In the Noon of Ashura, by Firoza

In the Noon of Ashura

by Firoza

supported by

Mathew Oakes The integration of field recordings and in-place compositions bring a depth to this LP that transports you into its evolving drama. Favorite track: Through the Valleys of Kurdistan.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Single disc jacket-style cover, printed on both sides. Printed double-sided colour insert. Translucent torquoise-green vinyl with printed labels, housed in sturdy inner card sleeve. All photographs and design by Steven Wright. Pressed at Mobineko in Taiwan. Comes in outer plastic protective sleeve.

Edition of 99.

Includes unlimited streaming of In the Noon of Ashura via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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	1.	Fragment 1 00:36
	2.	Through the Valleys of Kurdistan 04:26
	3.	Fragment 2 00:48
	4.	Khorramabad Dusk 06:26
	5.	Fragment 3 00:33
	6.	Fragment 4 00:57
	7.	Somewhere East of Dezful 04:48
	8.	Fragment 5 00:37
	9.	At the Tomb of Hafez 02:33
	10.	Islands of the Gulf 02:01
	11.	A Moment in the Kaluts 04:00
	12.	Fragment 6 03:20
	13.	Fragment 7 00:59
	14.	The Alborz Peaks 04:24
	15.	Fragment 8 01:20
	16.	On a Rooftop in Yazd 06:00

about

FJ017: Firoza is the latest solo guise of Hobart’s Steven Wright who has previously released music as Polanyi, under his own name and with the duo Bi-Hour, amongst others. 'In the Noon of Ashura' is the debut for this new project; it’s also the first release on Frustration Jazz to be issued on vinyl so I’m really excited to have worked on that milestone with an artist from my hometown. The album was inspired by and partly recorded during a trip to Iran in 2017 and could be described as a travel diary of sorts, albeit one with a definite post-industrial feel to it. The basis for each of the eight compositions was created with a small battery-powered keyboard that Steven took with him on his travels, recorded to mobile phone; those recordings were then added to with the same portable keyboard along with organ, clarinet, household percussion and voice. Interspersed with the composed pieces are fragments of field recordings made whilst on the move in Iran, again recorded with a phone and then processed to a greater or lesser degree afterwards. The resulting sound-pieces are in a sense abstract and very impressionistic portraits of the locations that Steven visited, they feature repeating motifs and atmospheric drones that are often half-submerged, distant-sounding or competing with various elements of noise. Partly due to the choice of recording techniques, the tracks retain some of the roughness of a lo-fi sketch and this adds to a sense of ambiguity that is a whole mindset away from the usual didactic representations of the Middle East in western media. Travel and particularly the direct experience of cultures very different to one’s own, has a tendency to turn one’s gaze inward and this might explain the introspective quality of these compositions; likewise the experience of awe-inspiring landscapes such as those depicted in Steven’s photographs (featured in the physical edition of the album). There is a psychological weight to this music then – it isn’t dark so much as it is heavy. It’s also quite beautiful I think. - Tim P.

In Steven's own words:

Western governments' conflation and demonisation of the Middle East has underpinned some of the most terribly violent and destabilising policies of the 21st Century. Most of our media and cultural institutions seem incapable of operating outside of this narrative, defaulting instead to disparaging and one-dimensional portrayals. 'In the Noon of Ashura' is an attempt to highlight some alternative impressions of one nation in this diverse region. Inspired by Iran's culture, history, landscapes and languages, the album is made up of abstract electroacoustic sketches and field recordings written and compiled during mehr/September and âbân/October of 1396/2017. The compositions depict eight unique locations across the country and are accompanied by recorded fragments capturing transient moments in transit between them. Taken as a whole, it is hoped the album will convey some sliver of the complexity, richness and beauty of this singular place.

credits

released October 1, 2020

Composed and recorded by Firoza.

Mastered by Kim Walls.

Sleeve photos and design by Steven Wright.

Thanks to Kim Walls & Bernadette Neeling.

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about

Frustration Jazz Hobart, Australia

Improvised, exploratory & otherwise out. Small editions there-of. Started in Naarm/Melbourne and based in nipaluna/Hobart since 2018. Not a jazz label. Not afraid of contradiction.

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