gehoopt hadden. 'Human Encounter' kan gekocht worden via de website van Salim Ghazi Saeedi. Human Encounter Review, "Psyche Music", Gerald Van Waes, Nov 2011 [permalink]http://www.psychemusic.org/IRAN.html#element117 The new album is made under the solo name of Salim’s own name. Except for the intro, which is like a dramatic introduction somewhat classically inspired in composition (gothic keyboards and electric guitars), most of the album is a bit more into jazz inspirations played by drums, piano and double bass only. The second track holds the middle between contemporary classical ideas and jazz with an interesting complexity, this thorough understanding of this kind of combinations shows itself more often, but it is especially on the 11th track where the contemporary vision meets jazz very well in a more complex control over the composition. Of course some of the Persian influences seep through, the grooves and progressions are mainly jazz inspired. The foundation of themes reveal a hopeful but saddened,
disappointed vision of the human race and its tendencies to name
good and evil only to misunderstand it further and increase the
amount of destruction. At the same time all that is to survive
longer, the creative capacities are from a human nature as well. The
album is divided in that way in a thematical dark and bright side. Human Encounter Review, Music Street Journal, Issue 85, Gary Hill, Dec 2011 [permalink]http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=103266 In some ways Iranian Salim Ghazi Saeedi’s previous disc was more purely progressive rock oriented. Of course, that said, a lot of it fit in the chamber music territory. This one is far more jazz oriented. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to put this in as jazz rather than prog. But, for my money fusion and progressive rock are virtually the same and given his position in the prog section of MSJ, I’m including this one there, too. Of course, it doesn’t matter what you call it. This is a tasty instrumental disc. Track by Track Review Human Encounter Prologue [NORWEGIAN] Human Encounter Review, MerlinProg, Ulf Backstrøm, Dec 2011 [permalink]http://www.merlinprog.com/asia.htm Musikk fra Iran er ikke akkurat noe som det florer av på disse sidene, men multiinstrumentalisten Salim Ghazi Saeedi er unntaket. Bak seg har Saeedi tre skiver med bandet Arashk og et soloalbum som han kalte «Iconophobic» som behørig og positivt ble omtalt på disse sidene. På ” Human Envounter” står Saeedi for all instrumentering, komponering, arrangering, miksing, produsering osv. V kan selvsagt bare svakt ane hvilken ekstremt formidabel oppgave slikt må være, og best av alt er at alt slitet på et vis har betalt seg! Årsaken er at dette faktisk er et bra album med mye musikk som er høyst interessant og velspilt. Saeedi sound har blitt sammenliknet med musikere som Mike Oldfield, Enid, Univers Zero, Patrick O'Hearn Art Zoyd, John Zorn, , Sufjan Stevens og Harmonie Magazine #70 sammenlikner gitarspillina med Robert Fripp. Om denne skiva sier Saeedi at fra han gjorde sin entre på jorden i 1981 har han nødvendigvis ufrivillig kommet i kontakt med menneskeheten. Det har vært en blandet opplevelse og med ikke for mange lyspunkt og desto flere mørkladne og ekle opplevelser, og derfor er skiva delt i to deler. En del som reflekterer de mindre hyggelige og deprimerende opplevelsene, og en del som tar for seg de behaglige opplevelsene. Altså en ”Dark Side” som reflekterer vonde opplevelser, og en ”Bright Side” som reflekterer hyggelige opplevelser, og egentlig så speiler jo dette de fleste menneskers liv. I bunn av musikken ligger som oftest Saeedi sine Iranske røtter mens det er rimelig ofte en kledelig særpreget og progga avantgarde jazzrock som vi får ta del i på ”Human Encounter”. Skiva er på så lite som 33,19, men det føles ikke slik og låtene er jevnt over også korte, men det som skal utrykkes kommer frem uten unødvendig brodering. Som for eksempel på den fine låten ”Lonesomeness” som er en kort og konsis låt som er temmelig rolig men likevel uttrykksfull og med mye spennende på agendaen herunder nydelig bass- og pianolinjer hver for seg og i samklang. En fin samklang og vekting er det også mellom Saeedi sine preferanser for rock, avantgarde kammermusikk og fusion. En slik vinkling gir dynamikk og ok variasjon og når så også det hele som oftest farges med arabisk folklore så blir det et fyldig verk. Fullt så bra liker vi ikke de programmerte trommene, men desto bedre liker vi dette verkets varierte atmosfærer og ikke minst konsise og talende uttrykk. Hør bare på låten ” Sadistic Teacher” som forteller om en av de mindre hyggelige av undervisningpersonalets hærskare av mer eller mindre menneskelige utøvere. Fra den mørke siden av liv dukker også ” You Many One Devils” hvor det er mye rikelig med følelser, frådende galskap og fuzzdelikatesser! Mer harmoni er det fra den lyse siden av denne skiva, og rett så sneisen og med iransk folklore i starten er ”For Eugene Distilling The Delicacy” som er en hyllest til maleren Eugene De Blaas med gitaren som den mest aktive musikalske pensel! Kort men direkte vakker og lekker er ” For Ali, Who Does Live Many Births Mercifully ”, mens vår favoritt er nok hyllesten til Kurt Cobain, ” For Kurt, The King Without Crown”. I sum er dette ei skive som en får lyst til å høre på flere ganger, og som byr på mye spennende musikk som absolutt vil falle i smak hos alle som liker musikk med egenart. Rått innovativt er det ikke, men Saeedi evner å holde på lytteren skiva gjennom med sine mange fascinerende og fungerende ideer. Kanskje kunne skiva hatt godt av enda noe tid i Salim Ghazi Saeedi sitt musikalske snekkerverksted og eventuelt kunne det vært mer ”luft” i musikken og mulighet for refleksjoner under ferden, men det er på mange måter pirk på ei meget ok og vellykket skive. Human Encounter Review, JazzWax, Marc Myer, Jan 2012 [permalink]http://www.jazzwax.com/2012/01/weekend-wax-bits-1.html Increasingly, the rock and jazz that's coming from young musicians is intensively collagist, with single songs changing themes and genres multiple times, as though someone were slowly 618R7DMgPvL._SL500_AA280_turning an FM radio dial. I suspect that this new restless movement is to some extent influenced by the electronic multitasking and highly distractional desktop world in which young people grew up. One such artist who is breaking new ground is Salim Ghazi Saeedi, an Iranian avant-garde guitarist and composer. (Yes, it's hard to believe they let him play this stuff over there.) His fifth album, Human Encounter is divided into a "dark side" and "bright side." The music is as intense and complex as urban alleyways, and rich with Persian rhythms and brooding rock-Shostakovitch shadows. You'll find this one at iTunes and Amazon. Human Encounter Review, Mały Leksykon Wielkich Zespołów, Artur Chachlowski, Jan 2012 [permalink]http://www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7599&Itemid=26 Salim Ghazi Saeedi, irański muzyk wpisujący się w nurt rocka progresywnego, wydał swój piąty album zatytułowany "Human Encounter". Jest to album konceptualny z historią opartą na osobistych doświadczeniach z życia artysty. Większość utworów jest poświęcona wydarzeniom z jego życia lub postaciom, które nienawidzi lub też uwielbia. Oto „słowo wstępne” autora: „Gdy przybyłem na Ziemię w 1981 roku, niechcący wszedłem w kontakt z ludzką rasą. Z wyjątkiem kilku przyjemnych spotkań, pozostałe odebrałem jako ponure i gorzkie. "Human Encounter" jest moim pamiętnikiem z tych spotkań”. Album został podzielony na dwie kategorie: "Ciemna strona" odzwierciedla gorzkie doświadczenia. Salim: „Zauważyłem, że ludzie mają tendencję do nazywania wszystkiego po imieniu i później tego nie rozumieją. Zatem nie obchodzi mnie, co faktycznie mogą rozumieć przez słowo takie jak "zło", ale bez wątpienia ludzie sami są głównym źródłem terroru, bólu i zniszczenia na Ziemi. "Jasna strona" odzwierciedla przyjemności, na które natknąłem się na tej planecie. Twierdzę, że nie ma żadnej przyjemności na Ziemi bez czynnika ludzkiego, więc odpowiednie utwory są dedykowane poszczególnym ludziom. Oczywiście na pierwszy rzut oka Ziemia wydaje się fizycznie pociągająca, ale są to tylko tymczasowe jej właściwości. Tylko to, co człowiek tworzy, jest nieśmiertelne. Teraz, gdybym miał opuszczać tę planetę, brakowałoby mi kilku osób, takich jak ci, których wymieniłem w "Jasnej stronie"... Innych może pochłonąć otchłań czasu”. Niedawno opisywaliśmy na naszych łamach poprzedni krążek Salima pt. „Iconophobic”. „Human Encounter” nie różni się od niego w znaczący sposób. Też składa się z krótkich, trwających zazwyczaj nie dłużej niż 4 minuty, instrumentalnych tematów z pogranicza rocka, jazzu i awangardowej muzyki eksperymentalnej. Nierzadko bardzo trudnych w odbiorze i bynajmniej nie nadających się do lekkiego, łatwego i przyjemnego słuchania. Nie polecam więc tego albumu tym, którzy chcieliby się przy „Human Encounter” zrelaksować. Ten mroczny album prowokuje raczej do myślenia, analizowania i skłania do próby podążenia za pokrętnymi pomysłami autora. W tych próbach można nieraz się pogubić. Salim każe odbierać wypełniającą go muzykę z dużą dozą cierpliwości. Tylko wielokrotne przesłuchanie tej płyty (skądinąd dość krótkiej – tylko 33 minuty) daje nadzieję na poznanie wszystkich wypełniających ją sekretów i niuansów. Ale i tak wcale nie ma gwarancji, że uda się je odkryć wszystkie. Lecz nie znaczy to wcale, że to złe czy nieudane wydawnictwo. Trudne – tak. Wymagające skupienia – tak. Ale i niebanalne. Ambitne i poruszające. Human Encounter Review, Sea of Tranquility, Steven Reid, Nov 2011 [permalink]http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=11883 Human Encounter is the quick fire follow up to last year's Iconophobic from Iranian multi-instrumentalist and avant-garde, art-rock composer Salim Ghazi Saeedi and much as its predecessor did, this album blends disparate sounds and ideas into uncomfortable and challenging music. The theme of Human Encounter is exactly that, with the first six songs reliving some of Saeedi's unfavourable encounters with our species, while the second six recount the more positive human experiences. That said the difference between both sections isn't actually strong enough to be felt musically, without actually referring to the track listing. As before Saeedi handles all of the instruments himself and while that means all too obvious drum samples, it does give this stark, dark music a remarkably personal feel, almost as though the composer is baring his soul through his music. That said, the lack of collaboration also does mean that in places Human Encounter is an album which can at times lose its way, with some ideas not seen through to their conclusions and as mentioned the complete lack of light to contrast against the perpetual gloom. Saeedi does though have an innate ability to convey the emotions that are in his heart through the music he writes, with the impressive, if challenging arrangements also bring a wealth of atmosphere. Picking out individual tracks to illustrate this album is a tough task, as it undoubtedly works best as a continuous, if rather short, listening experience and I'd go as far as to suggest that taken in isolation the songs actually lose their ability to make sense.Darkly uncompromising and intentionally unsettling, Human Encounter is a an album that needs many listens to unveil its inner secrets and while in places it does verge on being more impressive than it is enjoyable, the little intricacies and excellent musicianship do keep you coming back for more. Human Encounter Review, Ragazzi Webzine, Volkmar Mantei, Dec 2011 [permalink]http://www.ragazzi-music.de/salimghazisaeedi11.html Bot Salim Ghazi Saeedi seine letzten Alben unter dem Namen Arashk
an, so steht nun passend und selbstbewusst sein Name auf dem Cover
der CD. "Human Encounter" hat zwei Seiten, die dunkle und die helle
Seite, beide jeweils 6 Songs lang, insgesamt beläuft sich das neue
Album auf 33 Minuten. English Translation of last paragraph: Almost thriller-like the songs evolve through lascivious heights
and dark depths, live through fascinating dynamics and through
energy that seems to have dropped in from out of nowhere. When
listening to "Human Encounter" you get the feeling of falling from a
roof during a dream. Human Encounter Review, Background Magazine, Pedro Bekkers, Jan 2012http://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/QLinks/SalimGhaziSaeediHumanEncounter.html Some musicians make it easy on me to review an album, but sometimes I receive a record about which it's rather difficult to write a decent review. That's certainly the case with Human Encounter, an album by the Iranian (!) musician Salim Ghazi Saeedi. First of all I have to say that I respect the fact that he sticks to his own style of music by creating a complicated kind of progressive music not very common in that area. On his website his music is compared to King Crimson and even Frank Zappa. To me the only resemblance with these artists is the improvisation and the use of odd rhythms in the songs, but he never meets the same high standards. Reading the inside of the CD-cover almost gives me the creeps; I can imagine life in Iran is tough, but this reads like he was writing a suicide note. So much negativity towards life itself makes me feel a bit sorry for him. On the other hand this could be a political statement to bring back the focus of life in Iran. I hope for the latter option. Human Encounter is an instrumental album on which all instruments are played by Saeedi. The emphasis is on the keyboards - mainly piano- and guitar with some percussion and drums underneath. The album has been divided in two parts: a dark side and a bright side. This would mean that the compositions on the bright side must be predominantly cheerful, but no, all tracks are dark, moody and very complex. Sometimes it seems as if parts of a song don't fit together. But maybe that's the experimental element in the music. Personally I think the atmosphere is far too negative; he even dedicates the song Sadistic Teacher to his fourth grade teacher; that may say enough. Highlight on the album is For Eugene, Distilling The Delicacy where hints of Arabic music go together with instrumental experimental fusion. Human Encounter is an album that has been composed by putting a lot of ideas and parts of music into each song that sometimes don't fit together. If the basic ideas would have had the time to grow, the album would have been much more coherent. I guess there was no more time to develop the songs, as Salim Ghazi Saeedi stated on the cover: 'now as I am departing this planet, I will only miss a few people like those I named in the 'bright side. Let the others putrefy in the abyss of time..' **+ Pedro Bekkers (edited by Peter Willemsen) Human Encounter Review, Strutter Magazine, Gabor Kleinbloesem, Feb 2012http://www.angelfire.com/ma/strutteraor/HOTNEWREVIEWS179.htm Definitely not something one receives every day, because the CD ‘Human encounter’ by multi-instrumentalist SALIM GHAZI SAEEDI comes straight out of Tehran, Iran! Music has no borders and one can hear that on this album, because we can hear the highly gifted musicianship of one man, SALIM GHAZI SAEEDI. He delivers here a good instrumental complex Progressive Rockalbum that mixes influences from current modern day progrock of the PORCUPINE TREE kind with some Arabic traditional music, ending up sounding quite original. 12 songs are included and although the music is not going a very heavy direction and also the drum programming is a little bit hard to accept sometimes, for a musician from Iran playing this western based music (although combined with eastern influences) it is a very interesting album to check out. In fact, Salim managed to play and record everything on his own and as a big admirer of World Music as well, he could easily be featured in this Dutch TV Program called ‘Vrije geluiden’ at: www.vrijegeluiden.nl/ but in the meantime, check out his music at: http://www.salimworld.com/ Human Encounter Review, Luna Kafé, Tim Clarke, Feb 2012http://www.lunakafe.com/moon189/ir189.php For the most part dominated by the interplay between piano, upright bass and drums, punctuated by occasional ecstatic bursts of electric guitar, Human Encounter is a thorny jazz-rock release by Iranian musician and producer Salim Ghazi Saeedi. It is perhaps best compared to the more abstruse corners of King Crimson's discography, but without the fireworks and melodic beauty that make Fripp and Co's best work really come alive. Saeedi's presentation of the 'dark' and 'bright' sides of human nature in the two distinct halves of the album stirs up some interesting themes - especially with vivid song titles such as "Sadistic Teacher" and "Lustful Feast Of Flesh" - but it unfortunately proves rather stilted in execution. Ultimately, I can't discern much of a difference between the two halves in terms of feel. Not having other musicians to play off means that Saeedi's performances end up sounding rather robotic, each part interlocking without generating the sparks that can arise from the co-mingling of different musical personalities. Plus, there are some dubious sounds here, especially on sound-collage "Human Encounter Prologue", and the synth trumpet that pops up towards the end of "For Kurk" is unforgivable! While I applaud Saeedi for the vision, instrumental skill and occasionally inspired songwriting required to assemble this challenging suite, ultimately it proves too much of an awkward prospect for me to continue attempting to unravel. Human Encounter Review, Progressive Newsletter #74, Volkmar Mantei, Feb 2010 [permalink]http://www.progressive-newsletter.de/pnl74.htm
[ITALIAN] Human Encounter Review, Arlequins webzine, Francesco Inglima, Feb 2012 [permalink] http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/alfa/corpo.asp?ch=4973 Si può suonare progressive anche nelle sue forme più avante senza
esserne coscienti? ità e voglia di far musica che lo rendono unico ed
appassionante. Human Encounter Review, Vital Weekly #821, Dolf Mulder, Feb 2012 [permalink] http://vitalweekly.net/821.html Fromm the beginning it is evident that Iranian multi-talent Salim Ghazi Saeedi has a love for progressive rock and avant rock produced by bands like Univers Zero. No idea if progressive rock is of any importance in countries like in Iran. In that case Saeedi may be an outspoken exception. ‘Human Encounter’ is his second solo album. ‘Iconophoci’ his first solo album dates from 2010. Earlier he released albums with his band Arashk. The pieces on this new album are divided into two sections: a dark side and a bright side. He reflects on encounters in his personal life with fellow human beings. On the bright side he dedicated his compositions to persons. On the dark side pieces carry titles as ‘Lonesomeness’ and ‘City Bombardment’. A concept album so to speak, on which Saeedi again proves himself to be a very capable composer in Rock in Opposition vein. Everything is played by himself: guitars, keyboards, samplers (drums), etc. Because of this the music does not breath as it would when played by a band. It is the same experience I had with his first solo album. Nonetheless I had a good time with this album. Although 12 pieces are on this album, it works as one giant composition in different parts. His pieces are thoroughly composed and arranged. Saeedi understands his craft. Musically his work fits perfectly in the tradition of Henry Cow, Univers Zero, 5uu’s or X-Legged Sally. No doubt Saeedi has access to this kind of music. I can’t say Saeedi opens a new chapter in this line. But for sure does not simply repeat the past, but he is able to construct some very tight and well-thought compositions in this line. His music has potential and it is well-crafted. Can’t wait to hear more of this guy. (DM) [DUTCH] Human Encounter Review, Peter van Haerenborgh, Progwereld, Mar 2012 [permalink] http://www.progwereld.org/cms/recensies/album/salim-ghazi-saeedi-–-human-encounter/ Het is nog niet zo heel lang geleden dat ik de Iraanse muzikant Salim Ghazi Saeedi leerde kennen via mijn recensie van “Iconophobic” hier op onze eigenste Progwereld. Toen was het voor mij nog erg verbazend om überhaupt een progmuzikant te vinden in Iran, en al zeker geen avant-prog muzikant. Maar toch was hij er en heeft hij met het vorige album enorm weten te verrassen. Bijgevolg heeft hij met zijn muziek toch een plaats in mijn proghart weten te veroveren. Met dit nieuwe album gaat onze sympathieke Iraniër persoonlijker dan ooit te voren, want zoals de titel, “Human Encounter” al zelf zegt, gaat dit album inderdaad over zijn ervaring met mensen. En zoals vaak in het echte leven waren er voor hem positieve en negatieve ervaringen. Daarom is ook dit album in twee delen verdeeld: de ‘duistere’ en de ‘lichte’ kant. Een alleraardigst idee om een heel album rond te maken. Ook is het leuk om te zien hoe de kijk van een niet-westerling kan zijn en hoe hij dit in instrumentale nummers vertaalt. Door deze tweedeling in thema’s zien we ook in de muzikale uitwerking dezelfde tweespalt terug. De ‘dark side’ zoals Salim Ghazi Saeedi dit zelf noemt, heeft een iets zwaardere, donkere ondertoon terwijl we dan natuurlijk net het omgekeerde zien bij de andere kant, de ‘bright side’. En ondanks mijn voorkeur voor de vaak donkerdere bands in dit genre moet ik zeggen dat het net dat tweede gedeelte is dat mij het meest boeide. Doch is die donkerdere kant qua onderwerpen ook best boeiend, zeker wanneer we de onderwerpenkeuze bekijken. Zo is You Many One Devils een nummer opgedragen aan heersers van het verleden, heden en de toekomst: erg interessant wanneer we even aan de politieke situatie van Iran denken. In die context kan ook City Bombardment, een nummer over de bombardementen in de oorlog tussen Iran en Irak in 1980, gezien worden. Terwijl in het tweede gedeelte Salim Ghazi Saeedi eerder een eerbetoon brengt aan zijn helden en voorbeelden. Muzikale voorbeelden zoals Ali Moini, Thelonious Monk en natuurlijk Kurt Cobain. Maar ook acteur Jeremy Brett en kunstenaar Eugene de Blaas krijgen een nummer aan hen opgedragen. Vooral bij Eugene de Blaas vond ik dat toch eerder verrassend, want ik heb nooit geweten dat hij ook in Iran bekend is geweest. Wanneer we dan weer dieper in de muziek zelf gaan kijken, zien we dat de Iraanse multi-instrumentalist teruggrijpt naar diezelfde muzikale invloeden die we al in zijn vorige album zagen (en die hij toen ook al niet zelf kende). Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, King Crimson, Aranis… Het zijn de usual suspects in dit hoekje van de prog zeg maar. Toch blijf ik het bijzonder vinden, en dat wil ik absoluut nogmaals benadrukken, dat Salim Ghazi Saeedi eigenlijk tot voor de vergelijkingen van de critici nog nooit van deze bands had gehoord. En dat terwijl zijn muziek hier helemaal in thuishoort. Natuurlijk vergeet hij, net als op de voorganger, nergens zijn Perzische roots te benadrukken. In zijn geheel is “Human Encounter” een vrij kort album geworden en dat is voor mij meteen het grootste punt van kritiek op dit album. We zien erg leuke en sterke nummers hier op basis van boeiende ideeën die ook goed uitgewerkt zijn, maar die misschien iets te kort zijn uitgewerkt. Voordeel is natuurlijk wel dat de muzikale ideeën nergens te lang zijn uitgebreid, maar ik denk dat ze toch vaak wat langer kunnen, of zelfs mogen zijn. Ondanks dat kleine puntje van kritiek moet ik gewoon toegeven dat dit een erg goed album is. Salim Ghazi Saeedi blijft verrassen met boeiende, authentieke chamber-rock / avant-prog en dat met een boeiend verhaal achter het album. Aanrader! [JAPANESE] Human Encounter, Too Much Music Stuff, Kazuhiko Shibuya, Mar 2012 [permalink] http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/musicsite/iran/iran.html ☆Salim Ghazi Saeedi / Human Encounter (A "Salim Ghazi Saeedi"
Production UPC : 885767807099) '11
Iconophobic Review, Terrascope Online, Phil McMullen, Dec 2010 [permalink]http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_December_10.htm It is a rare occurence to receive parcels from Iran, but it happens and i'm glad, especially when the music is as inventive and creative as the tracks to be found on “Iconophobic”, the latest album from Salim Ghazi Saeedi. Working in the Prog/experimental arena, the album contains 13 tracks, all of which are beatifully constructed, shades of Zappa, Crimson and Ian Carr, cropping up along the way. With its middle eastern sheen, “And My Heart Aches...” is a haunting piece that is composed with style, whilst the electronic pulse of “Transcend Ecstasy with Ecstasy” relies more on feel than technique, although it is still arranged with great skill. Unusually for this type of music, nearly every track is under 4 minutes in length, meaning there is a great deal of variation in the sounds and textures contained within the excellent disc. (www.salimworld.com) Iconophobic Review, Vital Weekly, #767, Dolf Mulder, Jan 2011 [permalink]http://www.vitalweekly.net/767.html This is the first time ever I review a release from Iran. Autodidact Salim Ghazi Saeedi comes from Teheran where he started playing guitar in 1999 growing up in an environment where any new, western music was hardly available. Nevertheless Saeedi found his way in embracing rock music, as his new record exemplifies. Kurt Cobain was far a long time his musical hero. But in nothing his music now reminds of Nirvana or Cobain. He released three albums up till now albums "Abrahadabra" (2006), "Sovereign" (2007) and "Ustuqus-al-Uss" (2008) under the name of Arashk. For his new one, "Iconophobic", he is composer, guitarist, keyboard player, drums arranger, mixing engineer and producer all at once. So in all respects a true solo effort. And probably for this reason he released this one under his own name. Saeedi has a very intuitive way of composing music, and if you want to put a label on it, progressive music is the most suitable one, according to Saeedi himself. Personally I prefer terms as avant rock or chamber rock music. Anyway, this records woke up many memories of R.I.O.-oriented music. His compositions often have a classical influence that make this music related to the music of Art Zoyd and Univers Zero. The music has from time to time the same darkness as we know from Univers Zero. But in many aspects it is also very different. I think it is hard to pin this one down. Making this instrumental album even more exceptional. No wonder this music also has qualities that make it eastern like in 'Ásiyen'. I think we have an original talent here. His neo-classical compositions are well-structured and original. He is an interesting and skilled guitar player with a very own sound. The balance between guitar and computer generated drums, etc is okay. Well crafted I must say. Alas he has no band around him, as that would make his music more physical. One could not imagine this one comes from Teheran. But probably I have to correct my limited view on what is happening there. Iconophobic Review, Progressor.net, Olav Martin Bjørnsen, Feb 2011 [permalink]http://www.progressor.net/review/sgsaeedi_2010.html Prolusion. Iranian composer and multi-instrumentalist Salim Ghazi SAEEDI first appeared a few years back as one of the core members of the metal band Arashk, which now has a total of four productions to its name. "Iconophobic" is his first solo album, and was issued in the summer of 2010. Analysis. Residing in Iran and creating music is a challenging task. Once one of the most western-oriented countries in the Middle East, with a healthy and growing scene also for western-inspired rock music, the government has since the late 70's moved to create a far more conservative environment, to the extent that a law proposition saw the light of day in 2010 where it was suggested that music in itself should be outlawed. A challenging environment doesn't reduce the creative needs of artists though, but it does make it more troublesome to express themselves. Personally, Arashk is the only band I know of from the country once known as Persia, and their exploits have intrigued me so far. And while in some respects markedly different in expression, this solo debut of Saeedi is another production that has been a most interesting experience. Violin and string arrangements are central features throughout this release, digitally crafted, I assume, but of good quality. Standalone motifs from violin and sometimes cello with symphonic backing are the most common representation of this aspect of the compositions, more often than not in arrangements that for me sound exotic, presumably utilizing movements with more of a basis in Middle Eastern and Persian traditions. Distinctly folk-tinged gentle guitar motifs are another feature that makes frequent appearances, many of which in sound would appear to be performed on a rather different string instrument than the regular guitar I'm more used to encountering, although this could also come down to tonality and compositional traditions rather than different instrumentation. Nevertheless, both these traits add an exotic touch to the proceedings, and in the case of the first of these also a stylistic expression awfully close to chamber rock when seen in the overall context. While the initial description may indicate that this is more of a folk and classical release, that isn't really the case. Bass and drums set up the foundation quite nicely on all these endeavors. In a few instances purebred electronic textures replace these elements partially or in full, crafting a highly intriguing contrast between an industrial sounding rhythm motif and eastern string arrangements. Saeedi also finds the time to incorporate metal-tinged guitar riffs and a few solo runs in most escapades too, further adding to the rich variety of textures with different stylistic expressions and cultural backgrounds. And whether utilizing enthralling repetitions with hypnotic qualities or ever-changing and constantly evolving approaches, these pieces keep a high interest level. At least if you have a soft spot for such a blend of styles and sounds. Personally I'd point out the haunting atmospheres of Give My Childhood Back and the following Breast-Milk as the best among plentiful of strong efforts on this CD. Conclusion. If you enjoy the thought of encountering compositions with distinct influences from the Middle East and Iran, blending classical music, folk music and rock, spiced with a few metal touches, Salim Ghazi Saeedi has created a must-have CD in the shape of "Iconophobic". Always seeking, always adventurous, experimental and challenging, his creations may not be the most mainstream-oriented around, but are also far removed from the avant-garde parts of any musical universe. Highly recommended, particularly to an open-minded art rock audience. Iconophobic Review, Roman Midnight Music, Aaron Joy, Mar 2011 [permalink]http://romanmidnightmusic.blogspot.com/2011/03/salim-ghazi-saeedi-iconophobic.html I won't lie & say that when Salim Ghazi Saeedi's music came to me I was immediately intrigued because I never get any submissions from Iran & I'm like many others in the world who have heard about the influence that rock music has on people, in an almost mystical way, in the Middle East who suffer under musical & cultural censorship. Luckily SGS's music held up to my microscrope being interesting & unique & I was happy to request a promo copy of Iconophobic, his debut solo release following three albums with his prog-rock band Arashk. This collection of thirteen original instrumentals, combining only guitar, keyboards & some occasional sound effects, has been compared to King Crimson guitarist/frontman Robert Fripp & the comparison is not for nothing ... though John Zorn's movie soundtracks works as a better comparison to my ears. SGS largely aims not for the standard approach to melodic guitar instrumental songs with riffs, layers & distorted solos, though they do make an appearence (for example "Asiyeh" & "Give My Childhood Back") but more for a meandering journey of guitar-focused instrumental landscapes that are anything but riffs & include symphonic violin-sounding keyboards, acoustic piano, light percussion & hand clapping. It's as if he walked through his town in Iran & make songs up based on what he was seeing, which might not be so far from reality. There's overly dark songs such as "The Songful Song Of The Songbirds" which is a representation of iconophobia itself or the hatred and/or fear of religious art that are digging into the uncensored alleys of the city, while the opening "Composer's Laughter" with its synthesized orchestra background is indeed an autobiographical meeting of personal demons with loving laughter, to the whimsical "Don't You See The Cheerful Rainbow" that's reminiscient of kids playing in a park with no worries. There's a level of improvisational feeling here as though SGS is allowing the city to take him where it musically will. Though, this is a concept album eliciting a pyschological story of alienation so the city is a muse not a controlling entity. To this end SGS doesn't limit himself to songs that feature a repeating steady drumbeat in 2/4, verse/chorus/verse/chorus format or even a typical rhythm-melody-harmony relationship. He lets the soundscape travel where it will to go with delightful originality as the scenes in his iconophobic movie progress ... as if this really