Interview with Samira, Persian electronica artist

by Esra'a (Bahrain)

Searching for Persian music on MySpace, I came across the profile of electronica/trance artist, Persia, which interested me greatly. I immediately felt the need to share her amazing and inspiring music with other young people in the region, and what better way to do this than an interview?

Q: What inspired you to start your band? When did you start it?

A. I got my first synthesizer in 2002 as a gift from my brother knowing that I was interested and fascinated with the makings of electronic music. July of 2003 I went to see a musician I really liked, later that night I was dancing to some trancy stuff that sounded quite different and learned that the performer Ebbnflo, was the only one there playing live using a bunch of weird synths and sequencers rather than turntables.

Before leaving I approached the artist with the intent of acquiring some of his music and thank him for the stylish music he’d played live. We conversed and begun a close friendship as we had common interests. At that time I owned two didgeridoo’s (Australian wind instrument) and had talked about how I wanted to be able to create music influenced by traditional music from Iran. He taught me the basics of turntablism and I began to DJ in parties and small gatherings mixing Middle Eastern loops into House and Trance music, I quickly learned that despite the many talented female DJ’s in the bay area, there weren’t many of them who composed and did live stuff with actual hardware, instead, the use of laptops was prevalent. Intrigued by this, I often played around with Ebbnflo’s two grooveboxes and started to understand and learn sequencers and how they worked. I was mentored and acquired compliments for my style and taste in music.

I felt successful in keeping my audience interested and bouncing on the dance floor. I soon lost interest in the decks and got more involved in the makings of trance music. In May of 2004 I got my very own groove box enabling me to compose. Ebbnflo has been very inspiring, now producer and guitarist for my band. He believed in me and my ideas. The rest of my inspiration comes from the audience out on the dance floor. Every time I was able to get people up and dancing I was more inspired to start a band.

By 2006 I had selected a performing name “Persia” and by October I felt confident to accept an invitation to perform in an event supporting Iranian female artists. I became an active artist in this organization. Since then I have been actively involved in
live performances.

Q. Is your music purely for entertainment purposes and if not, what kind of messages do you think they convey (cultural, social, perhaps even religious or political?)

A. Definitely not! I consider pop music as depicted in the mainstream media for entertainment purposes. There is a message in each and every song I compose, but I’m not sure if I have been successful with conveying the messages I want my audience to grasp. There are a lot of political messages I try to convey and my cultural heritage and upbringing is intended to reflect in my performances, but my audience doesn’t always catch on to these intentions. I have performed with long veils on stage, and dressed in traditional Iranian tribal ware, portraying my culture in a positive way. Being seen under a veil is exotic and beautiful in many ways and it doesn’t have to be a scary thing. The main political message I always want to send out to people and my audience is that despite the ongoing Iran propaganda and negativity surrounding it, Iran is rich in beauty, art, and culture.

Beauty doesn’t only exist within western women and western fashion, there’s a entire other spectrum that the media leaves out. When I’m performing live, I am talking to my audience through the music I’m composing, I have come to the realization that despite the messages not always being understood, my success lies within the gathered community, connectedness and the joy of being present and in the moment, dancing, in unity.

Q. You note in a short biography that you directly experienced the Iran/Iraq war when you were living in Iran. Did that influence your music? If so, how?

A. Yes, my worse childhood memories are from that era, and yes it most certainly continues to influence me. At that time I was just a kid playing around with a keyboard. Long after the war had ended I felt angry, suppressed and depressed. Going back and forth between two cultures so different isn’t easy, and I always felt like I didn’t exactly know what culture I belonged to. I started to write lyrics and songs without music, mostly about war, rage and the darkness I felt, some of which I’ve used in my music. Hearing explosions from a close distance while praying to God every night to keep our family safe, sirens and echoes of screaming neighbors who had been bombed only two houses away from us — all are memories I carry with me until this day, it is the scariest thing any child could experience. It is wrong! It’s unfair and unjust for any child to be in such a situation.

Now, I feel as though I am reliving it once more with the war today. I was able to use a lot of my angry emotions in my compositions. I sometimes refer to these tracks as “Dark Trance Dance”. I will usually end these tracks with some uplifting tweaks and sounds reminding myself to let go of the past and reach for the stars, to be hopeful. These days it can be challenging and hard to let go of such memories… sadly, so many poor lives are lost and impacted by the war today.

Q. A lot of people here in the Middle East consider trance music to be a “Western” genre, so what do you call trance music that incorporates traditional music? What would you say to people who consider trance music to be a form of “Westernization”?

A. Difficult question, I will try to shorten all the many thoughts I have. I would have to say that these people are a bit misinformed! The history of trance music goes back a long ways. Trance music and being in that state of mind has existed long before the west. If traced properly you can see it’s origins from Africa, India and practiced within Sufism. Unfortunately, middle eastern societies will put the “westernization” label on almost anything and everything that is different, or new! This especially happens when such suppressed societies feel fearful. Fear of the youth getting attracted to something other than what the society is used to. Most people know of the Sufi’s trance dancing in which occurs mostly when they are drumming repetitive beats over and over. In shamanistic rituals and healing the trance drum beats play a big part. I have participated in an all-woman religious events, in which after chanting and drumming repeatedly participants would go into a deep trance, moving synchronized with the beats.

However, in some ways it is true that today’s electronic trance music originated from the west. If we can advance, evolve, and modernize our whole way of living (cell phones, cars, computers etc..) without considering it to be westernized, why can’t we say the same for music? Trance music of today is only a form evolution, as for the trance that incorporates traditional music, well It’s hard to put a general name for trance/traditional music unless knowing the origins of the traditional music thats being incorporated. I feel that this type of music needs to represent it’s own distinct origin. When approached and questioned by people about my own music, I refer to it as ” Middle Eastern Electronica” sometimes I refer to my music as “Traditional Experimental Trance & Dance”. In my last show consisting of a drum and bass set it was referred to as “Persian Drum & Bass”.

Q. I spoke to a Saudi trance DJ recently, whose music is similar to yours in terms of mixing traditional with electronic/modern. We agreed that although there are many aspiring DJs in the Middle East, most people do not pursue it as a career because it’s not respected or accepted as a real profession by our societies. Do you have anything to say to encourage young people to get into this field, despite such societal or personal limitations?

A. Yes, my message to these young people is to “Be the change you want to see” & follow their dreams despite what is considered appropriate in the society they live in. I feel like “Music” is the one common thing in all cultures that has the ability to bring people of all races and cultures together. We are in the 20th century and we live in an era in which technology has and is advancing tremendously. These young people are the future, they are the voice for the present, everyone should have the chance and opportunity to express themselves despite what society might think. Unfortunately, even here in America many DJ’s feel like they need to have a backup plan and get into doing other things on the side in order to survive. Many DJ’s have chosen the computer field, some will do other production and creative work and others, well they have enough gigs/shows and connections to make a career out of it.

I’m aware that In Middle Eastern societies it’s even harder to gain the respect deserved. I think it’s important for the young generation not to give up and most importantly thrive to influence their social/cultural surroundings by educating them in a respectful way. If dance music with trance beats is illegal in their society, ambient, chill and spacey electronica can be a good way to start. There’s nothing more beautiful than hearing the Azzan — call to prayer echo throughout the streets, mixing traditional/religious stuff with light electronic sounds-capes can be a good introduction and less shocking in suppressed societies.

Excellent interview with an excellent composer! Below you will find a drum and bass sample of her music:

[audio:http://www.mideastyouth.com/audio/AzzanGroove.mp3]

Also, please visit her MySpace profile. If you like what you hear, spread the word!

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