SABA ALIZADEH - Rituals Of The Last Dawn

Saba Alizadeh, born in Tehran and son of tar and setar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh, has established himself as one of today's masters of the kamancheh, the spiked Persian fiddle whose tone is softer than its European counterpart: the spherical body produces an even resonance and a vowel-like, undulating attack. On Karlrecords he has found room to connect Iranian classical tradition with drone and minimalist experimentation.

"Rituals Of The Last Dawn" is a meditative, ritualistic album in which past and present converse between Alizadeh's kamancheh and the electroacoustic experiments of Pietro Caramelli and Liew Niyomkarn, each featured on one of the two compositions. Expressive playing meets a Western-school approach to sound research, surfacing in long drones and granular synthesis, while the kamancheh whispers melodies with delicacy and pathos, both suspended in the impermanence of the same aura, caught between contemplation and tension.

The balance is never fully resolved. The electronic component sometimes loses focus, as if distracted; it's almost always the violin that keeps things anchored. "First Ritual" puts the instrument front and centre against an ornamental backdrop, but its second half stumbles into a synth-bass ostinato that feels disconnected and quickly loses direction. "Last Ritual" tries a different route: Niyomkarn and Alizadeh chase one another, offering intriguing moments of dialogue and rapport, if with less lyricism. Despite a balance that's hard to strike, the record still manages to conjure atmosphere.

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17/05/2026