is a soundtrack. Movies don't have characters repeating the same lines & actions over & over so why should the music do that?Iconophobic Review, Harmonic Lizard, Todders (Adrian Jones), Nov 2010 [permalink]http://harmoniclizard.com/?q=node/587 Iconophobic is an instrumental concept album on “fear of the world of imagery”, composed and performed for electric guitar, bass and synthesizers by Salim, hiring various elements of classical, electronic and progressive rock music to communicate artist's extreme feelings: Satire, bizarre phobias, ecstatic joy and embryonic love are themes of this daydream... “Pictorial rock”, Salim says “is a term I use for my music that is usually based on series of mental images, a nightmare or maybe dreams of a sound sleep..." In this regard the album is accompanied by visualizations. “... However that as a listener, you have to wait for the pictures to materialize in your mind!” Salim adds. I have included the above paragraphs from the official press release just to give a flavour of the albums content and help you digest the review in a bite size piece. The albums running length in total is just over 37 minutes and contains 13 tracks with none of them extending over 3 ½ minutes. When reviewing instrumental albums it can also be very difficult to convey the atmosphere present during a recording as it is a vital ingredient but I will attempt to do that as best as I can. We begin with “Composer`s Laughter” and we are immediately taken into what seems a rather dark place with a menacing piano and orchestral sound bites. It is a very dramatic opening and as the track progresses you are taken off into a strange world with some hope given right at the end of this piece. A quirky opening few bars and we are invited once again into the world of “A Satire On Hell” it contains a short burst of guitar before it continues it almost military beat with more orchestral fills and effective keyboard and bass lines. The guitar dominates the unusual sound bites and complex patterns of this piece. It is strangely addictive but I can`t explain why. “And My Heart Aches Like 100 Aching Hearts” erupts with some sound fx and a huge guitar sound which then moves into a pulsating hypnotic rhythm before more keyboards and very effective ambient sounds begin to dominate. The track then goes full circle before it close with more questions than real answers. A very crisp bass line opens up the next track “Asiyeh” which is complimented by a very distorted guitar and atmospheric keyboards and a low percussion backing which lays very low in the mix. Clapping hands direct the rhythm of this piece along with dramatic swathes of piano bring it to a finish. Another sinister opening to “The Songful Song Of Songbirds” before it gallops off with very light but quickly played percussion into a more melodic but still very quirky and eccentric time signatures. Some excellent guitar playing with some hard hitting riffs and greatly to the structure of the composition before the doom laden piano returns for a very quick appearance. The bass guitar finishes the track with another fine performance. “Transcend Ecstasy With Ecstasy” opens up with a lot of electronic percussion and a heavy bass driven synth, this continues the length of the track and is very effective in providing the track with its identity. There are numerous sound effects which you will have to listen for in the background and as with all of the tracks so far repeated listens will reward you with a greater understanding of the sonic landscape that has been unfolding. The excellently named “Don`t You See The Cheerful Rainbow” begins with a very cheerful few opening bars before it is calmed with additional instruments added to the mix. There are some superb orchestrated moments peppered throughout the song with a number of different time changes and even a telephone. The bass guitar and percussion really work as one on this track and are the highlight for me. “Music Is Haram” sees Salim at his best I feel, it contains all the best parts of his song writing skill and playing really conveys the ambience and subtleties that the track titles hint at. Dramatic stabs of piano a haunting guitar sound all combine and provide a real feeling of him being at one with his music. Another haunting beginning with very moody orchestrated keyboards opens “ Dance In Solitude” and yet again we have numerous time changes within this song, you seem to at points understand where you think the music will take you but just as you do it goes off on a musical journey with you trying to catch up. With such a dramatic title of “Eternal Melancholy Of Loving Women” you would expect maybe a slow ballad or a tale of lost love forever forgotten. We have violin and piano used very effectively to portray this very short but highly atmospheric cameo I will leave you to decide which one. “Give My Childhood Back” this is probably something we all have said at some point,I am unsure of Salim`s upbringing but I don`t think I would like to be in his world sometimes. It has a very dark undercurrent throughout with a very moody bass line and keyboard fills along with a very crisp sounding guitar, it evokes memories of a far off place. One part mystical, but completely intriguing. A more upbeat opening salvo with a glorious piano section and even more keyboard strings, open up the next track “Breast Milk”. I love the orchestration on this piece. As it opens up you are invited into the more instantly accessible world that this melodic pieces represents. It probably is the most instantly accessible track that you will hear on the album to my ears anyway. We move finally on to the last track on the album “I am Beautiful, Are You Beautiful” it has a beautiful bass line with more foot tapping percussion at its heart initially with some really heartfelt guitar playing adding to the composition without ever sounding overbearing or out of place. It has numerous trademark time changes and some beautiful orchestration yet again with a real hypnotic beat driving it home to the finish. This album really surprised me in its content and the way the quirky time signatures and effects combine to provide a real unique progressive instrumental album. It requires an investment in musical listening time to gain the full effect of this album but for those of you who can manage that you will be rewarded with a rich listening experience. 85/100 Iconophobic Review, Music Street Journal, Issue 85, Gary Hill, Dec 2010 [permalink]http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=102815 Iran might not be the first place you’d think of as a hot bed of
progressive rock. It is the home of Salim Ghazi Saeedi, though. This
release finds him wandering an intriguing path between traditional
progressive rock, chamber music and the sounds of both Djam Karet
and Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. In many ways it would be more natural
to hear this kind of music coming from a French performer than an
Iranian one. Where ever Saeedi calls home, though, the music is
intriguing and never fails to entertain. This cut is very classical in nature. It’s based heavily on piano
and quite chamber music oriented. The latter portions of this short
piece have more rock music built into them. Iconophobic Review, DPRP, 2010, Volume 67, John O’Boyle, Dec 2010 [permalink]http://www.dprp.net/reviews/201067.php#saeedi Album number four Iconophobic by Salim Ghazi Saeedi, someone whom I have never come across before. What’s even more unique is that he is from Iran, which again is not the first place you automatically think of for prog. His other three albums are for the completists out there ’06 Abrahadabra, ’07 Sovereign, and ’08 Ustuqus-al-Uss in the band Arashk. Saeedi has been compared to the likes of Univers Zero, Art Zoyd, John Zorn, Patrick O’Hearn, Mike Oldfield and The Enid; although with this release I certainly don’t hear any of the last two. The literal meaning of Iconophobic is to have an extreme hatred, dread or fear of images, so as an album title it was something that really caught my attention and intrigued me. Iconophobic is a concept album about fearing the world of imagery. Has that grabbed your imagination yet? Saeedi quotes that "I don't know if it is really a psychological problem but I liked the idea of morbid alienation toward images, icons and in general, reality." Has he grabbed your imagination yet? If the answer is no now, then you are probably not going to be interested in this album; but at least go to his MySpace page and give him a listen, you just never know. On further investigation, Saeedi presents a mix of avant garde, electronic, experimentation, jazz fusion and Middle Eastern sounds mixed into most of the instrumentals presented, being an album that really does require some work. This is not an immediate album by any stretch of the imagination, in fact after many listens; you still have to work with it, but it still makes this such an intriguing album. I am not too sure as to whether Saeedi is being clever for the sake of being clever, because at times this does sound too clever for its own good. From the instrumental titles, you can certainly see that this is going to make you think, especially when you read the subtext to the title, which is what makes me think that this at times is too clever for its own good. A few good examples of this would be Breast-Milk (When you feel insecure and naked) or Composer’s Laughter (A rival between million hopes and one guffaw)? One thing for sure though is that I do like what has been recorded musically, but is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. There are some very interesting approaches, punctuations of electronics mixed in with some interesting sounding guitar work, some stunning bass and drum interaction which never really takes centre stage; in fact this is true about all of the instrumentation work. The tracks don’t flow as such, what they have been though is meticulously put together, as Saeedi is not afraid of experimenting, creating a proficient use of soundstages. The standout tracks for my money are Don’t You See The Cheerful Rainbow?, Music Is Haram, Eternal Melancholy Of Loving Women and I Am Beautiful, Are you Beautiful?. All which feature some nice time changes, being peppered with some nice orchestration. You need to tread carefully if you are entering the Iconophobic world of Salim Ghazi Saeedi. You have been warned. Conclusion: 5 out of 10 Iconophobic Review, ProgNaut , Lee Henderson, Oct 2010 [permalink]http://prognaut.com/reviews/salim-ghazi-saeedi.html These 13 compositions by Salim Ghazi Saeedi are a nice collection of very interesting mix of progressive electronic rock and avant garde classical chamber on keyboards, guitar, and strings with some effects and rhythm machine ( which at times sounds very much like real percussion ). The first thing I noticed is there is not a dull moment on the disc. With just under 38 minutes to do 13 songs, you might imagine the ingredients are very rich and plentiful. I was kept surprised throughout my first listen and more intrigued and very much at attention by my third listen to ‘Iconophobic’. I am curious to know who all Salim has listened to in his life. As I hear so many sounds ranging over the likes of Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, David Bedford, Richard Pinhas, ZNR and Mecano ( a lesser known Dutch band from the 1980's that began more new wave but then evolved to a brilliant semi industrial neo classical pop unit ). Salim was born in Iran in 1981 and at age 29, he sounds much more adapt to the French/Belgium electronic progressive rock school of the 70's that stand up so well to this day. This is actually his 4th release, as he played in a band called Arashk on the previous three releases. This CD sounds like a complete band and Salim plays all the instruments, records, mixes and produces it himself. You do hear the definite eastern sound mixed in with most of his songs. At times the guitar comes off a bit trippy while bringing in that Iranian mode but never ever takes center stage. He also uses the lead guitar with the more glissando fuzz ( like Steve Hillage ) in a couple of pieces. His classical influence is very strong on the majority of ‘Iconophobic’, however there is even a strong jazz fusion cut that comes in the middle of one of those classical dominated compositions. The listener is really served quite a variety of textures and finely crafted songs throughout. I was both surprised and pleased with this entire recording. Iconophobic Review, Sea of Tranquility, Steven Reid, Sep 2010 [permalink]http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=9689 Salim Ghazi Saeedi is an Iranian composer who has previously released three albums under the name Arashk. This time however Salim has not only used his name for the CD, but also written, performed, recorded and mixed every note on this disc. There's no pretending that Iconophobic is an easy ride - that gently (or not so gently) political album title really gives a strong indication as to Saeedi's motivations behind his music. There are no vocals on the album, in fact the harsh laughter that opens the album is the only human voice anywhere to be found. However the song titles and the one sentence descriptions of them that can be found in the CD insert leave no doubt that Iconophobic is a strong statement from Saeedi on life in his home city of Tehran. For example "And My Heart Aches Like 100 Aching Hearts" is described as "When I realised that man's inner being is retarded", whereas "Dance In Solitude" portrays "The final resort to eternal loneliness of mankind is dance... In solitude". It all may sound very hard going, and in truth Iconophobic can be just that, however if you can devote forty minutes to immerse yourself in Saeedi's claustrophobic visions, then the clipped stark electronic beats that form such an integral part of these songs do begin to release their grip on the varied, yet themed melodies and arrangements. A mixture of clean, sparse guitar and atmospheric keyboards take us on an oppressive journey through some harsh, yet alluring songs where synthesized strings carry much of the basic melodies, with some piano, and the odd distorted guitar chord breaking up the odd time signatures and angular themes. There is little in the way of "release" on this album, with Saeedi more than happy to allow the tension to build and build in a way that conveys his frustrations very effectively. Never quite progressive in tone, the phrase art-rock would be a better description for what is a remarkably uncomfortable and minimalist set of songs. When I say minimalist, that doesn't mean that there is little going on, in fact the arrangements can be quite dense, but the overall impression is of an aching emptiness. Equally challenging and beautiful, Iconophobic is definitely not an album for all occasions, however if you are in an introspective, melancholy mood, then it is a welcome and revealing companion. Iconophobic Review, Aural Innovations #42, Carlton Crutcher, Jun 2011 [permalink]http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue42/salim.html Instrumental progressive rock from Iran, Salim Ghazi Saeedi is an Iranian composer who also plays the instruments, records and mixes them, designs the artwork, publishes and promotes the CD's and designs/handles the website. COMPOSER'S LAUGHTER: So far so good, odd symphonic music, now a clock ticking. A SATIRE ON HELL: Circus music with drums, yes, what does it all mean? In the liner notes Salim explains "Philosophy... refers to incessant posing of questions that have no answers."... but there is some wacky Zappa-esque guitar. AND MY HEART ACHES LIKE 100 ACHING HEARTS: Funky pop soundtrack music, pleasant and interesting so far. ASIYEH: Guitar song, some nice playing and production, it's hard to categorize this music, it sounds somewhat dated like from the late 80's/early 90's but also sounds kind of original. THE SONGFUL SONG OF SONGBIRDS: It's obvious Salim has a good sense of humour with these titles... cool murky sound... how can I say anything bad about Iranian rock?!?! Actually this is my favorite track so far!! TRANSCEND ECSTASY WITH ECSTASY: Some funky techno muzik, kind of a cool track, not the Zappa guitar so much! DON'T YOU SEE THE CHEERFUL RAINBOW: Back to the nutty zany Zappa sound, not really my thing... now the phone ring, this is soooo Kraazzyy!! MUSIC IS HARAM: Doomy techno rock, not bad, kinda cool. DANCE IN SOLITUDE: More pleasantness, this is probably very different for Iran?!? GIVE MY CHILDREN BACK: Now there's someone knocking at the door, pretty crazy or pretty scary!!!??! BREAST-MILK: Yeah, breast milk music, about time! Groovy keys and drum machine! Promising, if Salim keeps developing along these lines he could really do something. I AM BEAUTIFUL, ARE YOU BEAUTIFUL?: Why yes I am Salim and thanks for asking. Iconophobic Review, Leicester Bangs, Rob F., Jun 2011 [permalink]http://www.leicesterbangs.co.uk/jun11-3.html I don’t get to hear much Iranian prog rock, and I can hardly state that the situation’s been rectified simply because I’ve obtained a copy of Salim Ghazi Saeedi’s “Iconophobic” CD - but I do feel like I’ve made a solid start. I don’t know too much about Saeedi, or the Iranian prog ‘scene’, or even if one exists, but if this excellent collection is somehow representative, there’s a whole Western World missing out on something quite captivating. Saeedi has fused symphonic rock with something foreign and unfamiliar, and the only record I can think to compare it with is Anne Dudley and Jaz Coleman’s “Songs From The Victorious City”, in the same way it so successfully merges two traditions. Of course, like all proper prog records, “Iconophobic” has a concept. The album, which is wholly instrumental, has been written from an infant's point of view. The result is complex and riveting rather than childish, with mostly just guitars and sweeps of electronica providing resonance. It does include some beautifully evocative titles with sounds to match. “A Satire On Hell” relies on stuttered percussion, Eastern groove and almost metal strings. “Asiyeh” wouldn’t sound out of place on an Ethiopiques compilation – until the rock guitar kicks in, and “Breast-Milk”, about nakedness and insecurity, is paranoid and fearful, with dark piano chords scattering trepidation and dread. Iconophobic Review, ProgSnobs, Aaron Weiss, 13 Dec 2010 [permalink]http://www.progsnobs.com/music-reviews/salim-ghazi-saeedi-iconophobic/ Iconophobic is an instrumental album that is far more focused than most releases by self-produced individual artists, yet each of its compositions offer unfocused melodies that appear to be controlled chaos to your ears’ benefit. The album never gives you cheap thrills that you would expect and the short songs often have a feel of jamming to them, despite their construction being that of one person, Iranian musician Salim Ghazi Saeedi. The first two songs offer the listener a clean and simple way to enter into Saeedi‘s musical world, particularly with the ultra short “Composer’s Laughter”, which features moments that captures the song’s namesake. “The Songful Song of Songbirds” has the jam feel to it, praise for a one-man operation. “Don’t You See the Cheerful Rainbow” has a playful and slightly humorous quality to it. Iconophobic could be a solid creative force if a live group of musicians performed the song, live shows could prove to be very powerful given these songs’ missing dynamics that often leave the tracks flat against the speaker. The ambient soundscapes have cinematic melodies that have this psychological thriller ideal to them. Tracks, so brief, most of the time they run right into each other. Each track changes melodies and focus so often, that without looking at your player’s display, you’d think that one song could go on forever. Each song changes keys, time signatures, and melodies so often, it is as if the composer founds hundreds of small moments of eureka, and could never stick with just one riff at a time—supporting my opinion that Iconophobic is a collection of thoughts and musings of a talent practicing musician. Has an early Porcupine Tree (On The Sunday Life, Up The Downstair) feel to them, but as if the composer bi-polar tendencies. Iconophobic‘s offerings make so many abrupt changes that often the moments worthy of celebration, pass and leave the musical narrative, more often than not, never to return again, as if they never existed at all. The mix is adequate, cleverly laying tracks down to create a jam-feel as stated before but missing the dynamic space necessary to power the heaviest and most intense moments—the moments that create urgency and a propensity to grab you as the music insinuates. Iconophobic, beyond a collection of thoughts and musings by a sole composer, is an album with moderate replay value, a great disc to be played to clear and challenge the mind. Iconophobic Review, Spiritual Prog, Oct 2010 [permalink]http://honorinformation.com/virtuosity/reviews-General.htm#saeedi If you are looking for some truly exotic instrumental progressive rock, then look no further than the new release by Iranian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Salim Ghazi Saeedi, Iconophobic. Equal parts fusion, classical, heavy rock, and Persian -- orchestral, whimsical, and intricate come to mind when describing this new CD. The self-taught Saeedi from Tehran, Iran, is equally adept on the keyboard or guitar, and is reminiscent of a Middle Eastern Mike Oldfield. Iconophobic is his first solo album. He previously composed and released three other albums with his band Arashk: Abrahadabra (2006), Sovereign (2007), and Ustuqus-al-Uss (2008). Using sampled strings, hand claps, bass, keyboards, programmed drums, and electric guitar, and sound effects, Saeedi has woven an intricate and colorful musical Persian tapestry. Highlight tracks on Iconophobic include the upbeat Asiyeh (watch his really cool video of the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVxvXmENcbE), the driving Songful Song of Songbirds, the discordant Music is Haram (some Muslims believe music is a sin (haram), and in fact Iran’s president banned Western Music), the lovely Dance in Solitude. Iconophobic is vibrant and refreshing, making a fine soundtrack to whatever you are doing. Sound samples and other information are available on Salim’s website: http://www.salimworld.com/ Iconophobic Review, The Progressive Rock Files, Jerry Lucky, Mar 2011 [permalink]http://www.jerrylucky.com/shorttakereviews_004.htm Short Take Review: Salim Ghazi Saeedi – Iconophobic (2010 Independent Recording) There’s not much Progressive Rock coming out of the Middle East which is why this CD is going to stand out. Iconophobic is an instrumental concept album created by multi-instrumentalist Saeedi who’s based in Tehran, Iran. This is his fourth CD in a career that dates back to 2006. There are 13 tracks, most of which are in the three-minute mark, Each track comes off a little quirky, with many minor notes and chords cascading over keyboard strings or a flurry of distorted guitar notes is interrupted by some ethnic styled percussion or clean surf styled electric guitar layered over jazzy piano runs. One moment the music is upbeat and playful and the next it’s haunting and dissonant. It’s a fascinating and accomplished set of music that goes from being slightly symphonic, to trance, to ambient and then to something more jazzy and improvised. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. This is a very adventurous and experimental recording that will have instant appeal to fans of electric chamber rock. Check out more at www.salimworld.com Stave Magazine's Review on Iconophobic, 2010 by Christy Claxton [permalink]http://www.stavemagazine.com/?section=press It's been awhile since I heard from Salim. We fell out of touch like internet friends and associates will do. But falling out of touch with Salim is different than falling out of touch with a musician who lives in L.A. or Paris. Salim lives in Tehran. I was introduced to his music and his budding insight four years ago when he contacted me on MySpace. At that time, I thought he was a brave soul to play such raw, progressive rock music in a country known for its rigid moral laws. He was a young man who had come by some tapes of Nirvana and other western music, fallen in love with it, and along with a couple other guys, created his own rock expression. As we exchanged emails, I came to understand that the American view of Iran is not representative all Iranians' reality. Salim is an intelligent, thoughtful, middle of the road guy just digging some good rock music. What made him so endearing to me was his love of the story of Babel. He wrote to me that after the destruction of Babel, there was only one common word left among the people: Abrahadabra. Music. So we don't live in similar cultures, but we share music. In fact, all peoples of the world share understanding through music. Now, fast forward to today. Salim has released fourth body of work. Instead of a collaborative effort that includes his band, Arashk, on album number 4, it's all Salim. He's taken it into the studio to create and release a one-man piece of art. And let me tell you! It is ART. It is a musical dialogue from the front lines of one of the most enigmatic countries in the world as told through the creative spirit of a young Iranian man trapped in oppression he can't freely overcome. It is the psychological fear, rage and pain of a manufactured culture that has crushed the beauty of one of the loveliest, most significant cultures in the history of the world. Salim brings it to the rest of the world with “Iconophobic.” I love the title of the album because my visuals of Iran are that of posters and paintings of clerics and leaders and anti-American murals. But the title also stirs my own distaste for iconography. ...bumper stickers that push skewed politics, religious statues of the tortured Jesus that are meant to make me feel like shit, flags, flags, flags, billboards of impossibly beautiful and perfectly manufactured men and women pushing the consumer public to buy whatever it takes to be perfect. So like music, the human race holds iconography in common. We let it lead us and crush us. I think this is what Salim's body of work means to me. It is a concept album in the highest order. It mixes classical, rock, jazz and Persian music to create a mish mash of pain, longing and anger. You have to turn it on and listen to the whole thing to really get it. The music swirls with the suggestions of cartoons, circuses and total multi-media sensory overload. This is a stream of conscious story without words. An agitated desire for truth played against the sounds of combat and world culture. It's as if Salim tuned into some world satellite and channel surfed the entire planet in search of an escape from the smoke and mirrors of religious and political control. The audiophile will call this “experimental” rock, but there is something much more profound at work here because the artist doesn't have the open freedom to explore his rich psyche out in the open. There are no words to taunt the establishment, but a seasoned listener will hear the message loud and clear, sit back and smile at Salim's triumph. Only serious audiophiles need to go here. “Iconophobic” will inspire the listener the way Kurt Cobain inspired Salim. Without information freely given, the visceral heart of the creator will serendipitously change you. [GERMAN] Iconophobic Album Review, Babyblaue Prog, Siggy Zielinskim, Oct 2010 [permalink]
http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/album_10981.html "Iconophobic" ist die erste unter dem eigenen Namen veröffentlichte CD des Iraners. Davor hat er drei Alben unter dem Bandnamen Arashk veröffentlicht, die er auch im Alleingang komponierte. "Iconophobic" ist eine interessante Tüftler-CD für alle Freunde des variatonsreichen Kammerprog geworden. Das zwischen sehr authentisch und mechanisch agierende Schlagzeug wurde nicht gespielt sondern programmiert, deshalb gehören abgehende Grooves nicht zu den stärken dieser Veröffentlichung. Dafür erwartet den Hörer durchdachtes und reges Zusammenspiel zwischen elektronischen Keyboards, Piano, Gitarre und diversen virtuellen Instrumenten, darunter Geigen, Cello und Oboe. Die zuletzt genannten setzt der Musiker wiederholt zu einem virtuellen Ensemble zusammen. Mit seiner Ein-Mann-Band führt der Künstler auch Abstecher in Bereiche wie Fusion/Jazz-Rock und orientalische Musik aus. Aus der Not eine Tugend machend, bedient sich Salim Ghazi Saeedi in einigen Stücken rein elektronischer Rhythmen. Ziemlich originell wirken auf mich Momente, in denen das Kammerrock-Ensemble von dezenten elektronischen Rhythmen begleitet wird. Die Stimmung der Stücke bleibt meist düster, von einigen eher romantischen Kammerrock-Passagen und vergleichsweise lockeren Fusion-Ausflügen mal abgesehen. Wer gerne Formationen wie Univers Zero, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic und Art Zoyd hört, wird von "Iconophobic" nicht enttäuscht sein. [GERMAN] Iconophobic Album Review, Progressive Newsletter #70, Volkmar Mantei, Nov 2010 [permalink]
http://www.progressive-newsletter.de/index.htm?/pnl70.htm
[GERMAN] Iconophobic Album Review, Rezensator.de, Marcel Peteroff, Nov 2010 [permalink]
http://www.rezensator.de/saeedi_iconophobic.htm Iconophobic ist das vierte Album des iranischen Musikers Salim Ghazi Saeedi. Das Album erschien im Jahr 2010. Genau genommen ist es das erste Soloalbum von Salim, denn zuvor erschienen drei Alben als Bandprojekt unter dem Namen Arashk. Iconophobic ist ein rein instrumentales Album. Nach Aussagen des Künstlers handelt es sich um ein Konzeptalbum, welches sich um die Ängste der imaginären Welt dreht. Der Titel bezieht sich auf die Angst vor Bildern - im übertragenen Sinn meint Salim hier wohl mentale Bilder bzw. Bilder, welche in Träumen und Albträumen entstehen. Salim ist Jahrgang 1981 und stammt aus Teheran. Rockmusik stellt im konservativen Iran auch heute noch keine Selbstverständlichkeit dar, eigentlich wurde Rockmusik lange auch als etwas kulturfeindliches (oder sollte man sagen regimekritisches?) angesehen. Auch heute hat man es als Rockmusiker nach Aussagen von Salim im Iran schwer. Der Markt für Rockmusik ist praktisch kaum entwickelt, man erhält als Rockmusiker kaum Unterstützung. Seine Musik wird im Iran wohl auch kaum angehört. Die Frage des Vertriebs iranischer Rockmusik scheint dabei lt. Salim im Onlinezeitalter kein ganz großes Problem darzustellen. Nach seiner Meinung stellt die Promotion das größere Problem dar. Salim muss sich wohl um alles selbst kümmern In einem Interview sagte Salim einmal, dass Musik in seinem Elternhaus keine Rolle spielte. So begann er erst mit 18 Jahren Gitarre zu spielen. Salim ist, nach eigenen Aussagen, in jeder Hinsicht Autodidakt. Die Frage nach Einflüssen ist bei so einem Künstler schon interessant. Man geht immer davon aus, dass diese aus dem Prog- oder Avantgarde Bereich stammen muss. Saeedi bezeichnete in einem Interview aber Sinead O'Connor, Kraftwerk und Thelonious Monk als große Einflüsse. Außerdem nennt er den Oud Spieler Munir Bashir aus dem Irak als wichtigen Einfluss. Das überrascht schon, zumal man bei Saeedi eine gewisse Nähe zu Progacts der 1970er aus dem französischsprachigen Raum vermuten könnte. Saeedi spielt auf dem Album vor allem die Gitarren und Keyboards selbst ein. Der Rest scheint mehr oder weniger programmiert bzw. gesampelt zu sein. Dabei klingen die Drumsamples relativ organisch, aber der Drive natürlicher Drums fehlt logischerweise. Die Streichersamples klingen gut. Saeedi legt eine Sammlung recht kurzer Kompositionen vor. Die sind, bemessen an dem Genre, sehr kurz gehalten. Salim bezeichnet seine Musik als bildhafte Musik. Sie basiert nach seinen Aussagen auf einer Serie von mentalen Bildern, manchmal aus Erfahrungen nach Albträumen oder normalen Träumen. Von daher macht diese Serie an kurzen Eindrücken natürlich Sinn. Über die gesamte Länge wirkt das Album nie langweilig, ganz im Gegenteil. Die Songs wirken sehr kurzweilig - manchmal dürften die Ideen gerne länger und ausführlicher dargestellt werden. In den Songs spannt Salim den Bogen von der Klassik über nansoRock und Jazz-Fusion bis hin zu avantgardistischen Motiven. Natürlich kommen auch Motive aus seinem Kulturkreis nicht zu kurz. Die Gitarre klingt oft fuzzy und hat einen Ansatz, wie man ihn auch von modernen heavy-orientierten Gitarristen kennt. Iconophobic ist ein interessantes und vor allem vielschichtiges Album. Saeedi hat sich einige recht interessante Drumsamples zusammenprogrammiert, welche die Songs rhythmisch meist sehr pulsierend wirken lassen. Er scheut keine Dissonanzen und setzt so immer wieder scharfe Kontraste zu eingängigen Parts. Langweilig wird das eigentlich nie. Wie gesagt, hätte ich mir bei manchen Songs etwas längere Ausführungen der Ideen gewünscht. Aber insgesamt liefert Salim Ghazi Saeedi mit Iconophobic ein gutes Album ab. Sehr empfehlenswert. [GERMAN] Iconophobic Album Review, Ragazzi Webzine, Volkmar Mantei, Oct 2010 [permalink]
http://www.ragazzi-music.de/salimghazisaeedi.html Der 1981 im iranischen Teheran geborene Salim Ghazi Saeedi legt
mit "Iconophobic" sein in 5 Jahren bereits viertes Album vor, die
ersten drei, 2006 bis 2008 veröffentlicht, spielte er mit seiner
Band Arashk, deren Songs er überwiegend komponierte, ein.
