Congratulations on your release with Makhunik Records! Can you tell us more about this project and how it came about What was your inspiration behind the tracks on this release?
I started DJing way before producing back in 2016. But as I had little time to upscale my skills because of my dental classes in university I couldn’t fulfil what was needed to become a good DJ/Producer but I never stopped exploring new electronic music and its subgenres. As I graduated as a dentist back in late 2021 I had more time to gather more DJing and later more Producing skills.
Perfumes and fragrances were always one of my biggest favourite things and influences. It always brings back memories and feelings to me. Every single track in this EP is about a molecular scent. As an example Hedione is a molecular scent that resembles the smell of flowers, that’s why the track has more ethereal pads and is more emotional.
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How did the collaboration with Makhunik Records come to be, and what was it like working with them?
As I made these tracks I sent them to several labels and ask them if they could release them or if they were interested. There were a few that were interested in releasing these but I sent them 3 of my tracks (Hedione was still not made) and they wanted more. At the same time, I knew how supportive Nesa was so I sent her my tracks too. She found the tracks interesting but told me that her label with Aida doesn’t release tracks by male artists at that moment. So, I started to make few more tracks to give the EP with more than 3 tracks to another Label.
As I was in the process of making more tracks Nesa contacted me again and told me that she was running her own new label named Makhunik and wanted to release my tracks as a Debut EP on her label. So, I proudly and gladly accepted her request but she also wanted one more track, so I gave her a bunch of tracks I was making at that moment and she chose Hedione.
Can you walk us through your music production process? How do you start and develop your tracks? What software and hardware do you use when producing your music?
My main focus was on Techno back when I wasn’t producing but I started to like more subgenres. I was becoming very interested in artists like Etapp Kyle’s change of taste and style. I saw they were playing and making multi-genre tracks. Those were the first sparks of making a multi-genre EP.
In this particular EP, I started with the drums first, except Hedione which I’ll explain later. With these tracks, I used kick, subs and sliced-up samples to get that breaky/jungle/D’n’B feeling and then used bass and synths to give that feeling that was intended. All tracks were made with Ableton but VSTs like Buchla Easel and Arp2600 were used to give that classic electronic rough feeling.
With Hedione I started with pads first as it was intended to be a very emotional track. I also wanted it to be more experimental and IDM-like in the drums and Low-Ends. I haven’t particularly used traditional Iranian music elements in these tracks but they do have some eastern feeling to it as I was always interested in Eastern rhythms and complexity in music, especially in Hedione.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?
My influences in music don’t only come from Electronic Music. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, Tool, a Perfect Circle, Deftones, Radiohead, Failure, Nirvana and many Alternative bands from the 90s were my favorite. They were the reason I was interested in not-so-famous and used musical scales to give that weird Feeling and sounds.
In electronic music Massive Attack, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, and Autechre never failed to give me goosebumps. In Techno and Electronic Dance Music, Jungle and Break as I mentioned before Etapp Kyle, Dave N.A., Daniel Avery, Aquarian, Temudo, Answer Code Request, Inigo Kennedy, Arthur Robert and more recently Pink Concrete.
Do you have any plans to explore other genres or musical styles in the future? How do you see the electronic music scene evolving in Iran, and what role do you hope to play in it?
More recently I’ve been focused on producing the fast-paced Hypnotic/Deep/Atmospheric. I think I will be releasing in labels that are more related to that genre but of course, Nesa is a good friend of mine and I’m always open to providing her and her beautiful label tracks. It would be my honour.
I’m always open to exploring new sounds and genres especially more experimental ones because they require more creativity, I’m also interested in making alternative rock music… Who knows maybe shortly I will. Curretly, my focus is to make fast-paced hypnotizing and mesmerizing techno tunes for people to catch the rhythm and close their eyes as they enjoy the hypnotizing synths and elements.
The electronic music scene has changed a lot. I remember playing Techno tunes was a dream for us as we always had to play very groovy tech house tunes. And many Iranian tracks for people to enjoy a set. But it’s changed a lot. Playing different genres and subgenres has become a dream come true.
But still, we have to be careful. Playing too much atmosphere might be problematic as people love groovier and heavier tunes. As I’m immigrating to Germany soon, I see expanding my knowledge in both producing and DJing as a duty. I hope I’ll be able to share my knowledge and experience in this journey with all my Iranian friends and people. I see that as my role. But don’t get me wrong, our Iranian fellows also have a lot to teach and show to the electronic music genre from their traditional rhythms and music.
I hope one day it’ll be possible for me to get the best experiences from this scene from where I’m immigrating. Hopefully, I will play music in my ideal venues and clubs, share it with Iranian people, and bring the best to them.
Thank you.