- Iran's synthesis wizard gets political on his latest opus, indulging in haunting, noisy melodies with sincerity and elegance.
- Ata Ebtekar is a deep thinker. Judging by how emotionally intense his records are, his brain must be in constant overdrive. The veteran Iranian producer's striking, synthy compositions are inspired by global politics and abstract concepts like technology's existential dilemmas, but regardless of what's on his mind, the music is always meaningful and often melancholic. There's a sense of vastness and immensity to his concept albums, which stem from his approach to synthesis. Because most of his expansive soundscapes are created with audio manipulation techniques like waveshaping, every note is harmonically rich and complex. His reverberating chords and dramatic crescendos seem to linger in the air well past their duration, stretching out into the horizon like boundless deserts.
As Sote, Ebtekar's style is avant-garde, almost bordering on sound art. His appetite for electroacoustic music, unconventional techno and breakcore makes him a good fit for boundary-pushing labels like Warp, Morphine, Opal Tapes and now SVBKVLT, which is home to his latest sonic dispatch Ministry of Tall Tales. His past work could veer on cacophonous, but recent releases, including this one, are more linear in structure. The nine tracks on Ministry of Tall Tales ebb and flow with ease—there are moments of explosive noise but there's nothing too challenging.
The overall tone of Ministry of Tall Tales is dark and sinister, as if Ebtekar put himself in the shoes of an evil dictator. Tracks evoke feelings of despair through polyrhythmic patterns and microtonal frequencies. The build-up of snaking synth lines on "Kangaroo Court" is playful but hints at danger ahead, while "Reign of Insanity" is particularly foreboding, with its slow pace and staticky, droning passages that bring to mind the destitute fate of locked-up prisoners. "Separating Ingredients of Rituals" is the album's heaviest cut. Layers of mechanical whirring become more demonic with every repetition as prolonged pauses between intervals accentuate the tension.
Balancing out these crazied textures are gentler cuts like the quiet and sombre opener "River of Pain," with a flurry of synthesised keys adding an orchestral touch. Closer "1401 Beautiful Souls" is also easy on the ears. A 16-minute odyssey of dense ambient, bittersweet melodies and spectral noise, it has a spiritual quality that makes it sound like a message from ancestors.
Ebtekar says in the liner notes that he channelled "anger, confusion, helplessness and fear" of the world into the LP. And while he doesn't name Iran's political unrest or crumbling economy directly, it's a likely source of stress. In recent years, his home country has experienced a currency crisis, mass protests over women's rights, police brutality over calls to end the Islamic Republic’s reign, a rising number of executions and a host of other human rights issues. The album's title could very well be an allusion to Tehran's well-oiled state propaganda machine, and some track titles could point to the country's controversial institutions like the morality police (see: "Motion in Morality").
Despite this pervasive dread, Ministry of Tall Tales doesn't come across as overly pessimistic. It's an honest depiction of an artist in touch with the darkest corners of his mind—it could be construed as political commentary, but equally just the sincere expression of a concerned resident. Ebtekar's music is rewarding for those who appreciate passionate storytelling and like Iran's brave protestors, he's unafraid to reveal his heart to the world, inspiring others to be as boldly expressive.
Tracklist01. River Of Pain
02. Lips Seeking the Forbidden
03. Motion in Morality
04. Kangaroo Court
05. Separating Ingredients of Rituals
06. Reign of Insanity
07. Death-dealing
08. Propagandistic Ambition
09. 1401 Beautiful Souls