REMS by Nima Aghiani

"Disruptive phenomena like visual and auditory hallucinations, falling sensations and lucid dreaming are portrayed here through a decaying structure of synth and an array of Max/MSP patches and plug-ins. Aghiani arranges brutalising pulses and gritty drones around a glissando of high-pitched ringing and discrete tonal shifts from samples of violin. ... (A) disquieting but compelling exploration into one of the most enigmatic states of being."
- The Wire #414, August 2018. Print.
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"Aghiani’s unique fusions of violin melodies, blasting electroacoustic glitches, and pounding bouts of distorted rhythmic crunches are just as, if not more, diverse as that description would imply, making the 33 minute REMS a fulfilling and multifaceted release. It’s split into seven tracks but is best experienced as a whole, with each part naturally evolving into the next. The first few steadily work to craft a metallic, artificial atmosphere, but one that’s disarmingly lush despite how inorganic it all sounds; and then “Khaovyn” arrives to smash any remaining solace into oblivion. This short track’s power noise contortions are among the most brutal things I’ve heard all year, and ahead of the slower-paced rhyming pair of “Qamyn” and “Bamyn” it’s a perfect mid-album purge. This latter, long form piece is nothing short of incredible, and on my first listen through it was what really brought me around on the sleep connection; the rumbling breaths of bass and distorted spoken samples are like waking from a nightmare, the fear still present but the details and memories just out of reach. REMS occupies the perfect middle ground between deafening viscerality and reserved exploration, and despite its short length it’s an enrapturing journey through Aghiani’s creativity and talent."
- Noise Not Music, July 11, 2018. Web.
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8/10
- Polityka: Polifonia, July 4, 2018. Web.

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"Sometimes I can no longer distinguish when I am awake and when I am not. This makes me always wonder what is my actual reality, and does it even matter?"

REMS is the new album by composer/producer/violinist, Nima Aghiani (one half of 9T Antiope). Short for Rapid Eye Movement Sleep, the Tehran-born, Paris-based sound artist defines it as, "one of the levels of sleep during which we still see dreams as our eyes are physically in motion - the moment before we awaken. I often experience this as a constant lost state of being, in-between full consciousness and deep sleep."

Because of this, the aural discourse of REMS unveils itself through a stretched canvas of rumination and terror - a frequency bath filled with power electronics belting, screeching, and pulsating alongside wondrous sheets of string-kissed melodies.

"These seven songs are set as REM layers. To me, they personify self-actualized dimensions in which scenarios can play out, whether as dream or nightmare."

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