"Iconophobic" enthält auf der einen Seite typische progressive
Motive und Klangmuster, auf der anderen Seite sind folkloristische
Typica zu hören, wie sie ihm ins Blut und die Sozialisation gegeben
sind, alsdann elektronische Sounds, die im (programmierten) Rhythmus
und in der Klangtapete der Songs zu finden, die das Schmiermitteln
sind, die Kupplung, die asiatisch-iranische Folkloremuster mit
westlicher Rockmusik vereint. Salim ist ein geübter Gitarrist mit
einiger ausgefallener Handfertigkeit, der sein Instrument
eindrucksvoll zu spielen weiß und dabei eine interessante Prägung
hat. Seine Kompositionen beweisen Kenntnis orientalischer wie
populärer Musik. Obwohl alle Songs eher wie Produktionsmuster wirken,
die ein Vertreter einem Verkäufer vorlegt, um zu beweisen, wie gut
seine Werkstatt diesen Werkstoff anzufertigen in der Lage ist, sind
es doch die fertigen Songs, deren instrumentaler Aufbau in ihrer
Verspieltheit unfertig und wie ein Traumbild wirkt. Beeindruckend,
wie der sich alle musikalische Kunst im Selbststudium beibringende
Salim Komposition und Arrangement flicht und Songs bastelt. [GERMAN] Iconophobic Review, CrossOver Network, Bürgerlich Roland Ludwig, Feb 2011 [permalink]
http://www.crossover-agm.de/cdSaeedi10.htm Aus Ländern außereuropäischer Kulturkreise erwartet man in der
Musikwelt heutzutage in der Regel Kopien afroeuropäischer
Musikstilistik oder aber das Entwickeln völlig eigener Systeme bzw.
das Erschaffen von originellen Mischungen dieser originären Systeme
mit afroeuropäischen Elementen. Salim Ghazi Saeedi nun bringt auf
seinem vierten Album das Kunststück fertig, vordergründig keine
Elemente seines heimatlichen, nämlich des persischen Kulturkreises
zu verwenden, aber trotzdem den gängigen afroeuropäischen
Erwartungshaltungen nicht zu entsprechen. Gängigen
Songwritingformeln gehorcht keines der 13 Instrumentalstücke, die
nichtsdetotrotz aber mit klassischer Rockinstrumentierung, also E-Gitarre
(häufig auch unverzerrt), E-Baß, Drums (hier computergeneriert) und
Keyboards mannigfacher Klangfarbe, umgesetzt werden. Das Ganze muß
man sich, nicht zuletzt aufgrund des fehlenden Gesanges, dann eher
so vorstellen wie den Soundtrack zu einem imaginären Film, und der
kämpft mehr oder weniger gegen sein eigenes Problem an, wie der
Albumtitel verdeutlicht: Ikonophobie heißt bekanntlich soviel wie
Bilderfurcht, und die kann neben realen Kunstwerken (dann hätte der
Begriff beispielsweise eine religiöse Komponente und wäre im Iran
angesichts des geltenden Bilderverbots im Islam wahlweise als
stromlinienförmig oder, was aufgrund der quälenden
Auseinandersetzung wahrscheinlicher ist, als subversiv zu deuten)
auch die Bilder im Kopf betreffen. Die jeweils ein- bis zweizeiligen
Kommentare zu den Stücken im Booklet lassen die letztgenannte
Variante als die wohl eher zutreffende erscheinen, auch wenn sich
"Music Is Haram" in seinem Kommentar deutlich äußert: "Some people
believe that creating and listening to music is sin." Um die
Tragweite und Sprengkraft dieses simplen Satzes in ihrer ganzen
Ausdehnung zu verstehen, muß man um die Situation der iranischen
Musikszene, besonders der stilistisch eher westlich orientierten,
wissen, aber auch mit nur einer Ahnung davon zieht man schon den Hut
vor Salim, der sich allerdings auch scheinbar unverfänglicheren
Themen widmet. Auch hier lauern allerdings bisweilen doppelte Böden,
beispielsweise in "Transcend Ecstasy With Ecstasy" oder gleich dem
Intro "Composer's Laughter", das mit tiefen Klavierakkorden und
einem Streicherüberbau noch alles offenläßt, was musikalisch dann in
den knapp 38 Minuten zu erwarten ist. Und in der Tat wird's
bisweilen neoklassisch, bisweilen jazzig, ab und zu ansatzweise
rockig ("The Songful Song Of Songbirds") und im erwähnten "Music Is
Haram" dann richtig subversiv: Etwas Neoklassik, ein paar
Countryanklänge (!), ein größerer Haufen Jazz und ein fast
industrialrockiges Zwischenspiel mixen so ziemlich alles, was die
Obrigkeit im Iran nicht so gerne hört, und so endet der Song dann
auch in der Katastrophe, nämlich einer Tonstörung. Freilich: So
richtig zum Genießen ist das größtenteils nicht, was Salim hier so
von sich gibt, aber es schadet ja durchaus nichts, wenn man beim
Musikhören auch mal seinen Denkapparat einschaltet. Musikalisch
werden sich wohl am ehesten Freunde Frank Zappas angesprochen fühlen,
zumal auch Salim von Haus aus Gitarrist ist und zumindest hier und
da spürbar von diesem Instrument aus denkt, wenngleich er es nicht
in jedem Song einsetzt. Ob seine ersten drei Alben, die unter dem
Banner der Band Arashk erschienen sind, auch schon so klangen, ist
dem Rezensenten nicht bekannt; jedenfalls ist Salim momentan gerade
dabei, eine neue Band zusammenzustellen, um das Material von
"Iconophobic" auch live umsetzen zu können. Da mit Auftritten
außerhalb des Iran aufgrund der gegebenen Strukturlage kaum zu
rechnen sein dürfte, muß man sich, wenn man das als Nicht-Iraner
miterleben will, also selber nach Teheran begeben oder aber darauf
hoffen, daß Salim eine Möglichkeit findet, das Konzert per
Livestream auch ins Netz zu stellen - eine gängige Praxis im
iranischen Musikuntergrund, wenn die Ordnungsmacht mal wieder geruht
hat, ein Konzert zu unterbinden: Die Musiker spielen kurzerhand in
ihrem Proberaum oder einer anderen geeigneten Räumlichkeit, und die
Fans hocken zu Hause vor ihren Rechnern und sehen sich den
Livestream an. Keine ideale Variante natürlich, aber immer noch
besser als gar nichts. Seien wir also gespannt, wie sich die Lage um
Salim weiterentwickelt, und derweil kann man sich ja schon mal
"Iconophobic" und ggf. die drei Arashk-Vorgänger "Abrahadabra",
"Sovereign" und "Ustuqzus-al-Uss" besorgen und seine eigenen
Kopfbilder zu der Musik entwerfen. Nicht gleich kapitulieren, wenn's
beim ersten Durchlauf noch nicht klappt - "Iconophobic" braucht
Reife- und Eingewöhnungszeit, lohnt diese investierte Mühe aber. [POLISH] Iconophobic Album Review, Artrock.pl, Wojciech Kapała, May 2011 [permalink]
http://artrock.pl/recenzje/51271/salim_ghazi_saeedi_iconophobic.html Kolejna biała plama na artrockowej mapie świata wypełniona. Niedawno pisałem o gitarzyście z Indonezji grającym całkiem zgrabne fusion, tym razem mamy multiinstrumentalistę (głównie gitarzystę) z Iranu, który całkiem nieźle radzi sobie w karmazynowych klimatach. Perskie King Crimson? Nie tak bardzo. Wpływ Boba Frippa słychać, nie da się tego ukryć, ale jednak Saeedi jest zbyt inteligentnym artystą, żeby tak beznamiętnie kopiować swojego idola. Słychać też, że to nie powstało w Europie, mimo oczywistych odniesień do muzyki z naszej części świata - zbyt dużo tu elementów z tamtej części świata, co oczywiście wszystko to wzbogaca i urozmaica. "Iconophobic" to zbiór kilkunastu miniatur muzycznych trwających od minuty do nieco ponad trzech. Jest to i zaletą i wadą płyty - z jednaj strony nie sposób się tą płytą znudzić, a z drugiej strony pozostawia pewien niedosyt, bo chciałoby się, żeby niektóre tematy potrwały przynajmniej dwie, trzy minuty dłużej - cholera, zaczął się i nie skończył, urwał się w połowie. Mamy trzynaście utworów. Każdy jest inny, na każdy jest osobny pomysł, każdy jest o czymś innym (przy tytułach zostawiłem krótkie komentarze artysty do każdego utworu), całość trwa nieco ponad trzydzieści dziewięć minut. Mimo zastosowania dość skromnych środków, wcale nie brzmi to biednie, a raczej najwyżej ascetycznie, czy kameralnie – ale wyraźnie jest to działanie zamierzone. Lojalnie i bez bicia przyznam się, że to muzyka z zupełnie nie mojej półki, ale "Iconophobic" jest płytą oryginalną i intrygującą. Sam pomysł, wykonanie - pewien minimalizm muzyczny i jeśli chodzi o rozmiar utworów, jak i też o aranżacje. Nie jestem w stanie tak dokładnie określić na ile mi się podoba, ale mam świadomość, że jest to album wartościowy. Mój gust podpowiada mi siedem gwiazdek, ale moje doświadczenie osiem. PS. Mam wrażenie, że artysta chce więcej powiedzieć, niż może. Może kiedyś się to zmieni. Keep rockin'! [DUTCH] Iconophobic Album Review, iO Pages Magazine #96, René Yedema, Oct 2010 [permalink]
http://www.iopages.nl/archief/io96.html
[DUTCH] Iconophobic Review, Peter van Haerenborgh, Progwereld, Mar 2011 [permalink]
http://www.progwereld.org/cms/recensies/album/salim-ghazi-saeedi-iconophobic/ Stel je voor, je bent Matthijs van Nieuwkerk en je wordt
uitgenodigd om bij ons in België deel te nemen aan het immens
populaire programma ‘De Slimste Mens ter Wereld’ op één. Op een
bepaald moment tijdens de geestige quiz stelt presentator Erik Van
Looy de vraag ‘Wat weet je over Iran?’. Waarschijnlijk zullen de
trefwoorden die deelnemer Matthijs van Nieuwkerk geeft iets zijn als
Perzië, ayatollah Khomeini, islamrepubliek of Ahmadinejad. Eventueel
zal dit door de tegenkandidaten Marcel Vanthilt en Wouter Deprez nog
aangevuld worden met antwoorden als ayatollah Khamenei,
verkiezingsfraude of sjah Reza Pahlavi. Geen van de drie kandidaten,
zelfs niet de muzikant onder de drie, zal het in zijn hoofd halen om
hier ook maar muziek bij te vermelden, laat staan prog (ervan
uitgegaan dat onze kandidaten überhaupt bekend zijn met ons genre).
Een juist antwoord in onze quiz zou dit natuurlijk niet zijn, maar
toch kan ik na het beluisteren van het album dat nu voor me ligt
Iran wél associëren met prog. [DUTCH] Iconophobic Album Review, Prog Opinion, Harry 'JoJo' de Vries, Nov 2010 [permalink]
http://progopinion.blogspot.com/2010/11/salim-ghazi-saeedi-iconophobic-2010.html Salim Ghazi Saeedi is een progressief muzikant uit Teheran
(Iran). Het is opvallend dat de laatste tijd steeds meer albums van
bands en artiesten vanuit dit afgesloten land doorsijpelen. Zo
besprak ProgLog AFTERglow recent een album van Mehran, ook al uit
Iran. Wellicht dat het ruimer beschikbaar komen van internet en van
sociale media als Facebook en Twitter meehelpen het bastion te
doorbreken. Laten we het hopen. Niet alleen omdat een open wereld de
voorkeur verdient maar ook omdat de werkstukken van die artiesten
zeer de moeite waard zijn. Zo ook het album 'Iconophobic' van Saeedi. [FRENCH] Iconophobic Album Review, Harmonie Magazine #70, Philippe Gnana, Nov 2010 [permalink]http://www.harmonie-magazine.com/en/allnumeros.php
La musique de Salim Ghazi Saeedi n’est pas à proprement parler du rock progressif dans le sens où on n’y trouve pas les clichés traditionnels et les références aux ténors du genre. Cette musique est beaucoup plus expérimentale avec des volutes de guitares à la Robert Fripp, des expérimentations sonores et électroniques, des ambiances de claviers mystérieuses. Il n’y a rien de conventionnel par rapport à ce que l’on entend habituellement par rock progressif. C’est un voyage au milieu de chimères musicales qui risquent de séduire les oreilles musicales les plus aventureuses. C’est remarquablement produit et mérite l’attention de tous ceux qui se délectent de sensations musicale nouvelles [FRENCH] Iconophobic, Prog-résiste Magazine #64, Pierre Nanson, Apr 2011 [permalink]
http://www.progresiste.com/issue.php?num=64
Le titre d’abord. Iconophobic renvoie d’emblée à la religion islamique qui proscrit l’utilisation d’images. On devine qu’il s’agit d’une critique à peine voilée de sa condition. Parallèlement à cela, la pochette me plaît particulièrement. Sorte d’iris écarquillé dont le noir donnerait sur une vide spatial, il est superposé à une bande rouge contenant des textes bizarres évoquant peut-être ces bandes de versets coraniques. Le début de l’album surprend d’emblée: sur Composer’s Laughter, on perçoit à peine un petit rire sardonique. Le ton est donné. Les titres et leurs commentaires sont de toute évidence à double sens, voire sarcastiques. Citons The Songful Song of Songbirds commenté par un « aussi connue comme la représentation phobique de l’iconophobie ». Sur cet album assez court et comprenant beaucoup de plages, on passe rapidement d’une expérience à l’autre. On saute du rock à l’électro avec boîte à rythmes sur base de triturations de sons de violons orientaux. On entend bien ces sons graves et dramatiques sur Breast-Milk. Dans l’ensemble, cela sent quand très fort l’oeuvre solitaire ! Bref, il s’agit là d’une plaquette intrigante et déroutante. Même si on parfois du mal à suivre l’auteur dans ses pérégrinations musicales, l’oeuvre reste agréable à écouter. Salim est un enfant du web. Oui! Ceux là qui ont déjà renversé deux dictatures ! Il est paradoxalement bien plus facile de communiquer électroniquement avec lui qu’avec certains groupes. Alors, n’hésitez pas, écoutez-le, parlez-lui, critiquez-le, conseillez-le! [FRENCH] Iconophobic, Music Waves webzine, Realmean, Dec 2010 [permalink]
http://www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=6379 Note : 6.0/10 | Salim Ghazi Saeedi fête ses 30 ans en 2011, et il n’en est pas à son coup d’essai. En 2004, il rejoignait le groupe Arashk - ayant à ce jour 4 albums à son actif - aux côtés de Pouyan Khajavi au chant, basse et guitare, et de Shahram Khosraviani, à la batterie. Il y compose déjà. La musique résultante est à la croisée d’un rock progressif teinté d’accents orientaux (iraniens, plus précisément), de tendances électroniques et d’influences hard et métal. Il serait donc faux de penser que l’essai en solo de Salim s’épanche sur une voie expérimentale, au sens d’une recherche identitaire hasardeuse - comme il sied parfois aux autoproductions basées sur les travaux d’un unique homme orchestre. Oui, la musique d’Iconophobic s’apparente largement au registre (jazz) rock expérimental, mais il est question ici du fondement même des convictions artistiques de ce compositeur, qui échappe à toute classification intrinsèque. L’ouverture de l’album annonce la couleur : Salim est un amoureux des sons. Leur démultiplication et leurs collisions sont à l’honneur. La ligne mélodique, tout simplement inexistante. Ce premier morceau, même s’il est très court, semble prévenir l’auditeur : l’émotion n’est pas à rechercher en son territoire habituel. Et puis, tout doucement, la logique de cette musique devient perceptible. Une écoute attentive va témoigner d’une méthode de création beaucoup plus structurée qu'elle en aurait l'air : un support rythmique et/ou mélodique en filigrane, laissant respirer les expressions d’instruments excessivement libres dans leurs tonalités, leur façon d’être complémentaires ou au contraire antinomiques. Avec Salim, ce ne sont pas les notes qui chantent, mais bien les sons, à leur manière de se répondre les uns aux autres. Tous les instruments ou presque sont présents: la batterie, les cordes, le piano, la flûte, toutes formes de claviers nativement synthétiques, les cuivres d’orchestre, la basse, la (vraie) guitare, pour sa part alternativement rageuse ou poétiquement orientale. Mais n’attendez pas de l’étrangeté de cette atmosphère qu’elle vous révèle trop rapidement l’intégralité de ses secrets : il vous faudra du temps pour descendre un peu plus bas sous la surface. Pour découvrir la jovialité des mystérieux cuivres de "Satire On Hell" (cors ou trombones ?), ou les croisements improbables, et pourtant productifs, de nappes synthétiques glacées et d’accents sonores traditionnels de l’univers oriental, portés par "Transcend Ecstasy With Ecstasy", ou encore, la terreur contenue qui se cache derrière "Give My Childhood Back". Alors bien sûr, il est toujours possible, ici et là, de se demander objectivement ce que l’artiste attend de son auditeur. La réaction émotionnelle directe n’est pas l’objectif à atteindre pour Salim : le credo d’Iconophobic, c’est d’abord d’interpeller, d’intriguer. Une fois cette prise assurée, l’escalade de sa paroi peut révéler d’étonnantes sensations… mais qui n’auront sans doute pas d’homologation universellement reconnue. Pour satisfaire au constat, la notation de l'ovni Iconophobic prendra une demi-teinte. [FRENCH] Iconophobic, Chromatique.net, Fanny Layani, Jan 2011 [permalink]
http://www.chromatique.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2946:Iconophobic&Itemid=12 Ce guitariste iranien, connu pour être l'auteur de plusieurs albums avec Arashk (groupe dont il détient les commandes), propose avec Iconophobic un disque solo assez personnel, plein d'idées et somme toute relativement différent de ses autres activités : moins rock, plus orchestré, plus réfléchi aussi. Les orchestrations d'influence classique, bien que soignées, auraient sonné plus authentiques avec de vrais instruments (sur « Asiyeh » par exemple). Les rythmiques, peu originales souvent, gagnent en intérêt lorsqu'elles se tournent vers des tendances électro (« And My Heart Aches Like 100 Aching Hearts », « Give Me My Childhood Back »). Enfin, les origines de Salim Ghazi Saeedi percent au milieu de cette musique pourtant très occidentale : dans les mélodies ou les intervalles de « And My Heart... » notamment, les traditions persanes viennent s'immiscer timidement, et l'on aurait apprécié qu'elles y prennent plus de place. Les morceaux relativement courts manquent cependant de continuité, juxtaposant de multiples sections courtes et sans réel rapport les unes avec les autres. Dommage, car lorsque le guitariste développe son propos, le résultat est intéressant (« Give My Childhood Back » et « Breast-Milk » par exemple). Ainsi, si Iconophobic souffre d'un manque de moyens certain, avec de nombreux instrument virtuels au son médiocre contrastant avec une guitare très incarnée, et une boîte à rythmes qui aurait pu avoir davantage d'impact, la démarche d'enregistrer un tel disque de rock dans son pays natal reste à saluer quand on connaît le contexte particulier qui y règne, malgré quelques fragilités qui portent une petite ombre au tableau. [FRENCH] Iconophobic, Zicazine, Fred Delforge, Jun 2011 [permalink]
http://www.zicazic.com/zicazine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=8527 Jeune multi-instrumentiste iranien, Salim Ghazi Saeedi n’en est pas à son coup d’essai puisque c’est en s’appuyant sur des influences très larges allant de Jeff Beck à Nine Inch Nails en passant par Nirvana mais aussi Thelonious Monk et Chet Atkins qu’il a déjà produit quatre albums sous son propre nom, ce dernier en date ayant la particularité d’avoir été intégralement composé, interprété et enregistré par ses soins. Devenu guitariste il y a une douzaine d’années après avoir découvert l’histoire de Kurt Cobain, Salim qui venait à peine d’atteindre la majorité a rapidement progressé en intégrant au passage le groupe Arashk avant de commencer en parallèle à voler de ses propres ailes en 2006 avec un premier opus solo, « Abrahadabra », très tôt suivi par « Sovereign » un an plus tard puis par « Ustuqus-al-Uss » en 2008. Les difficultés de l’industrie musicale iranienne en général et du rock en particulier contraindront très vite Salim Ghazi Saeedi et son groupe à mettre un terme à leur projet de studio professionnel et c’est seul et à la maison que l’artiste se fendra donc de cette quatrième œuvre, « Iconophobic », dans laquelle il a su très intelligemment mélanger les racines les plus lointaines du rock progressif avec des sonorités typiquement orientales mais aussi avec une part délicatement mesurée de musiques électroniques, histoire sans doute de s’ouvrir à d’autres publics tout en s’attachant à faire évoluer les traditions. On se retrouve ainsi plongé en plein ethno-prog avec à la clef un très fort bagage rock mais aussi et surtout avec de grandes parties de piano et avec moult arrangements qui permettent d’espérer que les auditeurs les plus ouverts s’intéressent un jour à la culture de l’autre sans la moindre arrière pensée grâce à des titres de la trempe d’un « Asiyeh », d’un « Music Is Haram » ou d’un « Give My Childhood Back ». Pas encore forcément prête pour se lancer tête baissée dans la grande aventure du rock, Téhéran nous dévoile là un artiste progressif des plus prometteurs. Qu’on se le dise ! [ITALIAN] Iconophobic Review, Emanuele Brizzante, Good Times Bad Times Blog, Jan 2010 [permalink]
http://gtbtreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/salim-ghazi-saeedi-iconophobic-salim.html Prima di ascoltarlo ero pregiudizievole, pensavo alla solita
incasinatissima musica mediorientale.Però, dopo pochi istanti dall’inizio, una risata demoniaca mi fa
quasi fare capolino dalla seggiola;
incalzare d’archi, accompagnati da un pianoforte semplice quanto
efficace; entro subito nella sua Gli ultimi quattro brani ritornano dolcemente all’origine con dolci e melanconici inserti di pianoforte sulla solita coinvolgente orchestrazione. Un buon disco, arrangiato magistralmente, forse anche troppo; spesso infatti i contenuti globali effettivi si perdono. Minimalista e psichedelico con influenze classiche. Pecca solamente di un insufficiente originalità; infatti se l’avessi ascoltato senza sapere l’autore, probabilmente avrei detto: carino il nuovo disco di Clint Mansell! Voto: 6/7 [ITALIAN] Iconophobic Album Review, Arlequins webzine, Jessica Attene, Oct 2010 [permalink]
