Making Persian Music More Accessible to Outsiders

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Making Persian Music More Accessible to Outsiders
Making Persian Music More Accessible to Outsiders

The audiovisual artist Shaahin Peymani and his family share a long history of migration from Iran to Germany and back. Here he maps the route from his German grandmother’s migration diary alongside one of his own compositions.

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Design: Maria Uthe

One Way Passage to Tehran

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One Way Passage to Tehran
One Way Passage to Tehran

The audiovisual artist Shaahin Peymani and his family share a long history of migration from Iran to Germany and back. Here he maps the route from his German grandmother’s migration diary alongside one of his own compositions.

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Design: Maria Uthe

Diaspora Comes Home

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Diaspora Comes Home
Diaspora Comes Home

A round-up of the cosmopolitan classical musical culture in Iran. Starting with music scholars of the Qajar era (1796–1925) and ending with the global music scene of the 21st century, from both the diaspora and from home.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Photo: Dastgam Association
Sound: Aftab Darvishi, Mahsa Vahdat, Ali-Naqi Vaziri

Dard I Door

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Dard I Door
Dard I Door

A poetic encounter with the different family histories of poet Tanasgol Sabbah and bassist Reza Askari. Weaving together experience, memory, and narrative, this piece switches between languages, and allows uncertainty about what is said and what is imagined.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Photo: Reza Askari

NairobiConscious: Through the Airwaves

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NairobiConscious: Through the Airwaves
NairobiConscious: Through the Airwaves

Kamwangi Njue traces the story of political (i.e. conscious) music in Kenya, drawing on his own biography. He asks: Can conscious music achieve the impact it seeks when it has to play in the same sphere as popular music made purely for entertainment?

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Design: dudusquad
Sound: KBC Radio news bulletin, 1998

What Remains? – A Nairobi West Nostalgia

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What Remains? – A Nairobi West Nostalgia
What Remains? – A Nairobi West Nostalgia

Nairobi’s West/South C area was the home of the «Boomba» party sound. Now only the bars remain. What happened?

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Design: dudusquad
Photo: Hiro Otake (Flickr)
Sound: K’rupt

Norient Playlist 05/22: Nairobi

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Norient Playlist 05/22: Nairobi
Norient Playlist 05/22: Nairobi

Listen to this playlist of artists from Nairobi, Kenya. It traces different genres and schools and it features music released between 2001 and 2022.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Sound: Juliani

Norient Playlist 04/22: Kharkiv

Norient Playlist 04/22: Kharkiv
Norient Playlist 04/22: Kharkiv
Norient Playlist 04/22: Kharkiv

Listen to this playlist of artists from war-torn Kharkiv, Ukraine, and their current releases. Curated by Andrii Symonovych from Kyiv, during the invasion by Russia, 2022.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Sound: Ryba

Norient Playlist 03/22: Palestine

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Norient Playlist 03/22
Norient Playlist 03/22: Palestine

Listen to this playlist of artists from Palestine and their current releases.

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Design: Maria Uthe
Sound: Rawi Illiam

Gaza – When Beyond the Norm Becomes the Norm

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Gaza – When Beyond the Norm Becomes the Norm
Gaza – When Beyond the Norm Becomes the Norm

Episode 10 of the «Timezones» podcast series reflects the digital reality of being together as a people, thus shedding light on the challenges of working as a Palestinian artist today.

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Quote: Rehaf Al Batniji
Design: Šejma Fere
Photo: Rehaf Al Batniji

Sonic Gift-Giving on TikTok

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Sonic Gift-Giving on TikTok
Sonic Gift-Giving on TikTok

Since the advent of COVID-19, Algerian youth, artists, and studios have taken to TikTok to sell and promote the latest raï hits. One unique way for young people to engage in musical sociality is through so-called «sonic gifts».

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Quote: Luca Bruls
Design: Geke Zaal
Sound: Field Recordings, TikTok
Remix: Luca Bruls