In this collaboration, Maryam Rahmani and David Esser investigate the sonic and expressive potential of the Santur and Kamancheh beyond the frameworks that traditionally define them. Both instruments, central to the language of Iranian classical music, are repositioned within a new constellation where inherited structures meet contemporary sound practices. Tradition and modernity are not treated as opposing forces but as interwoven layers within a shared field of resonance, a dynamic that rarely finds space outside artistic contexts. The work becomes an articulation of aesthetic practice shaped within the condition of the diaspora.

The recordings were made using contact microphones and geophones affixed directly to the instruments. This method captures not only the played tones but also the vibrations of material, body, and surrounding space. The result is an expanded acoustic image, a cultural echo that moves between origin, place, and the physical presence of the performer. Field recordings and environmental sound complement the instrument tracks and explore the relationship between instrument and site, and between intimacy and spatial depth.

A significant part of the material took shape during a live performance at Kühlspot Social Club in Berlin in August 2025. Improvisation, live modulation, and real-time processing formed the core of the performance. Within this framework, traditional Iranian melodies intersect with open-ended sonic exploration, a dialogue that moves between familiarity and distance, and between continuity and transformation. The familiar is not dissolved. Instead, it is gently recontextualized and invites a renewed mode of listening.

Conceptually, the project traces the experience of migration, linguistic estrangement, and cultural translation. When a mother tongue is replaced by another language, perception itself begins to shift. Meaning travels through layers of sound, memory, and emotion. This displacement is mirrored throughout the recorded material. Through microphoning, filtering, and modulation, the processes of translation, estrangement, and reconnection become audible. The music becomes an acoustic metaphor for what remains when language and place are unsettled. It proposes resonance as a form of identity.

Maryam Rahmani Maryam Rahmani is an Iranian-born Santur player and musician based in Adelaide since 2019. She holds a degree in Traditional Music from the University of Tehran and carries a deep knowledge of Iranian classical music and its extensive instrumental heritage. Her practice is grounded in Persian musical traditions yet remains open to contemporary and intercultural exchange. Alongside the Santur, she performs on instruments such as the Kamancheh, Dutar, and Tombak. Poetry, rhythm, and attentive dialogue are central to her work, which seeks to connect people across cultural boundaries through a shared vocabulary of sound and listening.

David Esser David Esser, born in Hamburg and based in Berlin, works within sound art and electroacoustic composition. With an early foundation in electronic music, his current focus lies on sound installations and field recording practice. His artistic work moves through the relationships between technology, environment, and spirituality, and explores how sound can reveal hidden layers of perception. Esser’s approach grows out of deep listening and the study of natural textural processes, tracing the quiet interplay between acoustic phenomena, resonance, and the act of paying close attention.

Santur and Kamancheh Maryam Rahmani

Sound Design, Electronics, and Field Recordings David Esser

Mixing and Editing David Esser

Photo Credits Faezeh Alimohammadi

Mastered Jacob Calland