http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/alfa/corpo.asp?ch=4532 Spesso cogliamo del mondo che ci circonda solo gli aspetti negativi, sempre pronti a criticare ciò che non capiamo o è lontano dalla nostra quotidianità, affidando il nostro giudizio superficiale a quanto emerge dalle pagine della cronaca ma ci dimentichiamo che quanto vi è più bello e profondo nell’animo umano riesce a superare ogni confine e riesce a raggiungere i cuori delle persone distanti al di là di ogni preconcetto culturale o ideologico. E’ così che il seme del progressive rock raggiunge i luoghi più remoti del pianeta e quando si parla il linguaggio della musica tutto riesce più facile e siamo in grado di comprenderci senza bisogno di usare le parole, annientando all’istante ogni differenza o ogni barriera che ci separa dall’altro. Salim Ghazi Saeedi è un ragazzo di Teheran, di quella Teheran che vediamo solo attraverso i film di Jafar Panahi o Bahman Ghobadi, leggiamo attraverso la cronaca nera delle rivoluzioni studentesche o attraverso varie altre storie di intolleranza, una terra troppo isolata per essere compresa da noi ma che è fatta da persone che hanno i nostri stessi sentimenti ed i nostri stessi ideali di libertà e bellezza. Questo album è stato realizzato con mezzi poveri, fra quattro mura domestiche. Tutta la musica è stata composta, interpretata e registrata da Salim che suona chitarra elettrica e tastiere e in più cura tutti gli effetti elettronici e anche le trame ritmiche. In realtà non si tratta della sua prima esperienza discografica, visto che questo ragazzo ha alle spalle ben tre album, usciti a nome della sua prima band, gli Arashk, anche se gli ultimi due sono in pratica dei veri e propri dischi solisti. Salim ama definire la propria musica “progressive” perché il suo modo di ascoltare e comporre musica è libero e coniuga stili molto distanti fra loro: “lascia la tua mente libera ed essa diverrà progressive”, scrive egli stesso sul suo sito internet. E direi che questo modo di pensare mi piace molto e si riflette perfettamente nella sua musica che non conosce barriere né ostacoli di alcun tipo. “Iconophobic” è un concept album che parla della paura morbosa verso le immagini e di conseguenza verso la realtà. Il concept si sviluppa attraverso tredici brevi visioni musicali, senza parti cantate. Ma per entrare meglio in sintonia con questo concetto l’autore ha inserito all’interno della copertina del CD un cerchio di parole che recita: "Alas that man was free... When there was no image. Alas that image became a means... for altering the reality. Alas that reality... is itself, an imagery by man." Salim vuole così creare una serie di immagini mentali e bisogna dire che, nonostante l’approccio non sempre lineare, la musica riesce a dipingere perfettamente degli stati d’animo, a volte inquietanti, a volte drammatici, altre volte struggenti. La musica, nonostante la povertà della strumentazione impiegata, ha un approccio molto cameristico ma con delle incursioni sofisticate ed elettroniche. Ascoltate ad esempio “Give My Childhood Back”, un bolero enigmatico e tetro, in cui sembra di sentire dei veri e propri strumenti d’orchestra, con gli archi e strumenti a fiato, il tutto con una base tecnologica e qualche vago accenno orientaleggiante. Ditemi se “Eternal Melancholy of Loving Woman” non è struggente e seducente, con il piano minimale che si intreccia agli archi. In generale tutta la musica ha un approccio minimale e low-fi ma possiamo comunque apprezzare le doti di scrittura di Salim e la sua grande fantasia nel creare immagini sonore e nel fondere stili distanti che si collocano a metà strada fra oriente ed occidente. Vi sono poi pezzi in cui la chitarra elettrica ha un ruolo preponderante ma questa viene comunque sempre inserita in un certo contesto musicale ed utilizzata soprattutto per elaborare frasi melodiche all’interno del tessuto sonoro. L’opera di Salim è decisamente originale e meritevole di essere presa in considerazione al di là dei suoi limiti tecnici e non posso fare a meno di domandarmi cosa mai ne verrebbe fuori se fosse affidata ad una orchestra vera e propria, con l’ausilio di mezzi superiori. Promuovo appieno questo album, nonostante la sua realizzazione decisamente casalinga, e mi auguro che la musica di Salim possa un giorno volare alta, in una versione professionale, grazie magari a qualche collaborazione internazionale. [SPANISH] Iconophobic Album Review, Manticornio, Alfredo TAPIA-CARRETO, Jun 2011 [permalink]
http://www.manticornio.com/rock-progresivo/G/GHAZI-SAFEDI-Salim/iconophobic.php Una vez alguien me dijo que si la música no te movía fibras emocionales, cualquiera que fuera su tipo, entonces era música que carecía de valor y que se hacía sólo para ser popular. Me da gusto decir que el álbum oficial de estudio #1 (ˆ) de Salim GHAZI SAEEDI como solista me movió algunas de las fibras más recónditas de mis emociones musicales, motivo por el cual le concedo un gran valor, aunque para serte franco no es el tipo de sonidos que pondría en mi iPod™… ¿o sí? Vamos a ver. Dice Salim: “en el momento en que salí del vientre de mi madre, lloré. Ahora, después de terminar “Iconophobic” sé por qué. Ese vacío profundo era una realidad que he perdido.” (1), y esa pérdida la quiso recuperar por medio de su música, en cuyo estilo se permite la influencia de los músicos contemporáneos más audaces como UNIVERS ZERO, ART ZOYD, BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC, PRESENT, ARANIS y COS, por referenciar a los que identifico con mayor claridad. Lo que hace más valioso su sonido son las influencias musicales sufi, el sabor medioriental provocador de danzas y de trances mentales a la AHURA. “Guitarras estridentes, instrumentos clásicos, compases electrónicos y hasta efectos sonoros para refunfuñar, llorar las penas, lamentarse y regocigarse muchas, muchas veces” (2) es lo que define al disco, uno que se entiende como álbum conceptual que trata sobre el miedo al mundo de las imágenes. No hay cantos sino sólo música, a veces sintética, a veces orgánica, progresiva en expresión aunque mayormente de vanguardia. En definitiva, «Iconofóbico» no es un disco para mentes alineadas al proyecto comercial. Por ser un disco de vanguardia, casi opositor y con tapiz autóctono y hasta neo clásico, se trata más de un disco para intelectuales aventurados en la música rock culta. Enhorabuena, Salim, gracias por la música y que tengas el reconocimiento merecido. El mío lo tienes. Apreciación personal del álbum, 9/10 (excelente adquisición en géneros determinados). [JAPANESE] Iconophobic, DiskUnion's Progressive Rock Online, Feb 2011 [permalink]
http://diskunion.net/progre/ct/detail/PGL-19441 Iranのテクニカル/Metal FusionトリオARASHKのメンバーとしても活動するギタリスト、'10年ソロ・デビュー作が登場!ARASHKのテクニカル路線から一転、 g/key/electronicsを全編で駆使し、出自であるArab/Orinetal色と、近年のART ZOYD/PRESENT等の影響化にあるSymphonic色も漂わせたDarkかつHeavyなChamber色を融合した、ジャケットの印象そのままのWorld/Ethinic Electro Chamber Rockを展開。programmingによるTraivalなリズムにkey orchetrationやアブストラクトでNoisyかつMetalicなgフレーズが絡みつく中近東/Arab圏ならではのエキゾティシズムに満ちた楽曲/展開が刺激的な秀作。近年の同系バンドに多い重厚さよりも、Solidかつスッキリと洗練された構成/arr.に仕上げられたサウンドも音楽性/作品の魅力を引き出しており、ARASHKとは異なりますが内容的には優れものの一策です!! [FRENCH] Iconophobic, Monsieur Délire, François Couture, Jul 2011 [permalink]http://blog.monsieurdelire.com/2011/07/2011-07-18-daniel-studer-stephen-barber.html Salim Ghazi Saeedi est un guitariste-claviériste iranien. Iconophobic, une auto-production en mode homme-orchestre, propose 13 courtes pièces instrumentales démontrant une influence du rock progressif, filtrée par les musiques classique et populaire du Proche-Orient. Les programmations de batterie sont carrées et artificielles, mais le reste fait preuve d’un talent de mélodiste et d’une belle musicalité. Cela dit, ça me rappelle certaines productions indépendantes des années 90 dans le milieu du rock progressif, et qui ont mal vieilli. Je ne suis pas épaté, mais je reconnais qu’avec de meilleurs moyens, Saeedi pourrait faire mieux. [JAPANESE] Iconophobic, Too Much Music Stuff, Kazuhiko Shibuya, Jul 2011 [permalink]http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/musicsite/iran/iran.html ☆Salim Ghazi Saeedi / Iconophobic (A "Salim Ghazi
Saeedi" Production 番号無し) '10 [POLISH] Iconophobic, Hard Rock Service, Vincent, Jul 2011 [permalink]http://www.rockhard.pl/main/service/salimghazisaeedi/iconophobicrec.html Rzadko zabieram się za recenzowanie wydawnictw z rejonu progresywnego rocka. Jakoś niespecjalnie leży mi ten gatunek. Jeszcze rzadziej docierają do mnie takie płyty jak ta. Dziś prawdziwa bomba: rock progresywny z Iranu. Tak, mnie też zamurowało, że w tamtych rejonach świata gra się całkiem niezłą muzykę. Po kilkunastokrotnym wysłuchaniu zawartości krążka w zasadzie mam tylko jedną uwagę: gdyby tu było jeszcze więcej rocka, a już nie mówiąc metalu, to byłoby naprawdę coś. Bo zapoznając się z płytą odnoszę przemożne wrażenie, że Salim Ghazi Saeedi, czyli szef całego zamieszania, sam do końca nie wie lub może nie umie określić tego, czego on tak właściwie od odbiorcy chce, czego wymaga. Mam też wrażenie, że on chce swoją muzyką wyrazić jak najwięcej tylko... jakoś nie zawsze mu się to udaje. Zapoznając się z Iconophobic byłem pełen podziwu, jak autorowi udaje się mieszać różne gatunki muzyczne w jedną całość. Nie zawsze może spójną, ale mimo to, zawsze interesującą. Jedno rzuciło mi się na uszy: mieszanie bluesowego stylu gry Jeffa Becka ze sposobem wyrażania emocji Roberta Frippa, zapewne znanego niektórym z udzielania się w King Crimson. Do tego śmiałe mieszanie tego z elementami muzyki klasycznej i elektronicznej. Wszystko to zaprawione barwami muzyki z Dalekiego Wschodu. Czasami brzmi to bardzo lekko, jasno i naprawdę bardzo interesująco. Z drugiej strony pełno tu ciemnych brzmień, by nie powiedzieć - mrocznych. By było ciekawiej, dużo tu elementów przypominających to, co robił na swoich płytach Mike Oldfield. Salim Ghazi Saeedi urodził się w 1981 roku w Teheranie. W 1999 roku rozpoczął samodzielną naukę gry na gitarze i komponowanie muzyki. Z zespołem Arashk skomponował trzy albumy: Abrahadabra (2006), Sovereign (2007) i Ustuqus-al-Uss (2008). W 2010 roku wydał swój czwarty album Iconophobic jako jednoosobowy zespół, w którym pełnił rolę kompozytora, gitarzysty, klawiszowca, perkusisty, muzyka miksującego i producenta. Utwory na tym LP są w większości krótkie, choć bardzo nasycone i zróżnicowane. Szkoda, że Salim tak mały nacisk kładzie na brzmienia stricte rockowe. Byłoby miło posłuchać od czasu do czasu mocniejszego uderzenia, te w większości, elektroniczne fragmenty płyty dość szybko się nudzą. Ba, gdyby tu było coś z rejonów metalu, oooo, taka mieszanka byłaby prawdziwym zaskoczeniem. Dać tu proste, ciężkie riffy i żywą perkusję. Reszta niech jest taka jaka jest. Mi to absolutnie nie przeszkadza. Ciekawe, czy Salim w swoich skromnych partiach gitarowych umyślnie czy też może przypadkowo naśladuje tu i ówdzie Jeffa Watersa. Przyznam, że ta lekkość gry na gitarze bardzo mi się podoba. Jednak będąc na miejscu Salima postawiłbym na więcej prostszych brzmień niż na kombinowanie. Nie podobają mi się też te wstawki, zarezerwowane dla Gilmoura i spółki. Te dzwonki czy też brzmienie budzika jak kto woli, wywołały mój niesmak. Muzyka Salima to nie pastelowe brzmienia Floydów i na przyszłość powinien on unikać tego typu zabiegów. Tak samo jak wiecznego improwizowania. Stąd bierze się te wieczne zastanawiania "co autor miał na myśli" grając to czy owo. Ja nie mówię, że to źle. Ale podążając za przysłowiem "co za dużo to niezdrowo". Na następnej płycie, która mam nadzieję jest w przygotowaniu, życzyłbym sobie więcej przestrzeni, namysłu i jakiegoś takiego, hmmmm, "uspokojenia nastroju". Słowem przemyślanej całości. Czegoś, co da się powtórzyć na koncercie, bo ten facet zdecydowanie powinien wyjść ze swoją muzyką do świata. Bo grać potrafi zdecydowanie, a i pomysłów mu nie brakuje. Słuchając tej płyty zastanawiałem się, dla kogo została stworzona. Dla fanów progresji, muzyki klasycznej, muzyki elektronicznej? Nie wiem, chyba dla każdego po trochu. Saeedi umie to łączyć w całość, choć może nie zawsze mu się to udaje. Ja zalecałbym więc postawienie na większą ilość rocka i dopiero to zabarwiać brzmieniami klasycznymi i syntezatorowymi. Gdyby w takim Give My Childhood Back naprawdę się postarać i stworzyć nastrój na miarę szwedzkich mistrzów doom/death/gothic, to byłby prawdziwy hit. Ten utwór jest moim ulubionym, dlatego wymieniam go jako jedynego. Ciekawa płyta, choć zapewne niektórych porządnie zmęczy. Mi jednak podoba się to malowanie dźwiękiem, mieszanie różnych stylów muzycznych i miejscami znakomite pomysły. Jeśli kogoś nie zniechęciłem, to zachęcam do zapoznania się z zawartością tego LP. Iconophobic Review, GEPR, Fred Trafton, Jun 2011 [permalink]http://www.gepr.net/sa.html#SAEEDI Iconophobic is just your plain old dime-a-dozen Iranian RIO music. Say whaaat? Somebody's actually making progressive rock music in Iran? And it's RIO? Well, maybe. I've seen Salim Ghazi Saeedi's solo album compared stylistically to many other bands, and all comparisons fall short. Comparisons to Fripp or Zappa completely miss the mark. Comparisons to Univers Zero or Birdsongs of the Mesozoic are way closer, but still don't give the right flavor. I'd say, "If members of Hamster Theater captured a wandering band of Bible-era Iranian circus performers and forced them to play RIO, then they might sound like this. After about twenty years of practice." A bit too contrived? Yeah, I agree. How about Saeedi's own description? "Avant-garde ancient art rock from Iran"? Right on! What this doesn't tell you is how excellent this album is! The music is instrumental, and Saeedi plays mostly guitar, but also does well on drums, bass, keyboards and violin (unless that's a really well-played violin keyboard sample!). If your tastes run more to Cuneiform, AltrOck or ReR labels than the Sympho or Neo end of the spectrum, then you should be a prime candidate for Iconophobic. But don't be surprised when you also get some Persian-flavored blues or heavy metal passages as well. No need to make any excuses for this album just because it comes from Iran ... the quality of the compositions, the playing and the recording is right up there with anything being made anywhere else in the world. Excellent and highly recommended! Though Iconophobic is the first album for which Saeedi used his own name, he also created three albums under the "band name" Arashk that are essentially all his own work as well. He does have a couple of guest musicians playing on a few cuts, but mostly it's all him. Saeedi sent me a few examples of music from these albums as well. Though they're certainly not bad, they lean more towards the "Persian-flavored blues or heavy metal" end of his spectrum. These, to me, sound like mere rehearsals for the main event, which is Iconophobic. The Arashk material is less experimental and more "guitar hero" oriented. Nevertheless, they are interesting in their own right. But my advice is get Iconophobic first and then the Arashk albums only if you like the samples on Saeedi's web site. [POLISH] Iconophobic Review, Mały Leksykon Wielkich Zespołów, Artur Chachlowski , Aug 2011 [permalink]http://www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6789&Itemid=26 Albumem „Iconophobic” przekraczamy kolejne granice kultur, krajów i kontynentów. Gdyby kogoś spytać o muzykę Iranu, pewnie odpowiedź byłaby jedna: muzyka perska. Bardziej lub mniej sprecyzowana, ale na pewno pełna orientalizmów i niezbyt kojarzona przez wyznawców prog rocka, a na pewno pełna niekoniecznie łatwych do przyswojenia dźwięków. W osobie Salima Ghazi Saeediego spotykamy pierwszego w historii MLWZ „rockmana”, którego płyta „Iconophobic”, acz także pełna trudnych dźwięków, wybiega zdecydowanie poza utarte stereotypy związane z muzyką z okolic Teheranu. Saeedi łączy w swoim instrumentalnym graniu jazz, rock, muzykę elektroniczną i… - siłą rzeczy – muzykę Wschodu. „Iconophobic” to typowa produkcja „self-made mana”, gdyż muzyk ten zagrał na wszystkich instrumentach (głównie na gitarach i syntezatorach, wspomagając się automatem perkusyjnym), a także osobiście zajął się produkcją, miksem i aranżem 13 tematów wypełniających to wydawnictwo. Są to bardzo krótkie utwory, w przeważającej mierze trwające od jednej do trzech minut i układają się one w instrumentalną wiązankę, którą można śmiało określić, jako „orientalne fusion”. Nie jest to rzecz łatwa w odbiorze. Często zahacza o jazz, niekiedy przypomina też postmodernistyczną muzykę klasyczną, która bardziej pasowałaby na Warszawską Jesień niźli do audycji/portalu specjalizującego się w progresywnym rocku. Proponuję zatem odwiedzić profil MySpace artysty i samemu przekonać się o stylu i możliwościach przez niego reprezentowanych. Ale, że warto burzyć bariery, a ambitne produkcje muzyczne – jak widać na załączonym przykładzie – nie znają granic, dlatego też niniejszą płytę Wam opisuję i oficjalnie informuję: witamy Iran na mapie prog rocka! PS. Na koniec niespodzianka z ostatniej chwili!!! Właśnie dowiedziałem się, że Salim uruchomił swoją stronę internetową w języku... polskim!!! Można ją znaleźć pod tym likiem. [NORWEGIAN] Iconophobic Review, MerlinProg, Ulf Backstrøm, Oct 2010 [permalink]http://www.merlinprog.com/asia.htm Salim Ghazi Saeedi har komponert tre album før “Iconophobic”. Alle disse verkene var under bandnavnet Arashk og først ut var “Abrahadabra” som kom i 2006. I 2007 kom så “Sovereign" og “Ustuqus-al-Uss” fra 2008. På denne skiva bruker Saeedi sitt eget navn, og har en rekke roller herunder cover art tegner, komponist, gitarist, miksing, produsering, bassist, keyboardist, trommearrangør, produsent osv . Saeedi sine tre tidligere album har vært konseptalbum, og sorterer stilistisk under progressive rock. Virkemidlene som brukes for å skape soundet er varierte og inkluderer klassisk rock instrumentering, men også elektroniske lyder brukes nennsomt og kløktig. I sum så skaper det et sound som vi knapt har hørt maken til, og så lenge det er både velspilt, flott arranger og med nerve logrer vi villig vekk i pur glede. Seg selv beskriver Saeedi som en evig improvisator som enten opptrer eller komponerer. Vi kan trygt fastslå att denne musikeren er mer en vanelig dedikert til det å skape ny og spenstig musikk da han åpenbart lever og ånder for sin kunst. En kjapp lytt til “Iconophobic” vil fort sementerer akkurat den oppfatningen, å tilkjennegi en artist med integritet og med særpreg i bøtter og spann! Musikken som skiva gestalter er definitivt skrevet med følelse og viser en musiker som har mye å tilby lytterne. Så vidt vi vet bor Saeedi i Teheran i Iran, og fikk som ung smaken på vestlig musikk som blant annet Nirvana. ”Iconophobic” er definitivt av konseptuel støpning, og tilkjennegir en ung mann som har tanker om mangt og meget, blant annet om dette flotte og kulturhistorisk innflytelsesrike landet han bor i. Skiva sitt gjennomgangstema er fobien eller frykten for ikoner, og som Saeedi selv sier er dette muligens ikke en psykologisk lidelse men et glimrende tema å reflektere over! Så vidt vi kan skjønne er lyrikken full av dulgte henvisninger og betydningen finnes best om en leser mellom linjene! Uansett så tar dette verket oss med på en fascinerende musikalsk reise som er mer enn vel verdt å få med seg. Spenningsfeltet som oppstår mellom proglegert musikk og lokal folklore er formidabel å lytte til, og blant annet toppet med Saeedi sin utsøkte traktering av gitaren. De elektroniske stuntene som Saeedi bruker fungerer også meget bra i denne konteksten. Programmert rytmikk er heller ikke her er noe vi synes trekker opp da det motsatte jo heller er tilfelle. Vi velger likevel å se stort på akkurat det i denne sammenhengen og å fokusere på alt som er bra, som for eksempel de velskrevene og ofte subtile låtene. Låter som er melankolsk og filosofisk legert, men som tidvis bærer bud om sol bak skyen og en viss optimisme. Alt på ”Iconophobic” er laget av Saeedi i hans hjemmestudio, og det er en formidabel og imponerende anstrengelse som ligger bak dette verket. Vi er storlig imponert av resultatet, og anbefaler alle å sjekke opp denne dyktige artisten som har så mye å by på. Hør bare på “Music Is Harem” som tar for seg det at enkelte mener at å lage og lytte til musikk er synd! Eller lytt til ”A Satire On Hell” som er en filosofisk betraktning om spørsmål som egentlig ikke har noen svar. Vårt svar er derimot at å lytte til Salim Ghazi Saeedi og hans ”Iconophobic” meget vel kan gjøre noe med deg og er så absolutt et musikalsk verk å anbefale! [ITALIAN] Iconophobic Review, Lo Scrittore Progressivo, Riccardo Storti, Aug 2011 [permalink]© Riccardo Storti http://scrittoreprog.blogspot.com/2011/08/salim-ghazi-saeedi-con-arashk.html Sciolta la sigla Arashk, Salim Ghazi Saeedi prosegue per la propria strada assecondando le intuizioni di Ustuqus-al-Uss verso il suo primo album solistico, Iconophobic. E la strada procede in chiave squisitamente autarchica, visto che il nostro è compositore, arrangiatore, interprete e tecnico del suono. Sempre nello studio domestico a Teheran. Maggiore elettronica, ma più per necessità che non per scelta stilistica. Salim ormai pensa per orchestra ed i suoi brani cominciano a vivere di strutture armoniche e ritmiche più elaborate e attente a sfumature timbriche non limitabili ad indefiniti patch di synth. Ma non può andare oltre. Salim resta isolato, benché Internet sia sempre una bella mano. Qui da noi, il ragazzo avrebbe tanti bei compagnucci di gioco – prima di tutto, un batterista - per realizzare sogni che, comunque, già su CD lascerebbero intravedere pregevoli sviluppi. Lo stesso tratto chitarristico è più meditato, meno affrettato, calcolato e foriero, addirittura, di frammentazioni ritmiche progressive: prendiamo A Satire on Hell (in 5/4), The Songful Song of Songbird, Don’t You See the Cheerful Rainbow? dalle profonde linee frippiane. Linguaggio da colonna sonora in Dance in Solitude, Breast Milk, nella cameristica Eternal Melancholy of Loving Women e nell’etnottronica Give My Childhood Back. Giunti alla conclusione di questa retrospettiva dedicata all’artista iraniano Salim Ghazi Saeedi, è giusto sottolineare come simili compositori meritino sostegno, se non altro per la forza di volontà. E il talento: è in questo caso che dovrebbero subentrare quelle produzioni preposte a valorizzare un musicista. Perché non si può fare tutto da soli. Iconophobic Review, Fireworks Magazine #47, Ian Johnson, Sep 2011 [permalink]
Whilst reading through some posts on a music forum I frequent, I
noticed a message from a guy that posted a topic that said "Music
has no boundaries". Intrigued I read his post a couple of times then
contacted him. It turned out the man Salim Ghazi Saeedi was a
musician from Iran of all places, who had recorded an album of
instrumental prog rock music, that he was keen to tell the world all
about. After some back and forth correspondence between us, Salim
kindly sent me his CD to review, and I'm here to tell you that on
what I would imagine was a very limited budget, he has made
something very interesting indeed. What Salim has come up with is an
album that reminded me of a weird combination of light prog rock
mixed with ambient guitar sounds, that put me in mind of that
wonderful guitar player/musician Scott Mosher and his music. And
although the songs are a little on the short side (for true prog
heads, that is) they do tell you about the interesting story of this
man's musical journey and what he was feeling at the time he
