Iran is far from being the first country that comes to mind when thinking of electronic music. After their Islamic revolution in 1979, only traditional folk and classical music were allowed in public, and more western genres such as rock and pop which were forced underground because of the inability of musicians to play under the eyes of censorship. After the introduction of the internet, Iranians were even more widely exposed to the vast musical styles springing up outside of their country. Since then, a niche of electronic musicians started emerging, making music in their own spaces and smuggling it to the outside world.
Sote, born Ata Ebtekar in Hamburg, is a Tehran based artist gracing the world with some mind-bending compositions. His music emphasizes the relationship between industrial and organic sounds, as he mixes traditional instruments like santur and setar with all sorts of jangling electronic synthesis methods and grainy soundscapes. He has a strong musical portfolio with music signed to labels such as Warp and Sub Rosa.
In collaboration, Ableton and Sote are throwing a remix competition by giving away a royalty free sample pack loaded with gems in “Holy Error” from his latest album Sacred Horror In Design, from setar and santur performed in traditional and extended techniques, to gritty alien textures recorded with the almighty Serge modular synthesizer. Sote will choose three of his favourite re-interpretations of "Holy Error" using the sounds in the sample pack before May 1st 2018, to receive a CD or digital copy of his album, along with one Ableton Pack of their choice.
Download Sote’s free “Holy Error” Sample Pack.
Follow Sote on Soundcloud and Facebook.
