Cedia Sylviane
Cedia Sylviane

Award-winning Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi describes the rhythm of eternity or ‘Ritme Jaavdanegi’ in eight transfixing ways on his first vinyl album, following 12”s with Padre Himalaya and Burnt Friedman’s Nonplace in recent years.A prodigious child student turned absolute master of the tombak - a traditional Iranian drum famed for its wide range of tonalities and striking techniques - Mohammad Reza Mortazavi brings an unparalleled instinct and knowledge to his instrument with each new release, and in recent years has found fine foils in Europe’s experimental garde with collaborators such as Mark Fell, Fis and Burnt Friedman, while also performing at prestigious venues including Berlin Philharmonie and the Sydney Opera House. On this, his 6th solo LP, Latency give Mortazavi room to let his heart run free thru his fingertips. Reflecting on his childhood in Iran - where he first learned the tombak and famously surpassed his teacher’s knowledge by the age of 9 - the artist found an 11/8 time signature in the Farsi phrasing for “Rit - me - Jaav - da - ne - gi”, which gave naturally gave birth to this album.Playing within the tricksy, off-kilter meter, Mortazavi beautifully resolves its lop-sided equation in a fractal not fractious style, with rhythms endlessly rolling from others in a seemingly effortless chain reaction of ballistic physics that barrels straight from his head and heart from fingerskin to drumskin.