recorded the tracks. [ITALIAN] Iconophobic Review, Rock Impressions, Giancarlo Bolther, Sep 2011 [permalink]http://rock-impressions.com/salimghazi1.htm Noi italiani sappiamo bene quanto sia difficile emergere nel panorama internazionale, ma pensate a quanta fatica deve fare un artista che viene da un paese islamico, non parlo delle resistenze interne, che non conosco anche se posso immaginare ci siano, ma parlo della difficoltà di far conoscere il proprio lavoro fuori dal paese di origine, senza un canale distributivo, senza nessuna forma di pubblicità, ma soprattutto verso un pubblico che storce il naso se il gruppo non è almeno anglosassone. Salim Ghazi Saeedi viene da un posto che abbiamo imparato a conoscere tramite i telegiornali e qualche documentario: Theran, la capitale dell’Iran, l’antica Persia. Per me è una grande soddisfazione che Salim ci abbia onorato del suo cd da recensire e sono molto felice di presentarvelo. Questo artista ha inciso tre album fra il 2006 e il 2008 con il gruppo Arashk (deve essere uscito il quarto album proprio quest’anno), mentre in questo caso presenta il suo primo album solista dove si occupa di tutto il lavoro. Iconophobic è un album di musica prog interamente strumentale, composto da tredici brani tutti abbastanza brevi, quasi un’eccezione nel prog, ma questo non deve trarre in inganno, perché la musica di Salim è molto interessante. Intanto in un contesto propriamente prog rock inserisce elementi di musica araba, dando vita ad un sound molto originale, ma troviamo anche spunti jazz, neoclassici, elettronica, il tutto assemblato in modo personale e fantasioso. Tutti questi elementi rendono il disco di Salim fresco e intrigante, piacevole da ascoltare anche nelle sue parti più sperimentali e complesse, che non mancano di certo. La sensibilità di questo artista emerge con chiarezza e ci fa gustare la sua voglia di ricerca, il suo gusto per le soluzioni inedite, il suo amore per la musica. Se Salim Ghazi non può competere con le ricche produzioni occidentali, questo mi rende ancora più caro il suo disco, che batte molte di queste produzioni sul piano dell’inventiva e della fantasia. Non dico che Iconophobic sia un capolavoro da avere, uno di quei dischi che non deve assolutamente mancare nella vostra discografia, ma di certo è un bel disco che merita attenzione e supporto. GB [Portuguese] Iconophobic Review, Progshine, Rodrigo “Rroio” Carvalho, Nov 2011 [permalink]Salim Ghazi Saeedi é um guitarrista/compositor iraniano especialista em compor músicas sem fronteiras, desligado de qualquer rótulo. Ou seja, prepare-se para encontrar uma miscelânea de estilos e elementos juntos, até então de forma inusitada. Após lançar três álbuns com a banda Arashk entre 2006 e 2008, Saeedi lançou em 2010 este álbum Iconophobic (2010) (já tem outro, inclusive, Human Encounter, agora de 2011) como um projeto solo, aonde trabalhou como compositor, guitarrista, tecladista, arranjador, produtor e engenheiro de mixagem. Interessante notar também, que o site oficial do músico tem versões nos mais variados idiomas, inclusive em português! Mas vamos ao disco. Sugiro que apaguem as luzes, coloquem o fone
de ouvido e deixem apenas a música fluir. ‘Don’t You See The Cheerful Rainbow?’ continua a viagem, com diversas mudanças de andamento nos seus curtos 3 minutos, carregando lentamente para o fundo, até a ótima ‘Music Is Haram’. ‘Dance In Solitude’, novamente teatral, tem uma veia tão forte nesse lado da música que instantaneamente pensamos que ela poderia estar na trilha sonora de filmes como ‘Black Swan’ (mesmo esse já tendo a sua trilha própria), assim como a curta e bela ‘Eternal Melancholy Of Loving Women’ e a sombria ‘Give My Childhood Back’, essa puxando um pouco mais para o lado Rock e eletrônico da coisa. Se considerarmos “Iconophobic” como uma obra única, contando uma “história”, ‘Breast-Milk’ seria o clímax final do filme/teatro, aonde algumas coisas se resolvem (ou encaminham pra isso), encerrando toda a obra em ‘I Am Beautiful, Are You Beautiful?’, quando tudo já está bem, as pessoas sorriem, fecham-se as cortinas e as luzes vão se acendendo por completas e resgatando você do float ao qual foi submetido de volta para a realidade. Salim Ghazi Saeedi cumpre com Iconophobic (2010) uma missão nem sempre bem sucedida por outros músicos: construir um álbum instrumental variado, que hipnotiza quem ouve aos poucos, que ao mesmo tempo consegue transportar para um outro plano de concentração quanto servir de trilha sonora para qualquer coisa que se esteja fazendo. O segredo talvez esteja na facilidade com que os arranjos são absorvidos, por serem simples e com notável feeling, ou seja, sem tentar soar extremamente exibicionismo técnico, mas sim como algo que vem direto do cerne do sentimento. Realmente, é uma belíssima viagem. Iconophobic Review, The Rocktologist, Rok Podgrajšek, Dec 2011 [permalink]http://www.therocktologist.com/ghazi-saeedi-salim---iconophobic.html Salim Ghazi Saeedi had been a member of Arashk before embarking on a solo career. His first solo album is called Iconophobic and will also be the subject of analysis here. You can read the review of his latest album, Human Encounter, HERE. Seeing as it is his first solo album, you might expect a young
musician still trying to find his bearings. And that's exactly what
we get. I think it's commendable that Salim tackles such diverse
genres as jazz, rock, metal, avant-garde, electronic, classical and
Oriental music and often combines them as well. But that's also part
of his undoing (perhaps a bit too strong of a word). If we were to compare Iconophobic to his latest effort, Human Encounter, Iconophobic definitely falls short in pretty much every area. There's definitely a do-it-yourself vibe throughout the record, which I didn't notice on Human Encounter. The keyboards used for the classical instruments sound, well, like keyboards and the percussion (by that I mean drum programming) isn't up to scratch as well. Salim is an excellent guitarist and I often long he would pay more attention to the guitar (and perhaps just piano). As it is, the album sounds a tad naive. Iconophobic is rough around the edges, but just like with any diamond, you have to polish it before it shines. With such an abundance of musical ideas at his disposal, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he unleashes an album that will knock our socks off. 6 out of 10. [ITALIAN] Iconophobic Review, Wonderous Stories #19, Lorenzo Barbagli, Aug 2011 [permalink]http://www.wonderoustories.it/quarantadue.htm
[FRENCH] Iconophobic Review, Highlands Magazine #54, Axel Scheyder, Jan 2012 [permalink]http://highlands.fanzine.free.fr/
[FRENCH] Iconophobic Review, Progressive Area, CHFAB, Apr 2012 [permalink] http://www.progressive-area.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2335&Itemid=2
« Music is resistance ? »
Ustuqus-al-Uss Album Review, Gnosis2000, Richard Poulin, Jun 2011http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/arashk.htm Ustuqus-al-Uss is the third instalment by Arashk, a group from Iran whose mastermind is guitarist extraordinary Salim Ghazi Saeedi. I had been completely enthralled, exhilarated, no, plain dumbfounded by their first album, Abrahadabra, which is still to me the Ultima Thule of instrumental progressive metal. Abrahadabra not only revealed to the world the incredible resourcefulness, creativity and originality of Saeedi, but presented a truly novel blend of Near Eastern folk music and the best that progressive metal has to offer. The result was an incredibly exciting collection of thermonuclear explosions of totally unreal guitar shredding with all the delights of the 1001 nights woven into the tiny spaces of silence left by the formidable wall of sound erected by Mr. Saeedi. Nothing less, and run to get it if not done already. Your heart will only function better after :-) I was expecting Arashk to have pushed further in the direction of that Western metal/Persian fusion with Ustuqus-al-Uss, which means something like “Pour the alchemy of soul into cauldron”, and presents itself as a mini-suite completely written and (almost) played by Salim Ghazi Saeedi, who is Arashk now, really. As with all man-orchestra suites that I know (think Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield), Solitarily Speaking Of Theoretical Confinement (Ron Jarzombek), etc.), the end result suffers from the fact that most, if not all musicians, may shine on brightly with one instrument (Saeedi’s forte being of course the axe), but manage to exhibit more or less important shortcomings when playing instruments with which they are less proficient. Such shortcomings translate most of the time by obvious limits in the orchestration, even though the execution is clean and flawless per se. And that’s what I think makes Ustuqus-al-Uss a worthy, but less consistent effort. Let’s see in more detail what the final result turned out to be. The album can be envisioned as a poem in music consisting of 9 strophes. Now, one has to be aware that Persian poetry (written in Farsi) is exceptionally rich and beautiful, and this one makes no exception. It starts with a most classical symphonic prelude, “Out Of Silence The One Ran And Returned”, starting on a martial speed evoking Holst’s Mars (of Planets and In the Wake of Poseidon’s fame), that then washes away on a quieter shore with grave piano, in the same solemn vein, and concludes with a masterful use of keyboards to simulate solo and symphonic violin sounds that work very well. Immediately, we know we are in for something very different from Arashk’s first. Abrahadabra was really an exquisite program of Persian Gulf shredding from hell with a clear sonic unity centered on Saeedi’s mind-bogglingly hyperkinetic guitar and his incredible creativity at infusing the very basis of Near-Eastern music into the structures of speed metal, together with an amazingly keen ear for highly melodic riffs. The title piece, “Ustuqus-al-Uss al Avvalin val Akharin”, is a totally maniacal, super-high-octane nuclear shredding bomb that leaves the solemn, majestic, symphonic intro, and takes off without warning, almost reaching the speed of light in a fraction of a second, leaving the listener listless and in total awe at Saeedi, the Master of Speed Axe. Later on, the dialog between the fiddle parts (played quite convincingly with synthesizers) and the electric guitar reproduces surprisingly well the exchanges between the kamancheh (a sort of violin) and the tar, so typical of Persian folk dance music. “Ustuqus-al-Uss...” is truly the piece de resistance, together with its splendidly Univers Zero-ish intro. In fact, “Ustuqus-al-Uss...” equals anything on Abrahadabra in terms of diabolical energy and fireworks, and I would almost say it even surpasses it. Salim Ghazi Saeedi is simply, in my view, the nimblest and most inventive speed freak guitarist of our times, and by far. What distinguishes Saeedi from his colleagues in that highly select club of demonstrative lunatics that regroups the Chris Impelliteri’s, Michael Angelo Batio’s, Buckethead’s and Steve Vai’s of this world (and many others) is not only the perfect timing and delivery that he maintains even at insane rocket speeds, but also the highly original blend of Eastern and Western scales that he manages to create with this style which in the hands of the above-named (except perhaps Buckethead), rapidly tends to a robotic, redundant routine. As I had mentioned about Abrahadabra, a good comparison might be Pino Marrone of Crucis fame. Think Marrone with a Persian musical background who would play Los Delirios del Mariscal after gulping twenty espressos in a cinch, and you have a rough idea of what Salim Ghazi Saeedi may sound like, but all of this is mere dancing on architecture: you really have to listen to get Abrahadabra and enjoy this masterpiece. But back to Ustuqus now... Starting with slow arpeggios in the same ominous tone as the overture, the suite moves on with “Outer Aeonic Descend”, which slowly builds up with percussion, crashing heavy chords, followed by a piano fugue in an ELP/RIO sort of way. The whole thing is very original and interesting, especially with its frequent use of sudden breaks to create movement and action. A small chamber RIO piece that once again points to whole new directions. And from now on, the suite starts to display signs of weakening. Maybe “Ustuqus-al-Uss al Avvalin val Akharin” left Saeedi out of breath and washed out, but all I know is that erosion is taking its toll on the imagination heard in the following strophes... The “suite” seems to lack inspiration at this stage, and the compositions, rather than showing a sense of direction as at the beginning, seem to wander ever more aimlessly, one track after another. But the downhill trend is not steep, only slowly but surely descending.... unfortunately, however. It starts with “My Inner Sun”, an amazing recreation of a small chamber orchestra without strings, and extends the same vein as in the previous track. The only annoying thing here, really, is the drum machine, which sounds much cheaper than the other electronic devices that simulate an orchestra, but much more successfully so. Saeedi, who is responsible for keyboards, uses these sections as a showcase for his orchestral ambitions. He is the poet behind these aural strophes that want to tell a story. And ...whoa! Arashk/Saeedi is showing its teeth to the mullahs and the ayatollahs with “Government”, and I wonder how he gets away with it, as the music speaks for itself. Heavy pounding guitar, accentuated by the piano, it clearly shoots flames of anger, and no need to read Le Courrier Diplomatique to figure out how and why. Of course, instrumental pieces make the safest political resistance, and I doubt that the bearded morons, with all their duplicity (as the poem goes), decipher that language, which has more to borrow from Present and Univers Zero than Persian folk dances... As for the remainder of the album, it descends and descends, slowly... There is more annoying drum machine with “Naught Been I Thou”, although in this case it might be used more to simulate snare drums and a vaguely warrior-like spirit. Fortunately, with toned down electric guitars and the same ominous, UZ-ish atmosphere prevailing since the beginning, the piece still holds its water well. One might describe it as a sort of crossover between Near Eastern folk and Downtown-Zorn-inspired music. Not bad, but one senses deeper and deeper breathing. As in the next track, “My Third Eye”, the now increasingly familiar combination of piano, synthesizers, and soaring, very heavy layers of guitar, yet and again counterweighted with simple piano chords, leaves an impression of prog metal defying gravity, but sounds same-ish and same-ish after what we have heard so far. Not bad, but not especially exciting either. One might sure use a Fourth Eye with a Third Eye like this... What one does not need at this stage, is a bluesy slow played by a sort of Persian Santana, with bursts of speedkraut-like riffing a la Älgarnas Trädgård or Humus: “Artemis The Huntress”. Fortunately, the piece has a more interesting middle development, with less predictable counterpoint, but then it’s ... quickly back to the juicy, languorous kissing on the dance floor, with more heavy hiccups, etc. Artemis is indeed a very tricky huntress, but she uses rather old tricks... What could possibly conclude this very disjointed sort-of-suite? Yep, you guessed right: a Persian reggae (or rug-gae?) that has no ending, because it abruptly terminates in midair like Bach’s XIVth counterpoint in his Art of Fugue. If that recording was made to end like this on purpose, well, I’m Napoleon’s grand-grand-grandson (or am I?). It does seem to have been left uncompleted for some unknown reason (maybe a mullah heard Track 5, “Government”, and seized the only good recording of the final strophe? An enquiry is needed here. In any case, after having been treated with flamboyant guitar such as on Abrahadabra or on the title piece here, this ruggae is really nothing more original than your average Forever Einstein: a simple, quiet and somewhat bland chamber guitar trio exercise illustrating a rare time signature, but without consequence and leaving one’s memory as quickly as it has entered it. Let’s get this right: Ustuqus-al-Uss is overall an excellent effort, but its uneven vein of inspiration leaves mixed feelings. Fortunately, the good parts of it are extremely good, which buys off the lack of originality felt especially in the last third of the album. The doctor prescribes the return of Saeedi to a real trio formation and forgetting about the man-orchestra solution. Arashk bursts with so much talent and creativity and opens such unlimited possibilities, with its unique flamboyant Persian speed prog metal creations that struck me as incredibly brilliant and exciting, that I would hate its loss to oblivion. Here is such a rare event: an outstanding progressive musical force and once again, the most complete speed freak guitarist in this spot of the Milky Way, but from a place as improbable (for the style) as present Iran. Ustuqus-al-Uss Album Review, Progarchives.com, Windhawk, Sep 2010http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=21768 This third effort from Persian band Arashk is really something else. Progressive metal is the name of the game here, but in a manner I suspect few have ever heard before - if any. From the opening classical symphonic number you just know that you're in for something special here; and as the compositions come one after the other, blending Arask' pretty distinct guitar sound and quirky drum and riff patterns with violin soloing and dark synths, this band really takes it's listener on a ride. The compositions are short, but explore several themes, and also have the time to revisit quite a few of them. Without ever becoming predictable, and taking care to add in the odd dissonant or arhytmic segment, the gritty guitars and swirling violins create stunning contrasts - and quite often exotic sounding flurries adds some sice to the proceedings as well. It's an instrumental album though, which will limit it's audience a bit. Still, cleary an album to get if innovative and creative music in a prog metal style sounds intriguing. [GERMAN] Ustuqus-al-Uss and Sovereign Album Review, Ragazzi Webzine, Volkmar Mantei, Jun 2011
http://www.ragazzi-music.de/arashk11.html Arashk ist das Bandprojekt des iranischen Musikers Salim Ghazi
Saeedi. In den Booklets zu den beiden Alben ist zu lesen, dass
sämtliche Musik von ihm selbst gespielt worden sei, bis auf einige
wenige Parts, dennoch ist seine Band, die Arashk Band personell
aufgelistet, ob Salim die Alben im Alleingang mit ein wenig Zuarbeit
geleistet hat und mit Band auf der Bühne steht, oder wie der
Konflikt zwischen Bandangabe und Soloperformance zu erklären ist,
geht aus dem Booklet nicht hervor. Beide Alben, "Sovereign" (2007)
und "Ustuqus-al-Uss" (2008), sind jeweils sehr kurz. Bieten aber
einen interessanten Blick in die Sicht des iranischen Musikers, der
progressive Rockmusik spielt. Salim Ghazi Saeedi hat iranische,
persische Musik nach eigenen Angaben nie studiert, doch sein
Aufwachsen in Teheran inmitten der Landeskultur hat ihn geprägt. So
sind seine Songs ungewöhnlich aufgebaut, von besonderer Schwermut
und rasanter Attacke. Manches Thema fließt dämmernd dahin, mit
wolkigem, nicht sofort greifbarem Thema, außergewöhnlicher
Melodieführung, bis auf die schneidend-scharfe elektrische Gitarre,
die als Kontrast zum keyboardbetonten Arrangement kratzig-hart
eingebaut ist. Manches neben der elektrischen Gitarre wirkt wie
Computermusik, wechselt stetig zwischen kraftvollem, und doch
ungewöhnlich aufgebauten Rock und asiatisch anmutender
Backgroundharmonik. [FRENCH] Ustuqus-al-Uss, Music Waves webzine, Mr. Blue, Jun 2011
http://www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=7081 Note : 7.5/10 | Voilà un bien curieux nom pour un bien curieux groupe. Cette formation de Metal Progressif vient de Teheran, en Iran. Se présentant sous la forme d'un power trio (guitare, basse, batterie), il propose deux premiers albums intéressants et majoritairement instrumentaux et nous pond en 2008 cet "Ustuqus-Al-Us" pour le moins original. Ce dernier se démarque de la discographie du groupe en combinant des éléments de Rock Progressif avec un feeling très personnel et oriental, offrant même des soli de violon et piano. Cette symbiose donne naissance à une musique assez particulière et singulière. On y trouve beaucoup de violon, de guitare saturée, de rythmiques percussives et très sèches et des sons bizarres échappant aux instruments torturés. Cet ensemble qui se veut très cohérent certes, délivre également des titres parfois difficiles d'accès. C'est le cas d'un "Naught Been I Thou" trop curieux pour être apprécié sur la longueur, ou d'un "My Third Eye" bruyant. Les mélodies et lignes directrices sont parfois bien cachées et décelables qu'au bout de plusieurs écoutes dans ces titres très déstructurés (cette impression est surtout due à une rythmique changeante, véloce et syncopée, comme sur "My Inner Sun" riche en cithare et distorsions en tout genres). Mais le groupe semble assumer totalement cette singularité et en fait un point fort de son album. Seule l'attention et le temps permettront de découvrir, de dompter puis d'apprécier ce réel effort de progression musicale. Ainsi le groupe nous régale avec l'acoustique "Outer Aeonic Descend" riche en percussions, piano et guitare Folk et son ambiance opaque, à couper au couteau, très cinématographique. Il nous donne à taper du pied durant les échanges furieux de guitare et violon sur l'énergique "Ustuqus Al Uss Avvalin Val Akharin". Toute la force de ce titre réside dans l'antagonisme de l'échange de la guitare saturée et la pureté d'un violon acoustique. Plus loin, c'est le Metal qui reprend ses marques sous la guitare incisive et sale de Salim Ghazi Saeedi avec "Government", une envolée très Hard Rock des origines et gavée de guitare grinçante. Après une partie centrale plus difficile à digérer (nous l'évoquions plus haut), "Artemis The Huntress" permet de souffler de nouveau avec ses mélodies plus inspirées et tout en bend et le final acoustique assez Folk apaise par sa simplicité et sa fraicheur. Ainsi, le groupe prend-il soin d'effectuer un atterrissage en douceur après un voyage fort intéressant mais parfois mouvementé. Voilà donc un album recommandable pour tout fan d'un Rock Progressif dans le sens premier du terme. [JAPANESE] Ustuqus-al-Uss, DiskUnion's Progressive Rock Onlinehttp://diskunion.net/progre/ct/detail/PGL-14386 Pouyan Khajavi(b/g/vo)とShahram Khosraviani(dr)を中心に'01年結成されたIran産テクニカルgトリオ、'08年作が登場。従来のArabic Musicを反映させたMetal Fusion志向はそのままに、programmingやorchestra/string arr.等新機軸を導入。荘厳なorchestra arr.の'Out Of Silence The One Ran And Returened'、Thrashyなgリフ/ソロとstring synthのスリリングな応酬が味わえる'Ustuqus-al-Uss Al Awalin Val Akharin'、無機質なprogrammingリズムにgのArabic旋律が展開する'My Third Eye'等々、若手ならではの意気込みを強く反映しながらもオリジナリティにあふれたプレイ/楽曲が詰まった、更なる進化を聴かせる秀作です!! [DUTCH] Ustuqus-al-Uss Review, Prog Opinion, Harry 'JoJo' de Vries, Aug 2011http://progopinion.blogspot.com/2011/08/wat-een-week.html "Wat je ver haalt is lekker" ... zei mijn vader zaliger altijd.
