AMiR, the creative force behind the world/rock/fusion project known as ELViRiA, describes himself as a musician, artist, sculptor and avant-garde architect.
An old soul connected to the modern world, he sees these various pursuits as being unified in creativity but his major focus at this time is Mishkin-Qalam, an original soundtrack he composed for a documentary film about the respected and admired late Persian master artist and calligrapher, who was also AMiR’s great-great-grandfather.
“He was an astronomer, a mystic, and one of the 19 Apostles of the Bahá’í Faith,” AMiR says of Mishkin-Qalam, who died in 1912. “His story is dramatic because in the first half of his life he achieved international fame throughout Asia Minor for his artwork and was an artist of the of the Persian royal palace… but in the second half of his life, he endured some 50 years of exile and imprisonment because of these beliefs and in the unity of mankind and world peace.
“So the theme of the film and soundtrack is art in exile. And there are many artists around the world today who are forced to create art in exile.”
Produced in Cyprus, the documentary features multiple interviews with scholars and family members around the world as well as dramatic re-enactments, animations and featured artworks. AMiR wrote the soundtrack, sourcing musicians both locally and internationally and it’s reminiscent at different times of artists such as The Doors, Dead Can Dance, and The Tea Party. (In a twist of fate, Canadian rock musician Jeff Martin of The Tea Party features on several tracks.)
“That was a real treat. I’ve been a fan of Jeff’s ever since I was in my late teens, with the whole Moroccan ’n’ roll kind of thing. I found that fascinating. The musicians are all incredibly talented, hard-working people with stories of their own,” AMiR notes. “People from local groups with Arab and Persian membership as well. It was a real adventure and process working with these different people.”
The result is a suite of music that is suitably epic, offering an uplifting connection and emotional insight into his ancestor’s story. That music, however, was composed organically without being too premeditated about familial or historical themes.
“When I write music it’s a combination of mind and heart,” AMiR explains. “So I have a general theme, and things that are going on in my mind, but the music just happens. I don’t wilfully write a piece of music to come out a certain way.
“The connection to my great, great grandfather and how I feel about his story – in terms of the music – most of it happened after the music was actually made. Which is really weird, because that’s when you realise, ‘Oh, that’s what it’s about.’ I think as a composer or musician, if you’re really honest, you can’t really take credit for your own work. You’ve got to just feel like you’re some sort of a conduit to a universal consciousness or supermind, however you call it.
“So that’s basically the connection that I felt with my great-great-grandfather. In terms of the music, that was when I really considered his life story and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is incredible.’”
Like his ancestor, AMiR is an artist who for various reasons cannot share his art in the country of his birth. “It’s also the driver towards the music for me,” he says, “which is basically that stories like this can make us more compassionate and accepting of others who have a different point of view.”
Born in Persia (modern-day Iran), AMiR comes from a rich cultural tradition. As an infant his parents were forced to flee with the family from the country as a result of the violent persecution propagated against members of the Bahá’i Faith. They relocated to Seattle and eventually settled in Perth, in the riverside suburb of Applecross.
“I was made in Iran, flown through the USA, and assembled in Australia,” he smiles, “which makes me a citizen of the world, I like to think.”
In his childhood AMiR was encouraged to immerse himself in music and art, paying heed to his cultural origins. He was artistically inclined and his parents were keen that he develop upon his natural talents both in the arts and academia.
“I was drawing from early infancy, two years old,” he says. “Figures, machines and animals. From five years old, I started classical training and the violin, so I was always artistically minded, and my mother was a big advocate of that. She always made sure the opportunities were there for me to express myself, so I’ve always been very, very interested in art and music.”
By his late teens AMiR was studying architecture but it was at this time that he also discovered alternative rock, electronic dance music and world music. In the rock realm it was Australian bands such as INXS and Midnight Oil, then onto, most notably, U2.
“It was a real turning point for me because I remember as a teenager looking at their videos and the euphoria of it,” he recalls. “I think they created a very similar kind of space to what I’m trying to create with ELViRiA – inclusive, peaceful, euphoric music. Where everyone comes together and experiences this religious rock’n’roll experience. Not in terms of traditional religion, but a sense of elation.”
For AMiR, songwriting is an intuitive process that unites him with his spirituality and thirst for expression and his need to rock out. He released his first album, The City of Search, in 2013. An immersion of rock, electronic, and Eastern sounds, it is a story told of the pursuit of the meaning of life.
“I still love it,” he says. “To put it in context, it’s part of a seven-album anthology. There are seven concept albums, but there is a story flowing through all of them. And that story is our collective journey to unconditional love, to a universal consciousness. So it’s outside of any one particular spiritual tradition and it’s inclusive.”
There’s something about The City of Search that speaks to the now, so much so that a deluxe edition will be released in 2024 with bonus tracks, radio edits, and more. Two more albums in the concept cycle – The City of Love and The City of Knowledge – have been completed and are awaiting release.
Meanwhile, AMiR sees ELViRiA as a fusion of East and West, a project in which artists can come together and share a common unity in spite of exile, distance or race. That Mishkin-Qalam has already been officially selected by 10 international film festivals – four to date have resulted in Best Feature Documentary Film awards with three soundtrack awards – is testament to that universality.
The film will see wide release in 2024, over which time AMiR will also release a song a month from it on Spotify. He plans to perform the soundtrack as well as selections from The City of Search at venues across Australia.
“The big point of focus is creating really unforgettable live shows that are elating and memorable,” he says. “I really hope that the music will fill a gap that needs to be filled, whatever that gap is in people. I hope that it will inspire people to follow their calling, pursue their passions, and be the best they can be.”
Follow ELViRiA on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Find out more about Mishkin-Qalam here.
