Ata ‘Sote’ Ebtekar on collaboration and early musical memories
For more than three decades the Iran-based electronic composer and sound artist Ata ‘Sote’ Ebtekar has been known for creating compositions that range from the delicate to the abrasive.
Appearing on labels including Warp, Sub Rosa, Opal Tapes, Diagonal, Mute and Morphine, Sote’s sound manages the remarkable feat of being rooted in many cultures and yet never quite belonging to one. His work has included all-synthetic solo music and electro-acoustic audiovisual collaborations, as he’s spanned both acoustic and electronic sounds. But far from fading out after so long in music, he’s arguably now making bigger waves than ever with his 2016 release Hardcore Sounds from Tehran included in The Quietus’ top 100 album of the year.
In November, Sote appears here at the Southbank Centre in a special collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra as part of our Purcell Sessions series. And ahead of that performance, we caught up with the artist to find out a bit more about his music, and his approach to collaboration.
How would you describe your music to someone new to it?
It’s freeform electronic music that is aesthetically maximalist and multilayered, and my compositions are heavily focused on synthesis and sound design. When I’m working on electro-acoustic projects then I treat both the acoustic and electronic parts equally, to achieve a meta sonic space where all elements and tools unitedly become almost indistinguishable by being a brilliant aural energy.
What are your earliest musical memories?
Listening to bootleg cassette tapes of Persian and Western pop music from the 1970s. Also lots of sweet and bitter memories of Iranian Revolution songs.
Did you always want to be a professional musician?
Yes. Although at one point in my twenties, I was taking pre-dental courses to become a dentist. But even then my plan was to do music on the side.
‘The fact that I’ve been making electronic music for about 35 years now, and that sound synthesis still, to this day, utterly excites me, is a wonderful feeling’
What’s been your career highlight to date? Has there been a real stand-out moment for you?
I don’t have a stand-out moment, but the fact that I’ve been making electronic music for about 35 years now, and that sound synthesis still, to this day, utterly excites me is a wonderful feeling. I also love sharing my experiences in the field of sound art with young Iranians who attend my private electronic music and sound design classes.
What about this project with the London Contemporary Orchestra excites you the most?
It’s of course very exciting to be working with artists who are coming from a very different world to me. These are top-notch musicians who have mastered their instruments and I can’t wait to have my electronic compositions collide with their acoustic instruments to create new aural worlds.
I’m Trying But I Can’t Reach Your Father by Sote, from March 2022
What do you look for in a musical collaboration?
A big part of my interest has always been generative music that eventually gets curated by me into new structured compositions. So, with any musical collaboration, I look for singular sound gestures and textures to form unique harmonic shapes.
Are there any other collaborations you’ve been part of so far that have been especially important to your musical development?
All my collaborations have been integral to my development as an artist. It’s always been an eye-opening adventure, which I usually like to turn into a mind-bending musical affair.
If you could work with any musician at all in a future collaboration, who would that be?
I would love to do an electro-acoustic project that consists of a large traditional Iranian ensemble and a contemporary Western orchestra. It would be a sonic pallet of wild and lush harmonies, calibrating the synthetic and the acoustic with equal strength, moulding a euphonious complete entity.