En dat geldt zeker ook voor de muziek van de Iraanse band Arashk die
onder de bezielende leiding staat van Salim Ghazi Saeedi, aan wiens
uitstekende solowerk 'Iconophobic' ProgLog AFTERglow ook al eens
aandacht besteedde. Ustuqus-al-Uss Review, ProgNaut, Lee Henderson, Aug 2011http://prognaut.com/reviews/arashk.html This band has Salim Ghazi Saeedi at the helm and as some of you have read my review on his solo “Iconophobic”, this is a bit similar but not quite. This takes on a broad fusion of classical, electronic, metal, prog rock and avant garde that I like just as much as I liked his solo. I can truly say I own nothing just like this in my huge collection of music from everywhere. I love the combinations and pure creativity Salim seems to easily produce. This is Arashk’s 3rd release. The CD has a short story in the notes about each song and I’ll let the folks who buy this enjoy that part. The music begins like Stravinsky with haunting classical music. The piano leads it out to a more Carl Orff atmosphere. It’s the beginning of great things. You’ll be shocked by the next song as it begins as a highly charged speed metal composition that rapidly brings in strings and various motifs that would have fans of Pierre Vervloesem happy. Each song just keeps moving to other places and surprises the listener. Try and imagine equal parts speed metal, classical, jazz, progressive rock, and the great RIO of X-Legged Sally. Add some Fripp inspired guitar in places, and you have at least an idea of the genre this gets into. It’s pretty close to having it’s own genre. At times you have beautiful string and wind synthesizer in the sound track mode, giving way to shred and speed metal prog, then off to neo classical music. This compares to the bands The Flue and Mecano ( the same bands I compared Salim’s solo CD to ) in many places as well. That industrial classical gothic prog that sounds so good to these ears. On first listen, you will never guess where the band is going from minute to minute. It certainly does not belong in the heavy metal category, but only uses some ingredients of the metal I have described in places. Those who know X-Legged Sally and the members work, will know exactly what I am referring to with this fusion of styles. And the great thing that Arashk have going for them are the odd time signatures that they are more familiar with than most Western folks are exposed to on any large basis. It makes for some highly technical sounding music. A good deal of this music is hyper and might be great for running music (but sure would be a shame to listen to this on Ipod with crappy MP3 sound quality, so nix that idea *l*). I especially love song six (“Naught been I Thou”) as it brings in the folk dance styles with hand claps, great percussion, violin samples, and moves all over the place. Once again, I am super pleased to have this CD in my collection. For only 35 minutes, this recording packs a punch and makes you feel like you got an hours worth of magical music. You will be impressed. So to wrap it up, lets try and describe this CD in one sentence. It’s a combination of Peter Vervloesem/X-Legged Sally/Sleepytime Gorilla Museum gone instrumental/Stravinsky/Mecano in their neo classical industrial era/ a brush stroke of middle eastern and Univers Zero backing them all up. That should do it *s* HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !! Reviewed by Lee Henderson on August 20th, 2011 [ITALIAN] Ustuqus-al-Uss Review, Lo Scrittore Progressivo, Riccardo Storti, Aug 2011© Riccardo Storti http://scrittoreprog.blogspot.com/2011/08/salim-ghazi-saeedi-con-arashk-ustuqus.html Più che lo stacco, il segno concreto dell’ambizione. Salim ovviamente non rinuncia alle amate schitarrate da virtuoso, ma il compositore si apre a forme più complesse. Fermo il riferimento – ma qui più articolato – alla grammatica heavy nella tradizione musicale autoctona, Salim dà più spazio ai suoni orchestrali regalando composizioni presaghe di un futuro da sountracker (Out of Silence The One Run and Return e Outer Eonic Descend). Sì, in Ustuqus-al-Uss comincia a vivere lo spirito della colonna sonora, per ora limitata al suono di campionature e tastiere, ma lo sguardo musicale di Salim mira lontano. C’è un violino “sintetico” che sarebbe bello risentire, prima o poi, nelle timbriche originali, acustiche, perché la scrittura pensata è convincente (My Inner Sun, Naught been I thou). Non mancano complicità ritmiche con singolari episodi di un acid-jazz crossover orientaleggiante (My Third Eye) o di speziata psichedelia blues (Artemis The Huntress e Supreme Grades). In questo quadro cangiante e assai promettente, alla fine, le pagine meno interessanti risultano proprio quelle legate a certe dipendenze chitarristiche (Government e la title track); eppure, nonostante ciò, Salim dimostra crescita espressiva e mestiere, grazie all’inserimento di felici artifici regalati da “gustose” parti armoniche. Niente di trascendentale, ma avete presente la nota giusta al momento giusto? Di rilievo anche il plot del concept, in cui si mischiano elementi esoterici legati a temi gnostici (la fonte è quel Corpus Geberiano dell’alchimista persiano Jabir ibn Hayyan). Da notare che non tutti i brani sono firmati da Salim, ma vedono l’intervento del secondo chitarrista Pouyan e del batterista Shraram. © Riccardo Storti [ITALIAN] Ustuqus-al-Uss Review, Lo Scrittore Progressivo, Riccardo Storti, Aug 2011http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/alfa/corpo.asp?ch=4840 Gli Arashk sono la band (sciolta al momento in cui scrivo) del giovane compositore e multi-strumentista iraniano Salim Ghazi Saeedi che abbiamo conosciuto in occasione della pubblicazione della sua prima prova solista, l’interessante “Iconophobic” (2010). E’ bene precisare che Salim (che qui suona chitarra e tastiere) faceva nella band (completata da Pouyan Khajavi al basso e da Shahram Khosraviani alla batteria) la maggior parte del lavoro. Questo album, il terzo della discografia, è infatti quasi completamente opera sua e l’intervento dei due compagni si limita a due sole tracce. Un discorso un po’ diverso è riservato invece all’album “Yell”, uscito sempre nel 2008, in cui sono raccolti pezzi scritti da Pouyan e da Shahram a partire dal 2001 e in cui Salim ha contribuito solo con la chitarra ritmica e in termini di registrazione e mastering. Quest’ultimo disco fa in realtà un po’ storia a sé, visto che si distacca dai precedenti anche per quel che riguarda il genere proposto: un ruvido hard rock cantato. Allo stato attuale tutti i CD degli Arashk, soprattutto dopo l’interesse scaturito con l’uscita di “Iconophobic”, sono stati ristampati e si possono trovare facilmente in vendita online. Ascoltare gli album degli Arashk permette di apprezzare la crescita artistica di Salim: lo stile gradualmente si trasforma, le idee si arricchiscono e pian piano si fa sempre più forte l’interesse verso il progressive rock, la musica elettronica e la passione verso forme musicali via via più stimolanti per l’immaginazione. Questo “Ustuqus-al-Uss” è difatti l’anello di congiunzione fra il rock duro e dai riflessi metallici degli esordi e la musica figurativa di “Iconophobic”. Lo percepiamo subito in apertura, con le lugubri ed imponenti orchestrazioni di “Out of Silence One Ran and Returned” che ci portano nel cuore di un disco in cui si perfeziona quel concetto di fusione fra oriente e occidente iniziato con gli album precedenti e che allo stesso tempo si apre verso quelle soluzioni cameristiche ed elettroniche che Salim svilupperà da solista. Se “Ustuqus-Al-Uss Avvalin Val Akhrin” è un graffiante Prog metal impreziosito da elementi di musica araba tradizionale, elettrificati, la successiva “Outer Aeonic Descend”, cupa e stridente, sembra quasi avere a che fare con qualcosa degli Univers Zero. “My Inner Sun” ci stupisce con una apertura che possiede un lirismo intenso e che mi ricorda di fatto Rimskij-Korsakov e la sua “Sheherazade”. Il brano acquista però subito una carica elettrica potente e diventa turbolento ed inquietante, con sciabolate di chitarra elettrica che si mescolano ad elementi orientali, elettronici e cameristici a formare un insieme eclettico ma che incredibilmente appare unitario. Altre tracce sono più classicamente orientate verso un “Prog Metal” più “canonico”, seppure arricchito dalle più disparate contaminazioni, come la successiva e potente “Government”. I campionamenti danno a volte un alone moderno ed elettronico turbato dalle interferenze di una chitarra elettrica molto sporca e che in “My Third Eye” sembra quasi rumore bianco. A sorpresa “Artemis the Huntress” si rivela un caldo blues dagli strani accenti arabi, mentre la traccia di chiusura “Supreme Grades” ha persino qualcosa di psichedelico. E’ come se Salim avesse ascoltato in una volta sola tutto il patrimonio musicale europeo, scegliendo alcuni elementi, quelli che maggiormente hanno solleticato la sua fantasia, e vi avesse riversato infine alcuni frammenti musicali della sua terra. Ascoltare questo album è un po’ come guardare il mondo con occhi diversi, pieni di stupore, ammirazione e voglia di vivere. Purtroppo la produzione lascia un po’ a desiderare perché, a fronte delle indiscusse capacità di questo artista, i mezzi a sua disposizione sono molto scarsi ed il potenziale di Salim non può pertanto svilupparsi a dovere. Possiamo solo sperare che Salim possa un giorno mettere le ali alle sue idee… un po’ lo ha fatto, riuscendo a proiettare le sue opere al di fuori dei confini del proprio paese ma a questo punto auguro a questo giovane di poter usufruire di mezzi professionali e dell’ausilio di musicisti preparati. Per il resto, questo disco, con tutti i suoi difetti e le tante approssimazioni, è davvero unico ed affascinante. Ustuqus-al-Uss Review, "Psyche Music", Gerald Van Waes, Nov 2011http://www.psychemusic.org/IRAN.html#element116 This next album by Arashkh shows an enormous variety while the main core remains the guitar and partly sort of classical symphonic ideas in some tracks. The album starts immediately with a fully classically arranged composition with keyboard driven string imitations, with a minor rhythm inside leading to a next track that has metal guitar, violin synths and programmed drumming. Some smaller string elements will return here and there. The programmed drumming is done with clever complexity. The sensibility in rhythm changes more often, almost thematically with some surprising and even more up-tempo changes too. Different pedalled guitars are used, with a returning heavier fuzz guitar. Many musical themes follow with their own driven grooves in each track. The album succeeds to keep the attention and the compositions are well worked out with a progressive (music) vision. Although it is a full album it sounds short with a wish for a longer continuation.
[JAPANESE] Sovereign, DiskUnion's Progressive Rock Online
http://diskunion.net/progre/ct/detail/PGL-14384 Pouyan Khajavi(b/g/vo)とShahram Khosraviani(dr)を中心に'01年結成されたIran産テクニカルgトリオ、'07年作が登場。前作の流れを汲むMetal FusionとArabic Musicを融合させたサウンドをベースに、より攻撃的かつアブストラクトな内容に仕上がった一枚。DarkなArabicメロディーとエッジのある攻撃的なリフが交互に展開/疾走する'Kingly Godmanship'から'Feral Thunderbolt'の流れ等、絶妙な楽曲構成が光る秀作です！ [ITALIAN] Sovereign Review, Lo Scrittore Progressivo, Riccardo Storti, Aug 2011© Riccardo Storti http://scrittoreprog.blogspot.com/2011/08/salim-ghazi-saeedi-con-arashk-sovereign.html Un po’ più di spessore narrativo, almeno sulla carta. Sovereign dovrebbe essere molto più di un concept album. Salim considera questo album come una rappresentazione strumentale dello Shahnameh, ovvero Il Libro dei Re, poema mitologico persiano scritto da Ferdowsi (letterato vissuto tra il 935 e il 1020). A differenza del precedente album, Sovereign, se non altro, va un po’ oltre al mix di metal occidentale e scrittura orientale. La maniera spesso ci mette lo zampino, per cui qualche scoria di prevedibilità armonico-ritmica resta: la chitarra di Salim si affida tanto alla magia del riff, quanto al fascino delle scale mediorientali (ideale sintesi nel turbinio di Harem). Certo, per lui sarebbe naturale fare ballare una danzatrice del ventre al suono di una Stratocaster distorta. E va bene. Indubbiamente la tecnica cresce, compresa quella compositiva (efficace l’inizio in sordina di Kingly Godmanship). Ce ne accorgiamo in quelle tracce che vedono l’ingresso – pur ancora timido – delle tastiere, come strumento solista, sempre suonate da Salim. C’è un pianoforte quasi jazz in Feral Thunderbolt; il synth rasenta atmosfere space in Serpent Shoulder, Throne Accension e in Harem. Registrazione tra mura domestiche e si sente, almeno per quanto riguarda i suoni ancora troppo freddi della batteria. [ITALIAN] Sovereign Review, Arlequins webzine, Jessica Attene, Oct 2011http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/alfa/corpo.asp?ch=4839 Se avete visto il film “I gatti persiani” di Bahman Ghobadi forse potete immaginare cosa significhi fare musica rock o addirittura incidere un album in Iran. L’uscita di un album simile, certamente imperfetto e limitato sotto molti punti di vista, vi sembrerebbe una specie di miracolo, anche perché, attraverso la matrice grezza di suoni non brillanti di questa opera realizzata in maniera a dir poco casalinga, si intravedono l’estro creativo e la bravura di questa band, un terzetto di ragazzi composto da Salim Ghazi Saeedi (chitarra, basso, tastiere), Pouyan Kahajavi (chitarra, basso e voce) e da Shahram Khosraviani (batteria). Il gruppo è assieme dal 2001 e questo è il suo secondo album, giunto a distanza di un anno dal debutto “Abrahadabra”. Registrazione e masterizzazione sono a cura dello stesso Salim che, considerando gli scarsi mezzi e le limitazioni imposte dal paese di origine, ha fatto un lavoro più che dignitoso. Le idee di base piacciono molto: il gruppo si propone infatti di creare una specie di ponte fra oriente ed occidente, inglobando nella propria musica, un robusto hard rock con venature sinfoniche, elementi appartenenti a culture diverse. Il rock di base, ovviamente appartenente alla cultura occidentale, viene contaminato da intriganti arabeschi, intessuti principalmente da una chitarra ruvida e vivace, che ci portano invece verso oriente. Le colorazioni elettroniche delle tastiere completano il quadro, molto grezzo, ma comunque ben ideato, sicuramente coraggioso, e carente principalmente a causa dei poveri mezzi tecnici con cui è stato realizzato. Ad ispirare le otto tracce strumentali che compongono questo breve album (26 minuti in totale) è il “Libro dei re” (“Shahnameh”) del sommo poeta Ferdowsi che narra la storia di sovrani e cavalieri dell’antica Persia. Questo retroterra fatto di leggende antiche si respira chiaramente attraverso la musica che assume colorazioni fantastiche nonostante tutte le limitazioni di cui abbiamo parlato. In particolare l’aspetto più deficitario è rappresentato, come accennato, dalla registrazione e in generale dal suono degli strumenti, con una chitarra molto sporca e una batteria dalle timbriche poco convincenti. Considerato comunque il contesto in cui nasce quest’opera, direi che si tratta di un prodotto apprezzabile e per molti aspetti interessante, pur con tutti i suoi limiti. Se questi ragazzi avessero la possibilità di fare sul serio, con mezzi professionali, sono certa che il risultato sarebbe nettamente superiore se non entusiasmante. Sovereign Review, "Psyche Music", Gerald Van Waes, Nov 2011http://www.psychemusic.org/IRAN.html#element116 This new album by Arashk continues from the musical foundations of a private studio based metal music inspiration, still it expands this to a bigger concept, musically and intellectually and perhaps with a much deeper interest in connections. There’s a description in the liner notes it is as if this is the story of a jester inside an epic of Persian kings, taken as a metaphor, about finding excuse to find its own way in life and society, in expression. The use of the instruments like the metal guitar interests is like the aggressive surroundings of the fundamentalist state of control, which Iran represents today. The studio environment, the use of a rhythm box as drums (well done as the drumming part) all represents the closed environment, the studio from which all free inspirations cannot escape. It is a shame because here we hear a composer’s vision with an open mind, and with an open progressive sound and compositional evolution, the elements are free within its limitations, as if getting a professional vision trapped within an amateurish situation, the position of a joker amongst kings showing a different way, not able to lose its own small position. Sovereign Review, Progressor.net, Olav Martin Bjørnsen, Feb 2012 [permalink] http://www.progressor.net/review/arashk_2007_2.html Prolusion. Hailing from what was once known as Persia, the Iranian band ARASHK was active for a good handful of years in the 2000's, releasing a total of 4 albums prior to hitting a stage of hiatus. "Sovereign" was the second of these, and was issued back in 2007. Analysis. Iran isn't the first country you would pull up when talking about nations producing progressive rock artists noteworthy to check out that reside outside of the typical Anglo-American territories. Sadly, I might add, as this old nation, rich in history, myths and legends, could and probably should inspire many a fine work of music based on their cultural heritage alone. Instead the ruling powers have seriously discussed law propositions that outright bans any use of music not created and performed within a strict religious framework. But such hostile waters have never managed to eliminate the creative arts, Arashk an example of that, although this CD appears to be a solo vehicle of the band leader Salim Ghazi Saeedi more than a band creation as such. And on the eight short compositions explored he takes inspirations from Ferdowsi's “Shahnameh”, a vast 60.000 verse-long poem that probably could fuel an entire musical career if explored in depth. In this case just over a handful of instrumentals are pulled out of this enormous context, many of them creations with an emphasis on moods and atmospheres over melodies and harmonies, the dynamics of the interwoven sounds of acoustic and electric guitars in particular. Slow, resonating notes from the former and dark, gnarly riffs from the latter are the main expressions utilized. Dampened bass guitar and light-intensity drums form the framework in the instances when rhythms are applied. Infrequent use of digital strings is the last common element, sparingly applied on this CD. My main impression throughout was that most of these tracks are sketches rather than the finished compositions however. Good ideas that were recorded, but perhaps not properly developed. The sad, majestic melancholy of opening effort Kingly Godmanship, pairing off light toned acoustic guitar with darker toned, reverberating riffs is an effective opener, but the following tracks don't quite manage to engage. Many fine ideas and intriguing atmospheres, the distant atmosphere of Interstellar Blessings and the otherworldly mood of Serpent Shoulder for instance, but overall there's just a feeling of being unfinished about them. This does change towards the end however: the otherworldly moods of Harem are more properly developed to my ears, and stronger feeling of a story being told on this piece too. The opening fluctuating electronic textures, breathing like noise inserts and galloping guitar riffs revisited towards the end in a more sparse arrangement mostly devoid of the initial otherworldly feeling in itself intriguing. And final number Sovereign with light toned instrumental details in its opening phase, incorporating child-like voice effects and textures with a slight psychedelic touch, effectively combined with dark-toned gnarly electric guitar riffs that gradually get the dominating spot, the initial lighter-toned motifs being reduced to an underscoring detail by way of plucked acoustic guitar. There's a distinct development there, and a strong feeling of a story explored and told. Loss of innocence perhaps the most obvious one, the invasion of real world issues into a closed in environment another possibility that comes to mind. But while being familiar with the inspirational poem will probably be an advantage, these last tracks on the CD are intriguing conceptions in their own right too, and also more or less coincidentally the ones I feel have been best developed. In terms of stylistic expression, this is an album that blends progressive metal with eastern sounding musical details, with associations towards both folk music and, at least to some extent, religious music. And while my personal opinion is that "Ustuqus-al-Uss" from 2008 explores this blend in a more interesting manner, "Sovereign" comes across as a transitional production that does have its own merits. Conclusion. "Sovereign" from 2007 comes across as an album filled with ideas still in their initial phase, planned and recorded perhaps before the ideas had been investigated in detail. Many fine ideas and sketches explore a blend of eastern sounding traditional music and dark-toned progressive metal with roots more firmly based on Anglo-American traditions. But on the occasions where the compositions appear to be more thoroughly assembled the end result is intriguing, if instrumental progressive metal of this variety sounds enticing to you. As such this is a disc that comes with a partial recommendation.
Abrahadabra Album Review, Progressor.net, Olav M Bjornsonhttp://www.progressor.net/review/arashk_2007.html Prolusion. Iran is not a country best known for its rock music, but is indeed the home country of ARASHK, a band formed in 2001. "Abrahadabra" is their debut album, released in December 2006 in Iran and made available to the rest of the world in January 2007. Analysis. Arashk explore the universe of instrumental rock on their debut. After careful listening I really wasn't able to find any particular artists that have influenced them more than others, or indeed pinpoint any specific influences at all. All compositions here are basically set up in the same manner: bass and drums are set up as the foundation of a tune. In most cases there's a further foundation by guitar, sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric and undistorted, but most of the time the fuzz guitar provides riffs. On top of this basis a second guitar is added, exploring an adventurous mixture of melodic riff pattern and good old-fashioned guitar soloing. To create variation, synths are added to the soundscapes of some tunes, while a few others have also some fascinating percussion work added. Arashk's basic style is hard rock with distinct progressive tendencies. Songs flow nicely, with changes of pace and style variations coming and going in a very natural way. Some nice examples of asynchronous guitar riffs and disharmonic themes will be found, as well as a few instances of fusion-tinged themes explored. The most noticeable element of the music offered here isn't in style though, but in sound. The guitars are at times extremely distorted, creating a grimy, dirty sound that often makes the music sound more like metal than hard rock. The compositions here, although basically much alike in style and structure, have a degree of variation in pace and style broad enough to make the individual compositions interesting; there are at all times new elements or slight differences in style and structure that give each individual tune an identity of their own. This results in an intriguing and fascinating album overall. Conclusion. "Abrahadabra" is a strong debut album with high quality of compositions and performance alike. Fans of instrumental hard rock as well as instrumental metal should find this highly interesting, especially those who like heavy music with a high degree of progressive tendencies. Abrahadabra Album Review, Gnosis2000, Richard Poulin, Jun 2011http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/arashk.htm One thing that all prog aficionados know very well is that the most extraordinary musical productions in the genre have often come from the most improbable places. After all, try to name other markets where music is classified by countries. Progressive music lovers know their geography and where to look for in order to find the cream. So during the baptismal journey that many of us make to get acquainted with the hallmarks of progressive rock, we inevitably realize that astonishing, often extremely defiant albums were born in countries we could barely locate on a map before we had heard of such prodigies. Who else than amateurs of prog can proudly associate top notch music to countries such as Armenia (e.g. Oaksenham, Artsruni) or Turkmenistan (Gunesh Ensemble), just to name these two? The desire to transcend the boundaries of endemic music into something universal has led to the ever richer melting pot into which progressive or modern music is transforming itself. When the Beatles and other creators of art rock realized that rock music can easily conjugate itself to most other musical genres to generate interesting hybrids, experiments of ever increasing complexity were conducted, first in Great Britain, and rapidly all across the world. But to describe the surprise one might have after listening to Abrahadabra, the first effort by Arashk, is rather difficult. First, Arashk (Salim Ghazi Saeedi, guitars, bass and keyboards/ Poojan Khajavi, guitars/Shahram Khosraviani, drums) hails from the Axis of Evil itself, and more exactly from Iran. And Abrahadabra is anything but world music. It contains in fact some of the juiciest, fuzziest and wildest guitar shredding album you will find anywhere. Simply for being so unashamedly heavy and metallic in a country where such things are not supposed to happen in the first place, these musicians could deserve our greatest admiration. But we tend to forget that Iran was one of the most modern Islamic nations before Ayatollah Khomeini seized power there in 1979. So a long tradition of rock music has existed and continues to do so in that large country, although it understandably had to operate in an underground fashion to survive. In fact, the Iranian government, through its Ministry of Islamic Guidance, which protects Iranian people from Western cultural demons, has officially approved a few rock bands, like Meera, for example. Thus, one has to realize that the Iran of the mullahs is fairly liberal in this 21st century, as compared with its Afghanistan neighbor, or even Saudi Arabia. And I know it for a fact, having Iranian relatives. Tolerance and underground operations have thus contributed to allow a band such as Arashk, to emerge and manage to exist and make its music available on the web. Not only is Arashk admirable for its audacity, but Abrahadabra is simply a very imaginative and extremely energetic metal progressive album. Entirely instrumental, it features two absolutely astonishing guitarists, Salim Ghazi Saeedi and Poojan Khajavi, who rock the hell out of the Kasbah on the 9 tracks of that album. I mean, these two guys, and especially Saeedi, have plugged their guitars on the contained frustration of a whole generation of angry but astute young Iranians, and the electricity that it has produced will rip apart your most stubborn prejudices. From ‘Told to the Bird’ to the final track (‘Abrahadabra’), these two guitarists deploy awe-inspiring virtuosity and an inventiveness rarely seen in a genre (talking about metal prog here) that tends to repeat itself. The secret of these musicians is apparently the sum of a total lack of inhibition in their solos, the translation of Iranian folk accents into the most violent emotions that amplified guitars can express, and an absolute mastery of all harmonic scales. The intrinsic candor of these musicians, who have nothing and everything to prove at the same time, makes possible quite a number of little rock miracles on that album. Most of the tunes are extremely furious, rapid and high-octane progressive metal shredfests that can leave no one indifferent. Of course, Persian scales and progressions are easily noted, but definite Spanish and Moresque flavors are clearly heard here and there. Another dominant stylistic influence on many tracks is progressive surf, a genre of which I am especially fond. On ‘Route’ (track 5), one can even hear Dick Dale’s blueprint for ‘Miserlou’, which makes plenty of sense knowing the predilection that Dale has for Oriental scales. The use of synthesizers to mimic Persian dance onomatopoeias on ‘Dance of Gods’ is also very clever and adds colors to the instrumental paintings. Speaking of painting, one of the numerous beauties of Abrahadabra is the capacity of Arashk to surprise and sustain our interest throughout the album. Although the ebullient, pyrotechnical guitar shredding is ubiquitous, the album never gets repetitious nor boring, a pitfall that undermines too many instrumental metal albums. A testimony to the genius of the band’s leader and main inspiration, Salim Ghazi Saeedi, who composes what he calls ‘pictorial rock’: the trick is to guess what these painting canvases are. In Saeedi’s own words: ‘...I like exaggerated details and very subtle techniques of instrument and when I come across for composing a catchy part in one song I see no reason for repeating it. If someone liked that part, can rewind the song (sic).’ I love his candor..... Although Steve Vai and similar shredders are obvious comparisons here, the reference that most quickly comes to mind is Pino Marrone, Crucis’ guitarist whose incredible guitar solos make ‘Los Delirios del Mariscal’ such a memorable experience. Abrahadabra is like the famous Crucis track ‘Abismo Terrenal’ on ‘Delirios...’ multiplied by five and extended over nine tracks of total manic fury but of a very exotic and refined type. Hendrix and Santana have also obviously instructed the phenomenal axe genius that Salim Ghazi Saeedi truly is. Highly recommended for a hefty dose of extremely heavy yet highly melodic metal of a VERY special kind. Abrahadabra Album Review, "Psyche Music", Gerald Van Waes, 2006http://www.psychemusic.org/IRAN.html#element56 This is an impressive debut of instrumental, compositionally strong, electric guitar driven progressive rock music. We hear great fuzz guitars, and a very intelligent use of melody with rhythmical changes, with compositions in Persian ? & other scales. There are various mood changes and different evolutions, and is built up by rich subtleties. Very good. [JAPANESE] Abrahadabra Review, DiskUnion's Progressive Rock Online
