[New York, USA. February 5th, 2010] -- Having once been a staple in Seattle’s vibrant music landscape, Son of Rose (Kamran Sadeghi) no longer lives here. Now stationed in New York City, he seems to have found everything he needs... (Wait, what? An avant-garde audio/visual artist thriving in New York?!). Widely known for his imaginative soundscape design (note releases on Dragon's Eye Recordings), there are several angles into the world of this poignant figure. He wears a lot of hats, including running the label "Blanket Fields", and endeavoring as an accomplished video artist (feel free to view these excerpts, noteably the piece titled "'kha variations' | live at Ambach&Rice Gallery"). A self-described "workaholic," all-the-while quiet and composed, Made Like a Tree caught up with Sadeghi to touch on a few things that might have otherwise not been made clear before he moved.

Where are you from, and what sort of things do you remember growing up around?

Currently I live in Brooklyn New York. I was born in Esfahan Iran and moved to the states at a very young age. I grew up mainly in California and Seattle but spent part of my childhood in Kentucky where my parents were attending University. I have been traveling since I was a child and this has played a large part in shaping who I am today. Some things I remember growing up around are the markets, rivers and my grandmothers fruit preserves in Iran. I remember the railroads and trains, the open fields and salt mills of Kentucky. The swimming pools, and cars of California. The water, food and wonderful family and friends in Seattle. Last but not least, airports.

What were some of the contributing factors that pushed you towards atmospheric sound design and ambient music?

It all started with recording, more specifically, the four track tape recorder. After collecting more instruments than I knew how to play I started layering and arranging by sound rather than by note or rhythmic structure. This really opened me up and I started to play, explore and listen. I would do things like place speakers in different rooms, play my recordings back at various speeds, then mic and record the room(s) just to get a variation of the same source sound. This is before I really knew anything about contemporary music, and it was definitely before software/computers were strong enough to do anything more than basic multi track recording and editing. It's funny now that I think about it, I still use some of the same techniques.

What does your studio look like, and what gear and/or software are you fond of using at the moment?

Most of the recordings that I've done under Son of Rose were at my old studio which was a 1000 sq. ft. commercial space with extremely high ceilings. There was a live room, with mics hanging from every imaginable surface (and on stands of course) a grand piano, organs, dulcimer, cello, percussion's, amps, etc. The recording booth was a small, quiet and extremely productive room. I had this Marushka print on the wall in the booth that I stared at endlessly. Now my studio is in my home and from time to time I work out of Diapason Gallery, they have a fantastic listening environment.

Currently I am working in tandem with a combination of custom designed sound and video software that allows me to analyze the amplitude and frequency of sound. I use this analysis as a source for dictating motion, depth and color within my sound and video performances and installations. This has been a major focus for a few years now.

You use a lot of esoteric language to describe your music. Do you think this helps people to understand what you are trying to convey? Considering that music is ineffable, do you find this "description" process especially challenging?

I think my descriptions are as articulate as can be without using a genre name to wash out the core process of my work. Although it's much easier to categorize, compare, and sensationalize I prefer to reveal my work with as few words as possible. I try to leave room for interpretation. You can only convey something to those who are willing to participate. We are all responsible for our own ability to look deeper, listen deeper and think deeper. We are so accustomed to being told what we should be seeing, hearing and feeling that we forget that we are part of the process.



How would you describe the podcast that you provided us? How about the circumstances in which it was made?

The podcast is a combination of material from the recent Son of Rose record "All In" I released under my label Blanket Fields and some unreleased work. The majority of the original recordings were made using various objects and Ebows on the strings of a grand piano while processing and mixing that in realtime through the computer.

How much time are you able to commit to producing at any given week? What else do you have going on in your life when you're not performing or in the studio?

I don't really keep track. It has become a part of my life in such a way that I work on producing something everyday. I'm kind of a workaholic. I have a long list of things I have going on aside from studio work. I've been editing and curating a monthly online journal called Soundwalk-Editions, that features artists and composers who use field recordings as a point of departure in their work, I am also an assistant curator at Diapason Gallery. My favorite thing to do is to just walk around and explore, I squeeze this in as much as possible.

Where in the world do you think the most interesting, provocative music is being made? Do you have any idols, or anything in particular that you would like to celebrate?

I have no Idea where to start, there is all sorts of music out there I couldn't do this question justice. I'm inspired by the work of Alvin Lucier, Bernhard Leitner, and Olafur Eliasson to name a few.

Is there anything in particular that you would like to see happen in 2010?

Peace would be nice. Realistically I just hope for thoughtful progress in all things.


EDITIONS KAMRAN SADEGHI SITE SON OF ROSE SITE BLANKET FIELDS







  1. Son of Rose - Falling Forward
  2. Son of Rose - Flocks and Flocks
  3. Son of Rose - oooo
  4. Son of Rose - Untitled Title 1
  5. Son of Rose - Untitled Title 2
  6. Son of Rose - Toward Sensation
  7. Son of Rose - Continuation

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