Recording of the set of Thoraya with live improvisations by Gashtyar playing Setar at the Astromalia IV, an alcohol- & drug-free dancing ritual held in November 2024 in Freiburg.

Thoraya & Gashtyar - Astromalia IV - Live Set with Setar

Internationally acclaimed Iranian musician, Maestro Hamid Motebassem (based in The Netherlands), performed with the George Crotty Trio on May 30 at the Small World Centre as part of the Experimental Link Series in Toronto. This album display Montebassem’s talent as a composer of Persian classical music and as a stunning improviser on tar and setar.

Hamid Motebassem’s Persian classical composition served as the basis for a jazz-forward musical exploration at the Experimental Link show with George Crotty on cello, and award-winners Jonathan Chapman on bass and Dhaivat Jani on percussion. The Toronto-based trio led by Canadian cellist, composer and improviser, George Crotty, is known for cross-cultural interplay drawing on modal jazz, Indian raga and Arabic maqam.

Experimental Link Series aims to contemplate the Persian-Canadian experience by reinvigorating, re-exploring and re-imagining Persian traditional music within contemporary and cosmopolitan Toronto by inviting different musicians from the diaspora to collaborate.
credits
released April 18, 2025

Mixed and Mastered by Mani Bayat
Hamid Motebassem: setar
George Crotty: cello
Jonathan Chapman:" upright bass
Dhaivat Jani: percussion

Stargazer

Seedlight

Fleur-de-lis

Lily

this is persian ancient instrument *SETAR*

Setar Honor

Lyrics:

You call the shots, you drive the car
I'll close my eyes and come along
What do you want to talk about?
You tell the lies, you pick the song

And I'll dance to your tune
It's the easiest thing to do
In my position
And we'll drive until June
I'll follow you down this road
Of least resistance

If that is what it takes to make you stay
If that is what it takes to make you stay
Stay Stay
If that is what it takes to make you stay



I spoke to therapists and Jesus
But the words they say demand
More, you see
When conversations become deeper
I revert to who I am
I'm scared of me

So I'll just keep my peace
It's the easiest thing to do
In my position
And I'll get on my knees
I'll follow you down, downstream
To my perdition

If that is what it takes to make you stay
If that is what it takes to make you stay
Stay Stay
If that is what it takes to make you stay

Stay-Ina Wroldsen ( No Face Remix)

Where ancient Persian soul meets modern deep house a journey from Ney and Setar into hypnotic techno grooves.

NEYVANA

An improvised piece featuring Mohammad Reza leading on kamancheh, accompanied by Mojtaba on kamancheh, Dina on violin, and Fa on setar.

Improvisation |آبان ماه ۰۴ - بداهه نوازی

Out of it

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/thoraya.dj/

Signal Chat Group for announcements of gigs and new mixes: https://signal.group/#CjQKIPIfKeMgzjl5mjNfvU40H15nZfxALioo8ODbL6p8nRuQEhAtw1wH8Ih0f4kH1DdZRmrg

Info Sheet (Google Drive): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sAxdfkSs58yqc8sQjvkvZzpbleL-uMD1/

Visuals: https://youtube.com/@ayahuasca1679

More Mixes: https://hearthis.at/ayahuasca-4i/

English:

Mission: I like you to follow the path to your inner self by your body movement, your dancing and your ecstasy, by facilitating this process with the music I am passionate for.

Style: Ethnotronics, Folktronica, Downtempo, Wave Dance, Latin House

Sets: eclectic, characterized by love for music, melodies & energy

Bio: Music has always been a constant factor in the life of THORAYA. He started his career as a DJ in 2013 by combining different musical styles from Latin America. As resident DJ of the Club Latinoamericano Darmstadt, he influenced the region around Darmstadt and Frankfurt with his mixture of latin genres with electronic dance music, alone as Ayahuasca DJ or as part of the Ayahuasca DJ-Team. Developing his style over a decade, he felt the call for change and continued spreading his music under the name he received from the universe: THORAYA.

Planned:

09.11. Ecstatic Dance @ Tócame - Tantra Retreat, Selters (Taunus)
08.11. Ecstatic Dance Darmstadt, Dornheimer Weg 79


Past:

2025
18.09.&21.09. Furtwangen, FUNKENTANZ FESTIVAL 2025
03.08. Wollmerschied,Tropen Tango Festival
05.06.-08.06. Niedergörsdorf, WURZELFESTIVAL (B2B as Urban Shamans Project)
30.05. Darmstadt, Tropical Earth Night IV
10.03. Playa San Juan de Dios, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca
31.01. Darmstadt, BKS
01.01. Bad Meinberg, Dance Wave @Yoga Vidya

2024
30.11. Berlin, private event 
02.11. Freiburg, ASTROMALIA IV  with Gashtyar live, substance free wellness dancing ritual 
17.10. Darmstadt, Osthang, letzter kleiner Freitag 2024 💖
20.09. Furtwangen, Black Forrest, Funkentanz Festival
24.08. Coburg/ Schottenstein, Rave in the Castle III: Prunk und Stunk
06.07. Selters, private event
24.06. Freiburg, Astromalia III, dancin ritual
23.02. Freiburg, Astromalia II, dancing ritual
02.02. Darmstadt, private event

2023
18.11. Darmstadt, 10 Jahre Bühnenpräsenz, KGB
09.09. Selters, private event
26.08. Darmstadt, Balzer Turnier
19.08. Raumünzach, Good Times Festival
22.07. Darmstadt, Kulturgarten Bessungen
15.07. Selters, Tanz in die Lahn 2
08.07. Wiesbaden, private event
26.05. Darmstadt, Tropical Earth Night 2
25.92. Kassel, Alma 5 @ A.K.A.
24.02. Marburg, La rumba carnavalera

2022
16.10. Darmstadt, KGB, Tropical Sea Day
30.07. Selters, Tanz in die Lahn
16.07. Darmstadt, Peace as Fuck in der Burg
08.07. Darmstadt, Bessunger Knabenschule, Fiesta del Sol
22.04. Darmstadt, Tropical Earth Day

2019
28.09. Frankfurt, Yachtclub
19.07. Darmstadt, Schlosskeller, Sol & Ron

2018
12.10. Darmstadt, Bessunger Knabenschule, Amaphonica
22.06. Darmstadt, Schlosskeller, Global Warming
27.01. Frankfurt, Club Voltaire, Lateinamerika Rebelde V

2017
18.03. Darmstadt, Bessunger Knabenschule, Fiesta Primavera

2016
23.09. Darmstadt, Schlosskeller, Terapía Tropical
02.09. Finsterwalde, Im Wilden Osten Festival

2015
03.06. Darmstadt, Hoffart Theater, Fiesta de Cine

2014
28.02. Darmstadt, TIP, Piñata Party Vol 2

2013
01.11.Darmstadt, Goldene Krone, Dia de los muertos

👇
pooria.r_m:
instagram:https://www.instagram.com/pooria.r_m
youtube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UC12quZwBeM47Dx9VA8Tnzwg

DJ | PRODUCER | REMIXER
My name is Ardeshir I'm Currently 34 Years old.
I Live In California, U.S
I'm Music Producer, Remixer And occasionally Getting into Djing

Email: Ardtash@hotmail.com

Link Music Lab is a Toronto-based artist collective whose mandate is to create top-quality multicultural concert productions and innovative cross-cultural recording collaborations between member artists at all levels of professional/career development. The music here is produced by Link Music Lab except our Mix Sessions that we choose our favorite music from around the world.

New tracks tagged #Setar