Introducing Hyperlink Music Lab: Fusing Classical Persian Music In Up to date Toronto

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Musicians (L-R): Alireza Mortazavi and Carson Teal (Photograph: Marzieh Miri)

It’s no secret that Toronto is dwelling to individuals from many various backgrounds, nationalities, and ethnicities — and their musical traditions. That easy reality has led to many groundbreaking musical collaborations.

During the last two years, Hyperlink Music Lab’s Experimental Hyperlink Sequence has primarily created new genres of music by pairing musicians from the Persian diaspora with members of Toronto’s numerous and glorious music scene, together with pianist Chris Pruden, bassist Scott Peterson, and cellist George Crotty. The outcomes have been a string of revolutionary recordings and reside performances that veer from fusion to digital music and again.

They’re holding a Label Launch Occasion to have a good time the 5 (and shortly to be six) releases which have come out thus far, and future plans that embrace a number of extra, on Might 10.

L-R: Bassist Scott Peterson and nay player Shaho Andalibi (Photo courtesy of the artists)
L-R: Bassist Scott Peterson and nay participant Shaho Andalibi (Photograph courtesy of the artists)

Hyperlink Music Lab founder Moudy (Mahmood) Schricker

“I began with working with Small World Music, with Alan Davis,” remembers Hyperlink Music Lab founder Moudy Schricker. He’s additionally a musician and producer. “There was an enormous motion of Iranian classical music.”

From its beginnings as a style you’d hear at strictly Persian neighborhood occasions, the recognition of Persian music and rising viewers within the metropolis has seen it fill Toronto’s main live performance halls, together with the George Weston Recital Corridor, and Roy Thomson Corridor.

“As a result of I work with them, I assumed there was potential,” he says. After 5 years or so of working with Small World, he needed to department out. “I assumed I ought to have my very own firm.”

It’s partly in response to that rising viewers. “The panorama has modified massively,” he says, noting the rising variety of arts associated firms with Persian roots.

By the top of the pandemic, he’d selected a brand new route for the corporate and the music it produced. “I began shifting from Iranian classical music to experimental music” he says. “We form of make our personal style that doesn’t exist in Toronto.”

It takes the classical Persian traditions, and provides a broader and fashionable perspective, together with parts of jazz/modern and digital music.

“Whereas I like my tradition, I like my nation, on the similar time, I reside in Canada. It opens the door to have interaction with different issues which are occurring within the metropolis.”

It’s additionally about partaking with all kinds of various artists. “It opens the door for a lot of different artists,” he notes. He’s approached organizations like The Music Gallery and Wavelength, identified for their very own adventurous method to music programming. “I at all times appeared as much as organizations like Music Gallery,” he provides. “They do actually ahead pondering stuff. I used to be additionally a fan of that music.”

The music turns into part of residing within the metropolis.

“It actually makes me really feel nearer to the place I reside, which is Toronto.”

Musicians (L-R): Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi and Matti Pulkki (Photo courtesy of the artists)
Musicians (L-R): Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi and Matti Pulkki (Photograph courtesy of the artists)

Hyperlink Music Lab: Releases

Thus far, Hyperlink Music Lab has launched 4 full-length albums, and one EP. One other is on the way in which, and all can be found on Bandcamp, together with most different streaming choices;

  • Trio Andalibi: Dastgâmachine — Tapestry (EP with Mahmood Schricker, Caleb Klager and Neonlichter recorded November 2024) * accessible in vinyl & digital obtain
  • Hamid Motebassem and George Crotty Trio — Nishabourak (Album with Hamid Motebassem, George Crotty, Jonathan Chapman and Dhaivat Jani recorded Might 2024)
  • Niloufar Shiri and Caleb Klager — Experimental Hyperlink 6 (Album with Niloufar Shiri and Caleb Klager recorded February 2024)
  • Trio Andalibi — Improvisations from the Doyen of Kurdish Nay (Album with Shaho Andalibi, Chris Pruden, Scott Peterson recorded June 2023)
  • Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazki and Matti Pulkki — Experimental Hyperlink 5 (Album with Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi, Matti Pulkki recorded Might 2023)

Success comes from choosing the proper musicians to work collectively.

Iranian multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, and music trainer Shaho Andalibi has carried out on a number of events in Toronto. He’s a specialist in Kurdish music, which he performs on a nay, an finish blown flute historically manufactured from reed. Schricker calls his reside live performance with Toronto-based bassist Scott Peterson and pianist Chris Pruden, as recorded on the album, one of many highlights of Hyperlink’s efforts thus far.

“That’s instance of what I’ve tried to do in making this music modern,” Moudy says. “The result of that music could be very attention-grabbing. After they’re all collectively, taking part in collectively, you possibly can hear parts of every musician being themselves,” he provides. “They’re feeding off one another’s musicality.”

Creating the revolutionary ensembles generally includes a little bit of persuasion. “Once I program this stuff, they don’t know one another,” he explains. “The best way I pitch it’s, why don’t you convey your B-side?”

He works with the musicians to search out out what their very own aspirations are, the weather they wished that they had extra time to discover. If there’s a particular thought, he seems for a approach to fulfill it. “That’s how the method works,” he says. “It’s an advanced formulation,” he acknowledges. “Everyone has had a very good expertise.”

Label Launch Occasion: Might 10 (Cafeteria)

The Occasion includes a live performance with a number of the musicians who carry out on the releases: Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi (electronics), Niloufar Shiri (kamancheh), Matti Pulkki (accordion), Scott Peterson (upright bass), Caleb Klager (reside PA) and Persian Alchemy that includes Neda Mohamadpour (vocals), Isaiah Farahbakhsh (cello) and Mehdi Rostami (setar).

Persian Alchemy will even carry out picks of their forthcoming album on the occasion.
DJs Neonlicheter and Mahan will bookend the present with solo performances and collaborations and Hamid Malek on projection mapping.

  • Discover extra particulars and tickets to the Might 10 Occasion [HERE].

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