The Crossing (feat. GREJ)

I have happy to announce that I have released a new song from my electronic project MOJ (which means “wave” in Farsi). It took only 10 years! It’s called The Crossing. It’s my collaboration with Toronto composer, musician, percussionist, and electronic wizard Gregory Harrison (grej).

The songs was first conceived about 10 years ago in the rocky mountains of Banff where I was doing a residency for 5 months. Hiking through the spectacular nature, I thought about my roots, growing up as a child in Iran until the age of 12, going with hikes with my father and brother in the mountains north of Tehran. With the recent events and conflicts in the middle east I realized that my roots are still so connected to Iran and its people. The song expresses those feelings through Iranian-inspired melodies and improvisation, filtered through glitchy electronics and deep bass. The final section is repeated cry for humanity and a longing for the suffering to end.

I’m also so pleased with how the artwork has turned out. Working with Parisa Najafi, who is based in Iran, felt effortless, and her stunning work captures a real connection with the music.

I love collaborating with others. They bring something new and exciting to the project that I would have never have imagined. Here are some of Greg’s thoughts about this collaboration:

“For me the crossing also represents a meeting of like minds (both classically trained, audio engineers- respectively, and electronic musicians). This is the first time collaborating with someone who closely mirrors my creative world in blending genres and expanding them in ways that feel fun and unique.”

“Pouya gave me a draft version of the song with a bit of direction but a lot of room to experiment and play inside. The trust there allowed me to bring my voice into his world, push and pull with his ideas. I feel like this sparked inspiration from both sides and the song kept getting deeper and more expansive.”

Link to the YouTube performance video:

Some early reactions to the song:

Thanks as always on being part of my creative journey and I hope to hear from you soon.

Lots of cheers,
Pouya