Iranian composer/electronic musician Ash Koosha has some upcoming shows, including slots at Hundred Waters’ FORM Arcosanti Fest and Mutek. He also plays a record release show for his new album I AKA I (which is out now on Ninja Tune) in NYC on May 28 at National Sawdust. Tickets for that show are on sale now.
For more on the album, here’s what XLR8R wrote in their 8/10 review…
As with [his debut album] GUUD, Kooshanejad’s role seems to be something like that of an alchemist; he disassembles the music we know, messes around with the parts, and reassembles them into constructions that might still retain the architecture of the original…or might not. The starting points, as least when those points are discernible, include Jamaican rhythms and hip-hop, along with various strains of classical and pop, both from the West and his native East. Kicking off with throbbing, tuned bass drum, manipulated hand percussion and a short sample of what could be a zurna, “Mudafossil” kicks off as something akin to Middle Eastern folk music—but before long, Kooshanejad takes that familiar rhythm and wraps it around low-end rumbles and cutting squelches, adding new layers to the track’s cabalistic feel.
You can read the full review here.
Ash also put out a video for “Mudafossil” off the album earlier this week. Check that out, along with a stream of the whole LP and the list of his upcoming shows, below.
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Ash Koosha — 2016 Tour Dates
5/13-15 FORM Arcosanti Arizona
5/28 National Sawdust Brooklyn, NY
6/1-5 Mutek Montreal, QC
6/4 Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, UK
6/7-9 Pohoda Festival Trencin, Slovakia