Introducing Arian Sadr 

Arian is a specialist in Persian drums, Tombak and Daf. He is originally from Iran and came to Manchester in 2003 at the age of 17. He came to build on his musical skill by enrolling to study music and music production at Manchester College. He initially lived with his uncle on arrival in the UK until after his study at college and now able to support himself by holding drum workshops in schools and community centres and collaborating with musicians from other world cultures in several musical performances. 

“I was then doing a lot of practical playing trying to share my music and culture with people in Manchester. I started doing educational workshops for people to start to learn my instrument. I was doing workshops in schools, colleges, community centres etc. Also, festivals were great opportunities doing solo performances as well as workshops just to promote and introduce these drums. I was involved with different musical projects and collaborations with others with different musical backgrounds. I collaborated with the organisation called Musician Without Borders. I also collaborated with Haymanot Tesfa from Ethiopia, accompanying by improvising on the drums to some of her song tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AucwRVNAv4U We also toured some part of the country including London. There have been collaborations with other musicians as well where I have collaborated with drawing artists who draw to my improvisational drumming. I was at the Edinburgh Festival to perform in collaboration with other musicians as well, combining arts like painting and singing. We combine painting with music where abstract painting is done improvising with the drumming. This happens especially with the Daf drum. The painter listens to my drumming and basically improvises over the sound." 

Video Examples: https://youtu.be/E4rPkpiA45Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IypV7-Yhioc 

Arian initially played the Tombak drum but later got interested in the Daf after being fascinated by watching some someone play it when he was younger. “I was originally playing Persian drums, Tombak or Tonbak which is a traditional Persian drum. I also started to lean other drums like the Daf later. I remember seeing someone standing and playing this other drum when I went to my sister's place. I was fascinated by the sound and so developed interest in the other drums as well. The sound was totally different.” 

Video Example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05c4kpd 

Musical Identity 

Arian considers himself an international musician who is able to effectively integrate his drumming with music from other countries and to experiment with different art forms including painting to take the idea of his music further and to expand its usefulness in lifting the human spirit irrespective of culture. He considers what he calls his rhythm an effective integrative tool. 

“My identity is actually what I call my rhythm or my beat. It is basically Persian drumming originally from Iran combining different musical elements from a different musical background. So, I am an Iranian or Persian drummer mainly. And because I have been working with all different artists and musicians from different backgrounds, I have become like a very international fusion absorbing different musical elements, because, with drumming, it is easier because you only play the rhythms. It's a different colour to the rhythms of other melody instruments because of the identity of the sounds. The Persian drums has got its own unique sound but it can go with different types of music like Jazz. Traditionally I may say I’m a world musician. All the music I have done so far is not purely Iranian music. I connect with different music and musicians and its a kind of give and take. They can learn and I can also learn. Everyone has their own specific rhythms. Worldwide, we know the rhythms. Like we know this is 2/4. this is 4/4, this is 5/8. 5/8 in Iran is different from 5/8 in Africa for example. Because the accents and different beats are different with every culture. When I was performing with Haymanot, she was improvising on top of my rhythms. Everyone improvising on top of each other. So, music is give and take. Everyone experimenting with each other’s rhythms. Music is important to me because without music you can’t breathe.” 

Musical collaborations in Manchester 

Manchester has significantly afforded Arian the opportunity to showcase his talents and to promote Persian music through his drumming, and to catch the attention of people from other world cultures that are present in Manchester who otherwise would not have to know what Persian music sounds like and the various ways it could integrate with their own music. 

“Manchester has affected my music because when I came to Manchester, opportunities abound to meet up with all these brilliant musicians. So it gave me the opportunities to show my talents, to promote my drumming through my workshops, and link up with other cultures because Manchester is a very multicultural city. I met with very different musicians from different parts of the world. I was able to collaborate and make music together with others and share Persian music cultures as well... I got a lot of attention and I was able to teach in workshops in schools and colleges most of who had never seen that kind of music before. I do perform in places as well like in Festivals, community centres, RNCM etc. Most of my workshop is based in Stockport at a community centre called Quaker Meeting House, not far from the city centre which I run twice a month. It's been going on for about six drums. I'm going to carry on with my workshops. I have produced some albums coming up soon called the Winds which is very experimental. It's like a 45 minuted journey through the winds. It's an expression of Persian music which emigrants can relate with. That’s the projects I'm working on. I hope it will be released next year. I have done a solo version of the Wind which people can listen to. I played only the Daf in the Wind. Its a set of rhythms which also express feelings." 

Video Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sA3cZLSx2Y