Niyaz

Niyaz

Nine Heavens



By any measure, Niyaz has come very far, very fast. The trio’s 2005 debut featured a convincing blend of

Sufi mysticism and trance electronica, and quickly established them as a standout ensemble in a very

crowded world music field. A worldwide tour followed. Now, Niyaz returns with Nine Heavens, which

doesn’t just cross cultural and stylistic boundaries, but the centuries as well. Drawing on medieval Persian

poetry and 300-year old Persian folk songs, Niyaz has created a 21st century global trance tradition.



This may seem like a tall order for a band that’s barely three years old – until you realize who these musicians

are. Vocalist Azam Ali co-founded the best-selling world music duo Vas in 1996; her unmistakable voice has

graced numerous recordings and major film scores. Loga Ramin Torkian is a multi-instrumentalist whose

group Axiom of Choice brought the ancient sounds of Persian classical music to Western listeners in the

1990s. And producer Carmen Rizzo, a multiple Grammy nominee, has worked with Coldplay, Seal, Ryuichi

Sakamoto, and many others. Small wonder then that the trio hit the ground running with its self-titled

debut. Now, with Nine Heavens, Niyaz breaks new ground in a two-disc format: the first is an

adventurous, spiritual exploration of the ties that bind Persian, Indian, Turkish, and Western dance music.

The second disc showcases 8 out of the 9 songs in a purely acoustic setting.



Nine Heavens begins with the irresistible “Beni Beni,” which marries an 18th century Turkish Sufi poem to

a traditional Turkish folk song and some beautifully integrated electronics and programming. “It’s a modern

kind of Sufi music,” Azam explains. “Both Loga and I are influenced by Turkish music, and there are many

connections between Turkey and Iran.” The steady, trance rhythms support layers of Turkish and Persian

lutes, all topped by a new instrument known as the kamman, a larger, lower-pitched version of the traditional

Persian fiddle.



Niyaz draws even more connections between Iran and India. The word niyaz means “yearning” in both

Farsi, the language of Iran, and Urdu, a major language of northern India and Pakistan. Over the centuries,

the cultures of Persia and India have shared not only words, but musical and spiritual traditions – and

people. Azam Ali is one of them, born in Iran and raised in India; and two of the songs on Nine Heavens

are by Amir Khosrau Dehlavi, a 13th-century Persian mystic and poet who was also raised in India. (The

album title comes from his “Song of Nine Heavens.”) Amir Khosrau founded the style of Sufi music known as

Qawwali, made famous in the recent past by the great Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and some

claim he invented the Indian tabla drums as well. But his poems, including “Molk-e-Divan” and “Sadrang,”

are in the great tradition of Persian mystics like Rumi. “’Molk-e-Divan’ was the first song we wrote for the new

album,” Azam says. “Loga and I found the poem and wrote the music together; he did the main melody

and I did the vocal line.” Then, the whole thing was shipped off for Carmen to work his magic, which in this

case consists of some highly processed drum programming and a rich tapestry of Near Eastern lutes and

electronics.



Both Amir Khosrau texts can be read either as love poetry or as devotional songs to God. Of course, an

English-speaking audience may be more likely to respond to the songs’ earthy, throbbing rhythms. That’s

fine with Niyaz; Azam Ali points out that the sacred nature of the texts makes them a surprisingly good fit for

Western dance music. “The common thread is putting yourself in a higher state. Even with club music, I

think that’s what people go to it for. The only problem was that it was void of “soul,” the spirit of acoustic

trance music. We always felt there was a way to bring the two together that blurs the line between the

acoustic and the electronic.” A good example is the song “Tamana,” an 18th century Urdu poem that

unfolds over a slow opening – much like the slow alap section of a raga performance. The electronic drones

give way to the silvery tone of the Turkish cumbus, a type of lute, and as with a raga performance, the energy

builds with the addition of percussion – in this case, both tabla and programmed beats. “We’ve been

working so long now that this sort of fusion happens on a more intuitive level,” Loga adds. “The steady

rhythm of the tabla blends naturally with the dance grooves – it just makes sense.”



So what about that “unplugged” disc? “It wasn’t intentional,” Azam recalls. “As it was coming together, we

felt we had a real gem with the acoustic sessions. After we finished mixing both versions, we realized it would

be a shame not to let people hear them.” The result is a rare opportunity to get inside the music, as the

acoustic versions reflect the songwriting talents and mystical leanings that Azam and Loga bring; then the

“final” versions showcase the organic way Carmen’s electronics fit both the rhythms and the mood of these

deeply-rooted works.



Other highlights of Nine Heavens include “Iman,” a lullaby written by Loga and Azam for their infant son.

Essentially a musical prayer, it offers a pause in the album’s rush of rhythmic excitement. And “Feraghi –

Song of Exile” is close to the hearts of the two Persian émigrés, now living in California. At a time when most

Americans have a distorted view of Iran and Iranian culture, Niyaz have been doing workshops to raise

awareness of the contributions of Iranians in the US and of Persian culture in general. “Our Iranian identity

is important,” Loga says. “On the first Niyaz album, we were just trying to find our place here. Now, with this

second record, the Persian elements are used with more confidence.” For example, “Feraghi” uses a Persian

5-beat rhythm, which most Americans would find difficult to dance to -- but the blend of traditional and

programmed beats is so persuasive that many would try.



Dance or trance – the music that Niyaz makes on Nine Heavens can serve either purpose. “The function

of music in society has changed,” Loga points out. “It’s very different from one or two decades ago; people

now listen on iPods, or in their cars; music is not their primary focus. There’s not as much sitting and

listening to music. So the goal is for the music to stand on its own in different contexts.”



Allahi Allah_live at the Knitting Factory, Los Angeles



The Hunt_live at the Knitting Factory, Los Angeles