http://diskunion.net/progre/ct/detail/PGL-14383 Pouyan Khajavi(b/g/vo)とShahram Khosraviani(dr)を中心に'01年結成されたIran産テクニカルgトリオ、'06年デビュー作が登場。STEVE MORSE BANDやALEX SKOLNIC TRIO/B.L.S./OHM等の流れを汲むMetal Fusion志向をベースに、出自であるArabic Musicを加えた一枚。スピーディーかつエッジのあるテクニカルなアンサンブルといった演奏力の高さは元より、テクニカル志向とメンバーの背景である Arab志向がよりナチュラルな形で融合されており、同系統の欧米勢やJazz系とは一味異なる印象/味わいに満ちた快作です！ Abrahadabra Review, Stave Magazine's featured artist, Christy Claxton, Feb 2007Arashk: A world away, but really right here with us. I was at the gym the other night, and I could see, but not hear one of the many televisions airing some kind of modern day war movie. Although I couldn’t hear it, I could tell that the storyline had to do with a small group of American soldiers in some kind of distress. I tried to read the closed caption dialogue, but was too far away to see it clearly. However, I knew this group of soldiers was intercepting the “enemy’s” radio transmit because the closed caption would say: (somebody speaking Farsi.) Ooohhhh those Iranian bad guys! Isn’t that just all-American of us? Popularize the vilification of a nation we really don’t understand except in simplistic, fundamentalist, self-censored terms. For you history neophytes, that’s a wordy way of describing “nationalism.” And that’s not a good thing. It’s just around the corner from fascism. So let me set some folks straight on Iran. Just like all Americans aren’t Bush-like idiots in boots, not all Iranians are scurrying around looking for low-tech ways to bring about Jihad. Actually, it’s a country of mostly nice people. And just as some “radical” Americans embrace Middle Eastern culture (if you haven’t tried the food, you’re really missing out), some “radical” Iranians embrace Western culture; including something as universally “sinister” as Hard Rock. A music both countries’ fundamentalists would consider evil, but don’t anybody tell them they actually agree on something, or the world might suddenly stop turning. A few weeks ago, Salim Ghazi Saeedi of the rock band, Arashk,
contacted me. He invited me to sample his band’s music. It is a
mixture of Western metal and Middle Eastern/Oriental melodies and
scales that give Arashk a heavy gritty sound with this beautiful
overlay of music most Westerners are hardly familiar with. Needless
to say, I was fascinated, so I explored their website and myspace
site. Arashk is based in Tehran, Iran, and they make it no secret
that they are hoping to break artificial bounds and bindings. Sounds
psychedelic, doesn’t it? And truthfully, the music feels a little
trippy. But in a good way. A way that opens our minds to
possibility; to universal oneness and peace through music. When I
replied to Salim’s email that I would definitely write about Arashk
because it was a positive statement from two nationalities that need
to find peace through understanding and common ground, his response
was, “the boundaries are broken!” Indeed. Arashk’s latest release is “Abrahadabra.” It is an instrumental album composed and performed by Salim, and it reflects the hopes, agitations and quests of the composer. Something tells me that Salim’s music represents many people of his country. Regardless of where rock music is composed, it is always about breaking bounds and breaking rules and exploring freedoms within many conscious states. And it always speaks for many; not just a few. Future Arashk albums will explore the functional faculties of “being,” and carry on the message of breaking though boundaries and bindings. This is music about freedom; however each of us defines it. Whether we need to break free of personal oppression, relationship oppression, or religious or political oppression, Arashk explores a universal theme and reaches around the world to share it. In Iran, Arashk may be considered radical and even dangerous, and in America, Arashk would be considered radical and dangerous, too. Once again, rock music breaches a taboo. And this one needs to be broken and embraced, so check out Arashk, and buy yourself a CD and experience the oneness and the vastness that is Arashk. [ITALIAN] Abrahadabra Review, Lo Scrittore Progressivo, Riccardo Storti, Aug 2011© Riccardo Storti http://scrittoreprog.blogspot.com/2011/08/salim-ghaazi-saeedi-con-arashk.html Centralità chitarristica di Salim Ghazi Saeedi: da qui tutto nasce e tutto finisce. Una tecnica che va già al di là del tentativo di un dilettante. Cosa manca ancora, invece, una prospettiva compositiva autonoma rispetto ai troppi retaggi di generi. Questo Abrahadabra, registrato nello studio domestico di Salim con il gruppo Arashk, è soprattutto il prodotto di un’indigestione di generi musicali, vissuto con entusiasmo e passione, ma senza ancora un disegno preciso. Prevale il metal un po’ malmsteeniano (Told to the Bird, Horizon, Route, più cinetico in Autumnal Nightmare e in Splendour of Death), equilibrato da un pizzico di orientalismo di maniera (Excuse, Dance of Gods, Joker e Abrahadabra). Non c’è ancora la scelta di una via espressiva personale. Eppure questa varietà eclettica di stili viene denominata dal musicista come “pictorial rock”, una sorta di rappresentazione figurativa in musica, attraverso cui stati d’animo e colori sonori troverebbero l’adeguata sintesi in una sorta di concept album sui casi della vita. La polarità chitarristica è, sì, il punto di forza del disco ma, al tempo stesso, deve sopperire ad una debolezza ritmica, fatta di pattern piuttosto poco elaborati ed ad arrangiamenti tastieristici limitati al solo comparto armonico. Il tentativo resta encomiabile in quanto ad impegno, ma rimane solo un avvio di buone intenzioni. When There is More Beauty in the Contraty (2011 Single)
When There is More Beauty in the Contrary (Single) Review, Matthew Forss, ReviewYou.com, Jan 2011Negar Bouban’s PhD in art studies and Persian musical theory provides an academic understanding of classical and modern music. Negar is a talented leader of improvisation of Iranian music and a gifted oud player. Negar’s partner, Salim Ghazi Saeedi, is an Iranian guitarist and composer primarily into instrumental rock, jazz, and fusion styles. When There Is More Beauty In The Contrary is also the title of the one and only track on the release. “When There is More Beauty In The Contrary” might sound like a song that attempts to discuss the philosophy of aesthetics or phenomenology. However, the nearly four-minute track is an instrumental song that connotes sounds of higher thinking that border on magnificent. The song opens with a few moments of classical strings used sparingly in much the same way as in contemporary Western rock ballads. Also, a drum kit provides the percussion. Salim’s electric guitar playing moves to the central melody of the song before it fades into Negar’s oud playing. The classical strings remain silent through Negar’s first oud playing display. However, the sounds of the electric guitar make another appearance near the end of the song with some strings. The last few moments of the song end with the electric guitar and oud being played without additional instrumentation. The song title proposes that beauty can be found in dissimilar situations or conditions. In this case, the sounds of the oud and electric guitar attempt to combine traditionally dissimilar forces into one cohesive composition. In the same manner, the historical significance of the oud and the electric guitar as a modern instrument of choice for most contemporary music worldwide does not create such a disturbing product. Still, the electric guitar parts may be too wildly played for most listeners particularly interested in oud music. Also, the song length may be a bit short to fully appreciate the unique interplay between the oud and guitar. On the whole, anyone seeking a song with fusion elements representing modernity as it applies to the Middle East will find something to admire on “When There is More Beauty In The Contrary.” Review by Matthew Forss When There is More Beauty in the Contrary (Single) Review, Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck, MuzikReviews.com, Jan 2011http://www.muzikreviews.com/reviews.php?ID=1406 I normally do not like to review a single track but for some
reason I had to say yes this time as I was intrigued with this
worldly collaboration and curiosity got the best of me, I just had
to hear this song. [ITALIAN] A Retrospective, Lo Scrittore Progressivo, Riccardo Storti, Aug 2011© Riccardo Storti http://scrittoreprog.blogspot.com/2011/08/se-il-progressive-arriva-dalliran-il.html Ricevo dall’Iran la discografia completa di un artista emergente, Salim Ghazi Saeedi, e comincio ad interessarmi a lui. La sua è una storia di altri tempi, legata a componenti socio-esistenziali lontane rispetto a quelle di chi vive – prima di tutto – in un Paese libero. In Iran, anzi, nella Repubblica Islamica dell’Iran non è così. Salim nasce nel 1981, due anni dopo la rivoluzione islamica e in piena guerra. È il tragico periodo in cui molti giovani iraniani sono costretti partire per il fronte in un terribile conflitto contro i vicini iracheni. Il bimbo cresce e affronta l’adolescenza in una nazione che permette solo divagazioni ben allineate con i diktat teocratici di Stato. Musica compresa. Sottobanco arrivano tra le mani di un Salim ragazzino un paio di nastri con canzoni occidentali. Li divora. Solo molto più tardi apprenderà che quelle song erano hit dei Queen e di Michael Jackson. Nel frattempo Selim cresce, si interessa all’Informatica ed intorno ai 17 anni sta per entrare in università – in gamba, il ragazzo! – quando giunge la prima vera e propria folgorazione musicale, quella che ti cambia la vita. Kurt Cobain e i Nirvana. Da lì il primo passo verso l’acquisto di uno strumento musicale. Anzi “lo” strumento musicale: la chitarra. Selim è il primo della sua famiglia a manifestare un desiderio “pratico” verso le sette note. Inizia tardi, ma impara anche presto. Per di più come autodidatta. Ascolta tutti e di tutto: dai Nine Inch Nails a Jeff Beck, dai Prodigy a Chet Atkins, dai Megadeth a Chopin. Una spugna affamata. Nel 2001 è fondatore di una band, gli Arashk, ed è sotto questa sigla che si muovono le sue prima 3 uscite discografiche: Abrahadabra (2006), Sovereign (2007) e Ustuqus-al-Uss (2008). Il primo album solista, invece, è assai recente, Iconophobic (2010). Grande soddisfazione critica lo scorso novembre, quando Philippe Gnana di “Harmonie Magazine” paragona il suo stile chitarristico a quello di Robert Fripp. Ora immagino che sarete curiosi, no? Bene, partiamo con una retrospettiva di tutti i suoi album. Domenai vi parlerò del primo lavoro di Salim con gli Arashk, Abrahadabra. A retrospective, Indie Bands Blog, Tim Whales, Nov 2011http://www.indiebandsblog.com/asian-bands/iranian-bands/salim-ghazi-saeedi Salim Ghazi Saeedi, is a Solo artist from Tehran in Iran. He plays all the instruments, produces his material and self-releases the finished article. Having taught himself to learn to play music, he decided in about 2006 to start taking things more seriously. Although he spent little time listening to Eastern Music, the influences of the environment are apparent. Well it is good to head off from the mainstream countries and I find myself having an opportunity to write about my first artist from Iran. Whilst Salim plays predominately alone, he does on occasion team up and has appeared as, the Negar Bouban and Salim Ghazi Saeedi Project and in the band Arashk. It is all well and good wandering to locations where you may not necessarily expect to find a depth of indie music, but unless it adds value, then no matter how obscure the location, it adds not a jot. Salim Ghazi Saeedi, I am delighted to say has considerable value. The music takes the listener on an interesting path, as the Guitars, Bass and synth are pivoted to different spaces. Tempo and rhythm are a montage of conceptual rock and far older Persian constructs, infused with 21st century relevance. The lack of vocal causes not a drop of disturbance as the audience is led off on a hidden path, unconfined by subsumed expectation. The level of dedication required by this solo artist to create the sounds and atmosphere is astounding. Due to the complete unexpected constructions, there is a hugely refreshing originality to Salim Ghazi Saeedi, which is compounded by the powerful imagery generated by the tracks. Rock riffs on electric guitar will suddenly meet sounds of violin and Ghopuz, with accompanied percussion on traditional drums, creating a depth of narrative to the highly expressive pieces. I really enjoyed listening to Salim Ghazi Saeedi, who now sits on my ever expanding play-list and I am delighted to have broken the Iranian duck. [GERMAN] Abrahadabra review, Babyblaue, Jochen Rindfrey, Apr 2012 http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/index.php?albumId=12531&content=review Progressive Rock aus dem Iran - da fallen mir nicht allzu viele Bands ein. Eigentlich gar keine. Aber auch im Iran entsteht Progressive Rock, der sich vor den Hervorbringungen westlicher Bands nicht verstecken muss. Hierfür steht etwa das Trio Arashk, das in der zweiten Hälfte der 00er Jahre drei Alben aufnahm, deren erstes Abrakadabra aus dem Jahre 2006 ist. Kreativer Kopf der Band ist (oder war) Salim Ghazi Saeedi. Dieser ist mittlerweile solistisch aktiv, während von Arashk seit 2008 kein Album mehr erschienen ist. Obwohl alle Stücke aus der Feder von Salim Ghazi Saeedi stammen, klingt die (komplett instrumentale) Musik völlig anders als seine Soloalben. Während er dort mittels elektronischen Instrumentariums allerlei Instrumente imitiert und damit quasi ein virtuelles Kammerensemble kreiert, ist auf Abrahadabra eine traditionelle Rockbesetzung am Werk. Salim Ghazi Saeedi selbst spielt überwiegend Gitarre und Bass, während er die Tasteninstrumente nur gelegentlich und auch nur zur atmosphärischen Untermalung einsetzt. Dazu kommt mit Pooyan Khajavi ein weiterer Gitarrist, außerdem Shahram Kosraviani am Schlagzeug. Aus der Besetzung lässt sich messerscharf schließen, dass Gitarren hier den Ton angeben, und damit liegt man absolut richtig. Ebenso mit dem Begriff "messerscharf". Was das Trio hier fabriziert, hat mit dem jazzigen RIO-Kammerrock von Saeedis Soloalben nichts zu tun, hier wird ordentlich gerockt. Die Gitarren fetzen und bratzen um die Ohren, dass es eine wahre Freude ist! Schrieb ich nicht bei Human Encounter, die Musik könnte mehr Schmackes vertragen? Hier ist er! In allen Variationen von sägend über kreischend bis metallisch riffend fräsen sich die Gitarren ins Hirn, dazu trommelt sich Herr Kosraviani die Seele aus dem Leib. Voller Power, Dynamik und Komplexität ist die Musik, lässt kaum einmal im Tempo nach, verkommt dabei aber nie zu seelenlosem Gefrickel. Anklänge an heimische Musiktraditionen gibt es, abgesehen vom Titelstück, keine, die Musik könnte genau so gut von einer westlichen Band stammen. Trotzdem klingen Arashk ziemlich eigenständig. Als groben Vergleich könnte man eine instrumentale Version der progressivsten Phase von Rush bemühen, wenn man sich vorstellt, Alex Lifeson würde mehr Solos spielen. Auf jeden Fall ist Abrahadabra eine Empfehlung für Liebhaber instrumentalen Progressive Rocks der härteren Gangart. Zu beziehen ist die CD über die Homepage von Salim Ghazi Saeedi. Guide sul Web: Rock Progressive interview by Gaetano Menna, Jan 2012Italian version: here 1) Iran today It 'linked to my questions. We
think that yours is a conservative country, closed to the news, in
opposition to the West of the world. You are the side of a new and
amazing Tehran, who listens and produces a different music, which
uses the Internet to enhance it, which communicate in English. You
are aware of an international dimension, Is this the other side of
Iran? It is really possible in your country express themselves fully
free? [ITALIAN] Guide sul Web: Rock Progressive interview by Gaetano Menna, Jan 2012 (In Italian)part #1:
http://www.guidesulweb.it/rock-progressive/2012/01/15/salim-ghazi-saeedi-intervista-alla-voce-libera-di-teheran/ L’estate scorsa avevo letto con interesse l’approfondimento di Riccardo Storti (coordinatore del Centro Studi sul Progressive italiano) sul suo blog “Scrittore Progressivo” della discografia del musicista iraniano Salim Ghazi Saeedi fino all’album “Iconophobic”. Mi aveva profondamente colpito il fatto che un’artista a Teheran, suonasse il prog, comunicasse su Internet e vendesse la sua musica online. Certo quella di Salim è una voce isolata, ma è bello scoprire che non tutto è come appare. Per una volta si parla dell’Iran non per la bomba atomica, per gli ayatollah, per le minacce belliche ma per la musica, la stessa che gira sul nostro stereo… Recentemente è uscito il nuovo disco di Salim Ghazi Saeedi, “Human Encounter” (2011), allora ho voluto approfondire. Via web sono entrato in contatto con il polistrumentista, ho quindi ascoltato il suo nuovo disco, un concept diviso in due parti, il lato oscuro e il lato chiaro della Terra. Il mondo ha due facce? Ed una delle due è giusto che sia oscurata? Queste le domande che mi sono fatto ascoltando un suono senza barriere che mescola avant-garde, Thelonious Monk, Nirvana e musica persiana… “Human Encounter” è un disco davvero interessante, maturo che ci riempie il cuore di speranze. Ed è sintomatico il nome del suo sito SalimWorld: Salim e la sua musica si aprono al mondo… A Salim Ghazi Saeedi abbiamo chiesto di rispondere ad alcune nostre domande. Questa è l’intervista alla voce libera di Teheran. E’ inevitabile la domanda sull’Iran oggi. Abbiamo un’idea che sia un Paese conservatore, chiuso alle novità, in contrapposizione all’occidente. Tu sei il volto di una Teheran nuova e stupefacente, che ascolta e produce una musica differente, che usa Internet per valorizzarla, che comunica in inglese, che sa avere una dimensione internazionale. C’è davvero un’altra Iran? E’ possibile davvero esprimersi pienamente liberi? Sono cresciuto in Oriente, ma dalla prima infanzia ho iniziato ad ascoltare musica occidentale, ad imparare l’inglese e sono stato un fanatico della tecnologia. Quindi penso che sia naturale che i miei lavori artistici siano orientati prevalentemente verso l’Occidente, naturalmente mantenendo – come alcuni critici li chiamano - riflessi persiani. La comunicazione globale rende più facile alle culture di evolversi in modi nuovi e credo che sarete d’accordo che il rock progressivo è molto adatto ad essere un trasportatore di tali evoluzioni, in quanto permette di oltrepassare i confini artistici ed incoraggia gli ascoltatori a pensare in modo creativo. Come dici tu, l’Iran è un paese conservatore e non ci si può
aspettare l’apertura mentale in un ambiente del genere. Per quanto
ho capito, gli iraniani sono “affascinati dal passato”, sono persone
che in generale non abbracciano moderne correnti artistiche
facilmente… Quindi penso che anche se la scena musicale in Iran
fosse stata più aperta alla musica occidentale, né i critici interni
né gli ascoltatori sarebbero stati pronti per la comprensione e
l’analisi; il confronto con i lavori creativi non è radicato nella
loro cultura e considerato semplicemente come qualcosa di nuovo. Tu hai cominciato con una band Arashk con cui hai inciso tre album, hai quindi proseguito come solista con due dischi in cui sei polistrumentista. C’è poi un progetto musicale in duo con Negar Bouban. Ci parli brevemente delle tue attività e collaborazioni musicali? Nei miei lavori da solista, Human Encounter (2011), Iconophobic (2010) ho preferito lavorare da solo, perché i generi musicali di questi album – cioè avant-garde, jazz-rock e prog-rock – hanno scarso seguito tra i musicisti in Iran e ben pochi di loro sono artisti professionisti. Così ho pensato che lavorare da solo sarebbe strato più efficace. Mi sono occupato da solo di composizioni, performance, strumenti, registrazione e mixaggio dell’ album. Ho realizzato tre album con la band degli Arashk, cioè. Ustuqus-al-Uss (2008), Sovereign (2007) e Abrahadabra (2006); erano per lo più puntati ad una strumentazione standard rock (tranne Ustuqus-al-Uss). Ma il progetto Arashk è stato bloccato dopo le sessioni di prova del 2008 dato che le opportunità di concerti in Iran erano molto limitate. La band Arashk ha anche un quarto album, Yell (2008) che è stato composto dagli altri suoi membri; io ho contribuito alla chitarra ritmica e l’ho registrato e mixato. Ho anche co-composto e registrato un singolo con Negar Bouban all’oud pubblicato il 1° gennaio2011. C’è una caratteristica particolare nella musica tradizionale persiana che mi piace molto, che è la grande enfasi dello strumento solista. Credo che esistano grandi potenzialità per la chitarra elettrica se suonata nello stesso modo e penso di sperimentarlo in futuro. Il tuo nuovo album, Human Encounter, è un concept album diviso
in due parti, il lato oscuro e il lato chiaro della Terra. Pensi che
il mondo abbia due facce? Senza dubbio, all’estero, colpisce la tua proposta musicale. I
tuoi riferimenti musicali sono molto vari, dal jazz di Thelonoius
Monk al rock dei Nirvana, a cui hai dedicato due brani del tuo nuovo
disco… ma ci sono anche gli umori della musica del tuo Paese… una
miscela di grandi suggestioni. Human Encounter, è un disco maturo che dimostra che come
artista sei cresciuto. Al suo interno le dediche ad artisti che ti
hanno segnato. Tra cui una sorprendente per l’attore Jeremy Brett ci
puoi spiegare il tuo percorso? “City Bombardment” è dedicato alla guerra tra Iran e Iraq del
1980. Tu sei nato sotto le bombe… Puoi raccontarci le emozioni di
questa canzone? I tuoi dischi sono in vendita, in distribuzione? Come possono
fare i lettori a entrarne in possesso? Music Street Journal Interview with Salim Ghazi Saeedi, Dec 2010http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_interview_display.cfm?id=100486 Interview with Salim Ghazi Saeedi from 2010 Can you catch the readers up on the history of your involvement in music? Until the age 18, I was merely a music fanatic and had never played any instrument. During my childhood, Iran was at war and so the art scene was generally deprived. So all the music realm that I had been into during my childhood solely relied on my own discovery - which of course in a sense was beneficial; because I never became exposed to any advertised mainstream music! In 1999 I bought a guitar and started self-teaching music. In 2004 I joined the band Arashk and composed three albums there (Abrahadabra, Sovereign, Ustuqus-al-Uss), ranging from progressive rock/metal to jazz fusion. Arashk had a few concerts in universities and since western music is not supported in Iran, the band's activities did not go further than that. Meanwhile I self studied music production and built up a home studio that later developed into a commercial sound recording studio. In 2010, I started a solo project and composed Iconophobic album.
Among various reviews this album has received wide range of titles
including progressive rock, avant-garde classical chamber,
progressive electronic rock, art rock, experimental and RIO... If you weren't involved in music what do you think you'd be doing? Poetry. Once I wrote in an unpublished poetry book of mine:
"Man's utmost endeavor is to be a poet. Indeed it is!" What is the music scene like in Iran? Iran's music scene is mostly centered around Iranian traditional
music. And like the music, the music industry is also traditional.
TV and radio mostly play traditional music and national TV does not
display musical instruments due to complications around religious
stuff. Besides the concerts are limited. Internet and satellite TV
are the main resources for people's access to contemporary music
scene. Are there social or legal constraints on your music based on being in Iran? Western music is not generally welcomed in Iran. Maybe because
traditional culture and beliefs still dominate among many people...
Just imagine the degree of bias in this old Iranian expression that
at least has existed for 1000 years: "The art belongs to Persians
and nothing else!” Who would you see as your musical influences? First of all, Kurt Cobain. When I was a teenager, in an inexpressible way I deeply felt an affinity with the teen spirit he recognized in my generation. Of course I have no idea why an Iranian teenager, whose social environment has been so different from American youth generation of the ‘90s, should assimilate with words and music of a Seattle based band... Well... Music works in mysterious ways! Other important influences include Jeff beck and Thelonious Monk.
They are both masters of innovation and both constantly push my
limits of imagination further and further. I think Monk was truly
the unity of a man and his instrument. What's ahead for you? I compose non-stop. There will be another solo album in 2011 in
which I am composing and playing all instruments. Besides I have
started a collaboration with an established Oud player, Negar Bouban.
We will have a few collaborative compositions released in the
upcoming year. Meanwhile I'm preparing my 2010 album, Iconophobic
for performance by middle-sized band outside Iran. I know artists hate to have their music pigeonholed or labeled, but how would you describe your music? Actually I have invented a term for my music, that is "pictorial
rock.” I chose this term because it seems that my music is capable
of evoking a mental show in listener's mind. Besides, I always try
to condense my music ideas in a minimalist way. For example when it
comes to "catchy parts" I usually do not prefer to repeat them and
instead try to exaggerate them in one place. Are there musicians with whom you would like to play with in the future? I like to work with masters of improvisation regardless of the
instrument they play. Do you think that illegal downloading of music is a help or hindrance to the careers of musicians? I think no musician can blame a listener because of listening to
his music. Finding illegal copies of a specific work has no
straight-forward process; so I think if a listener puts himself into
trouble of finding and downloading a copy, he is more than an
ordinary fan. So, however financially hard for musicians, I think
they are obliged to accept the fact that a noticeable part of their
fans is consisted of "pirates" and at least as fans, they are
valuable. So musicians should seek alternative sources of income. In a related question, how do you feel about fans recording shows and trading them? The point is, by trading music, fans are spreading artist's name
and it is usually done very enthusiastically. When a listener is
excited about a show or tune, he likes to immediately share his
excitement with people he loves. By performing shows, musicians
essentially try to excite and entertain people. So it would be
against their own purpose, if musicians try to attenuate this
excitement... If you were a superhero, what music person would be your arch nemesis and why? Edwin Howard Armstrong, FM radio inventor, has a saying that is
directed toward some people in broadcasting industry. He says: "Men
substitute words for reality and then argue about the words." These
"men" were those who fought against FM radio for years, because it
would revolutionize and destroy their businesses. As a superhero,
such men would be my arch nemesis! If you were to put together your ultimate band (a band you'd like to hear or catch live), who would be in it and why? That would be Jeff Beck on guitar, Thelonious Monk on piano and
Stanley Clark on double bass! Because that is wild! If you were in charge of assembling a music festival and wanted it to be the ultimate one from your point of view who would be playing? It is a really hard question. I like a lot of bands from far
apart styles... To name only a few: Marty Friedman, Chet Atkins,
Sinéad O'connor, Karftwerk, Tool, Derek Sherinian, Al Di Meola, The
Prodigy, The Ark, and at least 50 others! What was the last CD you bought and/or what have you been listening to lately? I have recently started listening to microtonal music. Among
them, I have enjoyed the album Electric by Churzkia Jrakavla. Have you read any good books lately? I'm constantly studying books on music industry that are
essential for working as an indie musician. Among literature I am
reading Nietzsche's collected poetry. What about the last concert you attended for your enjoyment? Kayhan Kalhor, an Iranian Kamancheh instrument virtuoso. Do you have a musical “guilty pleasure?” My guilty pleasure is that I admire beauty in music absolutely
regardless of the genre. This way, for example among world music
lovers, I cannot discuss about the profundity of Kraftwerk. What has been your biggest Spinal Tap moment? Since I have had a few concerts, I have not had the chance to
experience real Spinal Tap moments! Hopefully in the future! If you could sit down to dinner with any three people, living or dead, for food and conversation, with whom would you be dining? Janis Joplin, Omar Khayyam and King Solomon... LOL! What would be on the menu? Fesenjan, my favorite Iranian dish! Are there any closing thoughts you would like to get out there? Close your eyes, shut your brain down and listen to the sounds emerging in the void. That is music composing. Having this approach in mind, I say a "progressive" musician knows no border... Not geographically, not earth-wise... Since the rapture within music cannot be confined by anything concerning "reality.” Stave Magazine's Interview with Salim Ghazi Saeedi, By Christy Claxton, August 2010http://www.stavemagazine.com/?section=news
Nothing is
Everything
Any serious
artist is always searching for a new insight and a new avenue
towards the creative process. Unfortunately, most of us get trapped
in the atmosphere of our own cultural surroundings. Whether it's
laziness or distraction, even the best independent artists can fall
into the look and sound of the moment. A particular graphic will
dominate the album covers of a particular sub-genre in a particular
year. A particular producer will work on one particular project, and
that artist's peers will seek out that producer and get a very
similar sound. The following is a recent interview exchange I had with Salim.
In
your bio you talk about growing up in a home where musical
instruments were not available to you, so you were 18 before you
picked up a guitar. Did you take any music instruction at that
time, or are you completely self taught?
