NEXUS

Description

Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (born 1979, Iran) is known for his innovative work with the tombak and daf, traditional Persian drums that he radically redefined through new playing techniques and an enriched vocabulary. Mortazavi started playing the tombak at the age of six. By the age of nine, he had already surpassed his teacher and won the Iranian National Tombak Competition, an accolade he would win six more times. In his early twenties, he was widely considered one of the greatest musicians on the instrument. Since then, his music has continued to evolve, embracing new forms and a vocabulary beyond tradition. Following the acclaimed release of Ritme Jaavdanegi in 2019, Nexus marks Mortazavi's return to Latency with a full-length album recorded entirely in Berlin. This record introduces new elements to his music: vocals, effects, and treatments unprecedented in his discography. These experiments are not departures, but rather extensions of his continuous exploration of rhythm, resonance, and transformation. Nexus refers to a point of connection or intersection, a meeting place where different energies, eras, and spaces converge and transform.