Tehran-Based Techno Imprint Sampatic Releases Eclectic Joint EP ‘Upside Down’

2020 has seen Sampatic come into its own, with the label maintaining a steady release schedule of EPs since April. Self-described as a platform for “real underground sound[s]," the independent record label and events organiser brings together a wide range of global sounds from their home-base in the heart of Tehran.

Helmed by Sampatic co-founder, DJ, and music producer, Kamyar Khanzaei (aka RING), Upside Down features contributions by Khanzaei's fellow Tehran DJs/producer, Amiira Lii and Deep House Tehran's founder/managing director, Nesa Azadikhah. Over a relatively brief runtime, the EP stretches itself across numerous genres, with each of the featured producers contributing their own sonic signatures to the project.
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 800px; height: 307px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=73037515/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="http://sampaticrecords.bandcamp.com/album/upside-down-ep">Upside Down Ep by Kamyar Khanzaei , Nesa Azadikhah , Amira_Lii</a></iframe>

The opening track, Nesa Azadikhah’s ‘Fester’, sets the mood for the EP almost immediately with gritty acid bass lines, thumping percussion, and spacious - somewhat unsettling - ambient soundscapes.

RING's two offerings on the EP, 'Upside Down' and ‘Connection Waves’, shift things away from house; drawing inspiration from the electro greats of Detroit, these two tracks feature futuristic, sci-fi inspired synths layered over rattling hi-hats and shuffling kick-drum patterns foundational to the city.

Amira Lii’s remix of ‘Upside Down’ reworks RING’s track in a solidly more funk-oriented direction, and serves as a highlight at the EP’s middle point. On the remix, Lii swaps out the breaks for more standard house drums, bringing in a deep bass to push the track along in a more driving, forwards direction.

Closing out the EP, Nesa Azadikhah’s remix of ‘Connection Waves’ takes a similar route by reworking the breakbeats of the original in a distorted, techno direction. By far the least accessible track on the project, at least initially, it’s the kind of tune that demands being played on a massive sound system in order to be fully appreciated.

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