Progarchives.com interview with Arashk, May 2010http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=67120 ARASHK are a progressive metal band from Tehran, Iran consisting of Pouyan Khajavi (guitars, vocals, bass), Salim Ghazi Saeedi (guitars, keyboards) and Shahram Khosraviani (drums). ARASHK members are eastern minded guys who enjoy western music and bring their own unique interpretation of progressive rock. The band is mostly instrumental but does include some vocals. (Anonymous biography writer, ProgArchives) Excellent. Bands like Arashk have an interesting story to tell and I was delighted when I was able to do an interview with them. Both Salim and Pouyan answered my questions. ***********************************************************************
Your band is a band with even it's own cultural position and is important enough to merit a Wikipedia article. I refer to that one for the biography. But what is your musical philosophy and what does Arashk mean ? Pouyan: Arashk is the name of the founder of Ashkanian Empire (Arsacid Empire). Although Arashk’s reign as a king was not long (250 BC to 247 BC) but the empire he established, ruled Iran for about 600 years. He was the one who regained Iran’s freedom from the dominance of Seleucid Empire which was a Greek Empire ruling Iran. His name stands for standing against the unpleasant situation and trying to change. We have tried to blow the spirit of moving in our songs, we have also tried to emphasize on the fact that living beings should break the surrounding boundaries to survive and this is not merely limited to our lyrics but most importantly exists in our music. The book Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam By Mark LeVine describe an own Islamic scene with it's own music. Please tell us more about your scene and the life and censorship situation in Iran. Salim: Iranian music industry is administered in a very old fashioned way and is isolated from outside world. So we’ve preferred to focus on customers outside Iran specifically to adapt to ever growing demand of digital music. Censorship exists but I believe a healthy and up to date business environment is more critical. There are technological limitations for ebanking in Iran - which are mostly due international embargos. Meanwhile Iran is not bound to international copyright laws. Pouyan: A serious problem in Iran is that events that lead to gathering of youths are being prevented and this policy becomes more serious when it comes to Hard Rock … So in Iran we cannot have live performances which is vital for a rock band, as a result Iranian rock bands tend to immigrate to foreign countries so they can at least play for people and have their connection with people which is the main point in any kind of art. What is the difference between pop/rock music in the west and the Iranian scene? Salim: In my opinion, however that there are growing trends for pop/rock music among Iranians, the dominant music scene in Iran - even among many younger generations - is still traditional music. Most of Iranian people enjoy their ancestor’s heritage… You know sometimes even in a weird way! Iranians have a kind of mythological impression on everything… e.g. we have sayings like “The Art does belong to Iranians”. Of course these are merely reflections of traditional and outdated views that still dominate. I think it makes Iranian artists pretentious and outmoded not even in form but in idea. Pouyan: As Salim
and I mentioned above, in Iran, rock music is not permitted to be
communicated to people and its fans. As a result, the only kind of
music that is widely available to public is Iranian traditional
music (although even traditional music is not completely free from
censorship!); so maybe people still listen to traditional music
because they don’t have quite a choice among Iranian artists. Please give me your (long or brief) thoughts and lowdowns on your albums....... Salim: Arashk has released four albums from which I have composed Abrahadabra, Sovereign and Ustuqus-al-Uss that are all instrumental progressive rock. The fourth album, Yell, is a hard/progressive rock album, mainly composed by Pouyan. In Yell, I have had contributions for rhythm guitars and some secondary guitar solos.
Abrahadabra from 2007 Salim: Abrahadabra is a reflection of my exaggerated personal feelings. It is the first endeavor to my idea of “pictorial rock” - i.e. the composition of sounds that recite sequence of mental pictures. Actually all of those instrumental tracks have a real-life story behind them. There are very vague allusions to these stories in CD booklet. e.g. “Route” is a story of a death ceremony and reflects the mourning over dead in way that is done in eastern culture. Or “Told to the Bird” is story of me confessing to a bunch of flying birds in a ritualistic way… In one word I was very lovesick, idealist and outraged while composing them. Sovereign from 2007 Salim: Sovereign
is an instrumental recitation of Shahnameh (The Epic of Kings) i.e.
an extensive Persian epic poems written by Ferdowsi (935–1020) as a
collection of Persian mythologies. You will find western rock
instrumentation with eastern flavor. Some songs I think are apt to
be adapted for traditional Iranian dance; especially “Sovereign” and
“Harem” tracks. I am looking forward choreographic performance
adaptation for this work whenever possible. Imagine Iranian
“Coffee-house” paintings and belly dance with distorted guitars
performing cheerful rhythms… Unusual combination? No, to me that
sounds all natural! Ustuqus-al-Uss from 2008 Salim: In this album I somehow inclined to jazz fusion and classic instrumentation. I think the eastern “blend” still dominates e.g. in “Ustuqus-al-Uss-al-Avvalin-val-Akharin” which I think is the most progressive tune I have ever made (The second catchy guitar solo is performed by Pouyan). Some songs are extremely personal e.g. “Naught been I thou” which is a off-beat jazzy with unusual dance elements… These songs are my utmost fears and hopes - to a degree that made me mute from communicating by words. And thus they become instrumental sounds… Yell from 2008 Pouyan: The composition of the songs in this album started from the very beginning of our band, and most of the songs were made before Salim joined the band; but the recording and mastering of this album took so long! This album is a true Persian rock album, where the lyrics are in Farsi and some are chosen from Iranian classic poems. But the soul of each song is very avant-garde; not old fashioned and dusty! Each of the songs has its own spirit, mostly they draw you a scene. For example the song “Yell” (lyrics by Ferdowsi) is the conversation between a rebel and the king, (which is an Iranian ancient myth, Kaveh and Zahhak). One can consider it as a theater. “Falcons of the Sky” is also an epic music which describes a scene about jet fighter pilots fighting in the sky and the feelings one would have in that situation. What is the latest update from your band ? Salim: Arashk has been inactive recently. I am now focused on composing a solo project which will be released within a few months. It is mostly combination of screaming electric guitars, electronic rhythms and classical orchestra… Beside the standard Audio CD edition, I am mixing a dolby surround DVD (Quadra or 5.1 mix) that can be listened in home theaters. Pouyan: Actually I have lost my appetite in music recently and that’s because we are not able to do anything public in Iran! (I guess I’ve said it so many times in this interview!) But I’m trying to change my way and think about other types of music, recently I’ve composed 6 Turkish folk songs with electric guitar, piano and daf (an Iranian musical instrument) and I had a great feedback from the listeners, however that the performance was very private for some of our friends. So I’m trying to free my mind to discover new possibilities in music. How is the distribution of your albums and what is your experiences with the music industry ? Salim: We have been indie artist and maintained the distribution ourselves and limited to outside Iran. Of course we look forward future possibilities. Pouyan: Well, It’s a very hard thing to sell your music through the internet without serious advertisement, concert and without having anyone to know you! But we still had the chance to be able to sell our albums, even in small numbers. I guess this is a pretty difficult question to answer, but how would you describe your music and who would you compare yourself with ? Salim : I have an extremely versatile taste for listening music. I listen to electronic music, classic and heavy metal in a row. Actually it was http://www.progarchives.com that for the first time used the term “progressive metal” for the band. Actually Arashk consists of composers that gather from time to time to contribute. Pouyan: We don’t have commitment to a specific kind of music; we play whatever which feels right. I don’t think it would be a right thing to compare different music bands with each other, but if I want to describe the music we play - especially the album Yell, it would be some kind of hard rock music with kinds of eastern taste. This album may sound like several hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Rainbow, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Megadeth and so many other bands. Yell album may sound like the rock music played during 70’s but heavier and more rhythmic than them. It happened to me once that a friend told me there’s a song by some band that sounds like one of ours, but that’s just coincidence and it’s not a strange thing as long as we all play some kind of rock. Do you have any regrets in your career ? Salim: Making music makes me to suffer more... So if there should be any regret, it is the selection of this path itself... But it has been long time ago I stopped concerning about its ‘philosophy’. Now I am just doing the work... How do you see the future of Arashk as a band ? Salim: It mainly depends on the geographical location that each of us reside in future. What is the daytime jobs of the Arashk members ? Salim: I have part-time job to have something on the table. The rest of time I am busy composing. Pouyan: I’m still studying! … Master of science in electrical power engineering! Which has nothing to do with art and music! So I still don’t have a job. What is your five all-time favourite albums ? Salim: [1] Nevermind
(1991) by Nirvana Pouyan: [1] Brave New World (2000) by Iron Maiden [2] Floating (1974) by Eloy [3] Emerson Lake & Palmer (1970) by Emerson Lake & Palmer [4] Seasons in the Abyss (1990) by Slayer [5] I Can See Your House From Here (1979) by Camel
Interview with Salim Ghazi Saeedi, Arlequins, Francesco Inglima, Mar 2012 [permalink] http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/corpointerviste.asp?chi=279 Salim Ghazi Saeedi, former guitarist of the prog metal band
Arashk and author of two solo albums (“Iconophobic” and “Human
Encounter”) in the same year, is an interesting and unusual guy
indeed. He lives in Iran, not a place for progressive music.
However, despite all the obstacles, he managed to create his music,
playing by himself all the instruments and publishing as private
release his albums. Thanks to Salim’s great kindness, this interview
gives us a glance into his World. Here in Europe, when people read about you for the first time, the first reaction may be: "Oh, they play progressive rock also in Iran". Surely this astonishment derives from a stereotypical image about your country over here. Now, can you tell us something more about Persian rock scene? Today, Persian rock scene is not active inside Iran, but like any
other geographical coordination, minds of artists like me are
capable of travelling through their imagination to any realm,
including musical genre of progressive rock. Of course due to
cultural recession resulting from domestic conservative policies,
the artistic community in such music genres is very weak. During my
music career I have mostly either acted alone or worked with my
previous band, Arashk. Your country has an important history and it has always been a land of great artists, even though, from here, life seems quite complicated for artists over there. Maybe you can explain us better what being an artist in Iran is like? Often I have heard from Iranian artists that there is abundance
of inspirational ideas useful for artistic creation, in Iran. Maybe
that is because of the diversity among cultures in different parts
of the country, unrestrained chaos in struggles between traditional
and modern values or maybe just limitations that persuades artists
to become more creative by seeking new forms of expression...
Actually I agree with this notion. I guess I felt the need of
finding a medium like music to express my sensory and mental
overload resulting from extreme fears of war or other damages within
the society I’ve grown in. Is there any Persian musician or other artist who has had a significant influence on you? Not directly, I have mostly pursued western music world. However, the general style of solo instrument playing in Persian traditional music genre has inspired me to experiment the same with electric guitar. I guess this is very dramatic and a novel gesture in world of electric guitar... You may check out an example in “Artemis the Huntress” song from “Ustuqus-al-Uss” 2008 album. However, regarding Persian artists, my second album in Arashk band, “Sovereign” (2007) has themes inspired from Shahnameh, an epic by Ferdowsi, Iranian classical poet. In your biography you wrote that listening to Nirvana for the first time was a turning point of your life and music career and, thanks to Kurt Cobain, you started to play guitar. Starting from Nirvana, how did you manage to arrive to avant prog which is on the opposite side of the rock universe? I think that the process of music composition is like walking
backwards. You realize your intention after it is done. You cannot
decide what sounds to compose. The sounds decide. I don't like to stereotype music, but you said that you started to play progressive rock and RIO spontaneously, without knowing much about this genre. Once you reached this point, did you start to "study" more this music? Who are your favourite artists in this genre? After receiving criticism about “Iconophobic” I read about Rock In Opposition, experimental rock, Canterbury scene and art rock a little more seriously and each time I were compared to an artist I didn’t know (which includes most of the artists I have listed in the "Sound Like" page at my website) I tried to listen to their works... Among them I especially enjoyed Univers Zero and X-Legged Sally a lot. You started your music career with a prog metal band called "Arashk". Is this project still alive? Why didn't other Arashk members follow you in your musical evolution towards progressive, experimental rock and jazz rock? When I joined Arashk band in 2004, Pouyan Khajavi and Shahram
Khosraviani were working on a hard rock project that included
Persian vocals. Until 2008 when that project finished in form of
Arashk album’s “YELL”, I composed three instrumental progressive
metal albums in Arashk (“Abrahadabra” 2006, “Sovereign” 2007 and
“Ustuqus-al-Uss” 2008) which found more jazz-rock/fusion tendencies
in the latter. In your solo albums you played all the instruments. Was it by choice or a need? It has been out of need. I have no access to professional and performing jazz or rock musicians in Iran. I should add that besides my solo album I have also played all the instruments in 3 Arashk albums, “Abrahadabra” (2006), “Sovereign” (2007) and “Ustuqus-al-Uss” (2008) with few exceptions denoted in albums’ credit notes. Can we say that one of the main differences between “Iconophobic” and “Human Encounter” is that you became more self-conscious of the music you are playing? I guess that from “Iconophobic” to “Human Encounter” there is a
transition from “phobia of icons” to “encountering the icons”.
“Iconophobic” is composed from an infant’s viewpoint. As an example,
in the song “Give my Childhood Back”, I try to depict the sounds I
could have heard while floating in my mother’s womb from outside
World (i.e. the reality or the world of icons). Your songs are always quite short, why? In 2006 after composing my first album, “Abrahadabra” in Arashk
band, I wrote: “I like exaggerated details and very subtle
techniques of the instrument and when I come across composing a
catchy part in a song, I see no reason for repeating it. If someone
liked that part, he can rewind the song!” Have you ever thought to insert vocal parts in your music? I despise the words, as being source of misunderstanding and
confusion. Maybe this is the reason why I have preferred
instrumental music as an artistic medium of expression. Of course
sometimes I write poetry, which I have called “the inferno of words”
for the same reason, but not songs (The poems are available at my
website). In the last album you divided the world into evil and good persons. Why this sharp division? Maybe that is the reflection of where I grew up. In the East you
encounter these dualistic good and bad aspects a lot in daily life,
religious beliefs or even ancient mythological ideas... People are
judged being either devoted to God or devil; either religious or
outsider; going either to hell or heaven, etc... Besides in Iran you
find tons of “aphorisms” on street walls or highway billboards
starting with phrases like “The worst sin is...” or “The best man is
who...” etc. You did a great work to promote your music. A well done website with lot of informations and translated in many languages. It's possible to find infos about you also on Wikipedia in several languages. Was all this work worth? The reason why I translated my website content into 14 languages
(and still growing) is that – like by adopting instrumental kind of
music - I am trying to transcend the words. I am eager to eliminate
every obstacle in the way of communicating my wordless instrumental
music... As David Cronenberg puts it in Naked Lunch movie,
“Exterminate all rational thought. That is the conclusion I have
come to. You wrote that your "fans" translated for you the website in many languages. How did you create such a trusted fanbase? My fan base is scattered throughout the world but I always try to
communicate personally to everyone getting in touch with me... When
someone likes your art and cares enough to talk about it with you,
it is the most precious conversation an artist could have. I have
always made dear (yet unseen) friends around the world this way. Which feedbacks did your music get in Iran? I have not found Iranians serious listeners to avant-prog or jazz-rock generally. So most of feedbacks I have received had been merely out of curiosity about confronting something different. Of course I have never expected more anyway. Iranians in general pursue traditional music and culture or at least expect a considerable presence of it. Nowadays, with internet, there are limitless possibilities. Have you ever thought about a collaboration with foreigner artists? Is there artists you would like to collaborate with? Recently I participated to The Tangent’s solo competition and I
also considered collaborating in creative commons based environments
like ccMixter or Kompoz, but I haven’t put serious time for that...
Once I also started working on remixing (actually recomposing) one
of the songs from NIN’s “The Slip” as they have made this album’s
samples available in creative commons. Your music evolution is always in progress, what should we expect next from you? Arlequins is the first place I am announcing it. I have started working on another album for about a month. It will be a concept album as a sequel to “Iconophobic” and “Human Encounter” albums. At the end of “Human Encounter” story (as outlined in its booklet) after I encountered the pleasures and ugliness, I depart from Earth... So now I should be in the nowhere land concentrating on this next album!! I expect it to be my reaction to “encountering the icons” (in “Human Encounter” 2011) after “phobia of icons” (in “Iconophobic” 2010). Interview with Salim Ghazi Saeedi, Arlequins, Francesco Inglima, Mar 2012 [permalink] http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/corpointerviste.asp?chi=278
Salim Ghazi Saeedi, ex chitarrista del gruppo prog metal Arashk e
autore di due album solisti (“Iconophobic” e “Human Encounter”) nel
giro di un anno, è un personaggio indubbiamente interessante e
inusuale. L’Iran, nazione dove vive, non è certo un posto che
facilita coloro i quali vogliano suonare Progressive, tuttavia, a
dispetto delle difficoltà che l’hanno costretto a suonare da solo
tutti gli strumenti e ad autoprodursi i suoi album, è riuscito a
realizzare la sua musica. Grazie all’estrema gentilezza e
disponibilità di Salim, questa intervista ci fornisce una visione
del suo mondo. Qui in Europa quando le persone che leggono di te per la prima volta, queste possono avere come prima reazione: “Oh, fanno progressive rock anche in Iran!”. Sicuramente questo stupore deriva da un’immagine stereotipata della tua nazione. Puoi dirci qualcosa in più riguardo alla scena rock persiana? Oggigiorno la scena rock persiana non è molto attiva in Iran, ma
come avviene in qualsiasi latitudine, le menti degli artisti come me
sono capaci di viaggiare con la loro immaginazione in ogni regno,
incluso il genere musicale del rock progressive. Sicuramente per via
della recessione culturale derivante dalle politiche conservative
iraniane, la comunità artistica in questo tipo di generi musicali è
molto debole. Durante la mia carriera musicale ho principalmente
agito da solo o lavorato con la mia precedente band, Arashk. La tua nazione ha sempre avuto una storia importante ed è stata terra di grandi artisti, sebbene da qui sembra che la vita sia abbastanza complicata per loro. Forse potresti spiegarci meglio cosa significa essere un artista in Iran? Spesso ho sentito dagli artisti iraniani che qui c’è abbondanza
di ispirazioni utili per la creazione artistica. Forse ciò è dovuto
alla diversità culturale fra le varie parti del paese, un caos
incontrollato in lotta tra i valori moderni e quelli tradizionali, o
forse sono le limitazioni che spingono l’artista a diventare più
creativo cercando nuove forme di espressioni. Effettivamente sono
d’accordo con questa nozione. Penso che abbia sentito il bisogno di
trovare un mezzo come la musica per esprimere il mio sovraccarico
mentale e sensoriale dovuto all’estrema paura per la guerra e alle
altre sciagure interne alla società dove sono cresciuto. C’è qualche musicista persiano, o più in generale qualche artista, che ha avuto un’influenza significativa su di te? Non direttamente, ho principalmente ascoltato la musica occidentale. Comunque lo stile degli strumenti solisti suonati nella musica tradizionale persiana mi ha ispirato nello sperimentare lo stesso con la chitarra elettrica. Penso che questa sia una cosa teatrale e nuova nel mondo della chitarra elettrica. Puoi averne un esempio nella canzone “Artemis the Huntress” dall’album del 2008 “Ustuqus-al-Uss”. Comunque riguardo agli artisti persiani, nel mio secondo album con gli Arashk, “Sovereign”, hai dei temi ispirati dal Shahnameh, un poema epico di Ferdowsi, poeta classico iraniano. Nella tua biografia scrivi che ascoltare i Nirvana per la prima volta ha rappresentato una svolta nella tua vita e nella tua carriera musicale e che grazie a Kurt Cobain hai iniziato a suonare la chitarra. Partendo dai Nirvana, come sei riuscito ad arrivare all’avant prog che è al lato opposto dell’universo rock? Penso che il processo di composizione musicale sia come camminare
all’indietro. Realizzi la tua intenzione solo dopo che è stata
compiuta. Non puoi decidere che suono comporre. Il suono decide. Non mi piace stereotipizzare la musica, ma tu hai affermato che hai iniziato a suonare il progressive e il RIO spontaneamente, senza conoscere troppo circa questo genere, Una volta raggiunto questo “punto” hai iniziato a studiare maggiormente questo genere? Quali sono i tuoi artisti preferiti? Dopo aver ricevuto le critiche riguardo a “Iconophobic”, mi sono informato un po’ più seriamente sul RIO, rock sperimentale, la scena Canterbury e l’art rock. Ogni volta che venivo paragonato ad un artista che non conoscevo (nei quali sono inclusi la maggior parte degli artisti elencati nella pagina del mio sito alla pagina “Sound Like”) ho provato ad ascoltare i loro lavori… Tra loro ho particolarmente apprezzato gli Univers Zero e gli X-Legged Sally. Hai iniziato la tua carriera musicale con una band prog metal chiamata “Arashk”. E’ un progetto ancora attivo? Perché gli altri membri degli Arashk non ti hanno seguito in questa tua evoluzione musicale verso il progressive, rock sperimentale e jazz rock? Quando sono entrato negli Arashk nel 2004, Pouyan Khajavi e
Shahram Khosraviani stavano lavorando su un progetto hard rock con
parti vocali in persiano. Fino al 2008, quando quel progetto terminò
con l’album “YELL”, ho composto come membro degli Arashk tre album
strumentali di progressive metal (“Abrahadabra” 2006, “Sovereign”
2007 e “Ustuqus-al-Uss” 2008) nei quali, successivamente, ho trovato
influenze jazz rock e fusion. Nei tuoi album da solista suoni tutti gli strumenti. E’ stata una scelta o una necessità? E’ stata una necessità. Non ho accesso ai musicisti professionisti che suonano jazz o rock in Iran. Oltre ai miei album da solista ho suonato tutti gli strumenti anche in 3 album degli Arashk, “Abrahadabra” (2006), “Sovereign” (2007) e “Ustuqus-al-Uss” (2008) con qualche piccola eccezione riportata nei crediti degli album. Possiamo dire che una delle differenze principali tra “Iconophobic” e “Human Encounter” è che tu sei diventato più auto consapevole della musica che stai suonando? Credo che da “Iconophobic” a “Human Encounter” ci sia una
transizione dalla “fobia delle icone” a “incontrare le icone”.
“Iconophobic” è composto da un punto di vista di un neonato. Ad
esempio, nella canzone “Give my Childhood Back”, ho provato a
descrivere i suoni che posso aver sentito dal mondo esterno quando
fluttuavo nel ventre materno (ad esempio la realtà o il mondo delle
icone). I tuoi pezzi sono sempre abbastanza brevi, come mai? Nel 2006, dopo aver composto il mio primo album con gli Arashk,
“Abrahadabra”, ho scritto: “Mi piacciono i dettagli esagerati e le
tecniche molto delicate degli strumenti e quando mi capita di
comporre all’interno di una canzone una parte più orecchiabile, non
vedo nessuna ragione per ripeterla. Se a qualcuno piace quella parte
può mandare indietro la canzone.” Hai mai pensato di inserire parti vocali nella tua musica? Io disprezzo le parole perché fonte di confusione e
fraintendimenti. Forse è questa la ragione per la quale ho sempre
preferito la musica strumentale come mezzo espressivo. Tuttavia mi
capita di scrivere poesie che chiamo “l’inferno delle parole” per lo
stesso motivo, ma non canzoni (le poesie sono disponibili sul mio
sito web). Nel tuo ultimo album hai diviso il mondo in buoni e cattivi. Come mai questa divisione così netta? Forse questo è il riflesso di dove sono cresciuto. In Oriente
puoi incontrare spesso questo dualismo fra bene e male nella vita
quotidiana, credenze religiose o anche antiche idee mitologiche… La
gente è giudicata per essere devota a Dio o al diavolo o per essere
religiosa o atea, per andare all’inferno o in paradiso, ecc… Inoltre
in Iran puoi trovare tonnellate di “aforismi” sui muri delle strade
o sui cartelli autostradali che iniziano con frasi del tipo: “ Il
peggior peccato è…” o “l’uomo migliore è colui che…”, ecc… Hai fatto un gran lavoro nel promuovere la tua musica. Un sito ben fatto con tante informazioni e tradotto in molte lingue. E’ possibile trovare informazioni tue anche su Wikepedia in svariate lingue. Ne è valsa la pena? Il motivo per cui ho tradotto i contenuti del mio sito web in 14
lingue (è stanno ancora aumentando) è che, come per la scelta di un
tipo di musica strumentale, sto cercando di trascendere le parole.
Sono voglioso di eliminare ogni ostacolo nel modo di comunicare la
mia musica strumentale senza parole… Citando David Cronenberg nel
film il “Pasto Nudo”: “Sterminare tutto il pensiero razionale.
Quella è la conclusione a cui devo arrivare.” Hai scritto che i tuoi “fans” hanno tradotto per te il sito in molte lingue. Come hai creato una base di fan cosi affezionati? I miei fans sono sparpagliati in tutto il mondo, ma io cerco sempre di comunicare personalmente con ognuno di loro. Quando qualcuno apprezza la tua arte e si preoccupa di parlare di ciò con te, è la conversazione più preziosa che un artista possa avere. In questo modo ho sempre fatto amicizie, seppure non di persona, molto care in tutto il mondo. Quali sono i riscontri alla tua musica in Iran? Non ho trovato seri ascoltatori iraniani di avant-prog o jazz rock in generale. Quindi la maggior parte dei feedback che ho ricevuto è stata solo per la curiosità di affrontare qualcosa di diverso. Ovviamente non ho mai avuto aspettative maggiori. Gli Iraniani in genere preferiscono la cultura e la musica tradizionale o almeno si aspettano che ci sia una presenza importante di questa. Oggigiorno, con internet, ci sono possibilità illimitate. Hai mai pensato ad una collaborazione con artisti stranieri? C’è un artista con il quale ti piacerebbe collaborare? Recentemente ho partecipato al concorso da solista dei Tangent e
ho anche pensato di partecipare in ambienti di composizione
collettiva come ccMixter o Kompoz, ma non ci ho mai investito
seriamente del tempo. Una volta ho iniziato a lavorare su un remix
(o meglio una ricomposizione) di una canzone dei NIN (Nine Inch
Nails) dall’album “The Slip” visto che, appena fatto l’album, ne
avevano reso disponibili a tutti i campionamenti. La tua musica è in continua evoluzione, che cosa dobbiamo aspettarci prossimamente da te? Arlequins è il primo posto dove lo annuncio. Ho iniziato a lavorare su un altro album da circa un mese. Sarà un concept e sarà il seguito di “Iconophobic” e “Human Encounter”. Alla fine della storia di “Human Encounter” (come evidenziato nel suo booklet), dopo aver incontrato i piaceri e le bruttezze, ho lasciato la Terra… Quindi ora dovrei essere in una terra di nessuno concentrato sul prossimo album!!! Mi aspetto che sia la mia reazione “all’incontro con le icone” (in “Human Encounter” 2011) dopo la “fobia delle icone” (in “Iconophobic” 2010).
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