Mohammad Reza Mortazavi - Nexus LP [Latency]

Format: LP in printed sleeve.
CAT: LTNC034

Latency presents Nexus, the new solo album by virtuosic Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, available on vinyl and digital formats.

Mohammad Reza Mortazavi (b. 1979, Iran) is renowned for his revolutionary work with the tombak and daf, traditional Persian percussion instruments that he has radically redefined through new playing techniques and an expansion of their interpretive language. Mortazavi began playing the tombak at age six. By nine, he had already surpassed his teacher and won the Iranian national tombak competition, an accolade he would achieve six more times. By his twenties, he was considered one of the instrument's greatest exponents. Since then, his music has continued to evolve, embracing new forms and vocabularies 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. The album introduces new elements to his sound: vocals, effects, and treatments never before used in his discography. These experiments do not function as a rupture, but rather as a natural extension of his continuous exploration of rhythm, resonance, and transformation.

The album opens with Zendegi ("Life"), a piece inspired by the chant "Woman, Life, Freedom." Mortazavi deconstructed the underlying rhythm of that slogan and used it to build a new compositional structure, presented as a gesture towards his homeland and beyond.

Nexus refers to a point of connection or intersection, a meeting place where different energies, times, and spaces converge and transform. In Mohammad's words:

“Nexus was a journey for me, a profound and transformative experience. Along the way, ideas of connection, mutual influence, and transformation began to reflect clearly in my sound. In moments where my performance oscillated between liberation and concentration, I understood that music is my teacher. It guides me to a place where everything is interconnected. For me, ‘Nexus’ is the point where everything converges, where each encounter generates a profound and new transformation.

In this journey, I became aware of something that remains invisible, but undoubtedly present: a world hidden from view whose effects shape our visible reality. Although we cannot see it, it is in motion and, through sound, through the waves of music, it connects with the outside world.

‘Nexus’, then, is more than a connection. It is a space beyond the visible: a point of convergence where the hidden becomes audible.”

The cover features an image by American visual artist and filmmaker Jordan Belson (1926–2011). Belson's work, frequently described as "cosmic cinema" or "visual music," explores themes such as consciousness, transcendence, and the infinite nature of the universe. The combination with Mortazavi's percussive and hypnotic musical language is immediate: two approaches to rhythm and energy, to balance and harmony, meeting at a single point.

Mortazavi's hypnotic live performances have been featured in renowned venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Panthéon, and Sydney Opera House. In recent years, his rhythmic explorations have resonated deeply within the experimental electronic scene, leading to collaborations with artists like Burnt Friedman and Mark Fell.