Midweek Ambient: Sina Bathaie – Shades #Ambient #Downtempo

I was planning to save this for Ambient Sunday but I need this now. It’s already been that sort of week. Some beautifully delivered ambient world music from Sina Bathaie.

Sina Bathaie is a composer, Santur player based in Toronto, Canada but born in Iran. Sina started learning Santur (a Persian hammered dulcimer) at the age seven from his father, Master Javad Bathaie and studied Persian classical repertoire (Radif) with the instrument Oud (a string instrument a bit like a lute).

He’s done film scores and the like but what we get here is a live performance of Shades that mixes traditional instrumentation with electronics in an incredibly skilful way. It’s a live looping performance featuring Handpan (Hang Drum) and the Santur. The Santur takes the lead – a bit like in the clavichord in Orbital’s The Box. The looping of the Santur and the beats gives the whole thing a deliciously mesmeric quality as it chimes away so delicately. But it contains enough variety within to hold your attention throughout. Somewhat slack-jawed in wonder in my case. Beautiful restorative track.

~ by acidted on April 21, 2021.