Kicking off PRESS PLAY Year 2 is Toronto-based, Iranian producer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kahveh. As a producer, they draw from a variety of influences: anything from industrial, and shoegaze to classical Iranian music; Queen to Ebi. Kahveh is sharing a new track with PRESS PLAY subscribers, “Parandeh” and shares the genesis of the song:
Parandeh, meaning “Bird” in Persian/Farsi, best describes the nature of the song; swiftness in the ebb of the wind passing through. The central theme of “Parandeh” is the journey of life, of the passage between life and death, or even a transition from one chapter to the next in one’s life. The song spent much time in the imagination before anything was recorded, but came together in a matter of a few sessions once started.
The poem that you hear is Quatrain #29, written by the 12th-century poet Omar Khayyam, found in his Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Short and sweet, the poem perfectly conveys the message of “Parandeh,” of the whirlwind, fleeting nature of existence, and what little of it we control or know. This song is definitely a grand and raw expression of this feeling, and gives a nod to classic cinematic sci-fi sounds, while also integrating the sounds of the traditional northern Iranian folk music I grew up with.
Journey well.
– Kahveh
Press Play supporters on Patreon can download, save, and play “Parandeh” now:
