Azar Swan

Azar Swan
Origin Brooklyn, New York, USA
Genres Industrial, pop, experimental
Years active 2012−present
Labels Handmade Birds, Pendu Sound, Zoo Music
Associated acts Religious to Damn, A Storm of Light, Shakespace, The Diplomats, Blacklist, White Bodies, Vaura, Vain Warr
Website http://www.azarswan.com
Members Zohra Atash
Joshua Strawn

Azar Swan is the musical project of singer-songwriter and musician Zohra Atash, co-produced by Atash and Joshua Strawn. After dissolving their previous band, Religious to Damn, Atash and Strawn chose to begin experimenting with electronic instrumentation. The duo work with mixer Mike Dextro (a producer and live touring DJ for Zebra Katz), while Charlie Schmid (also of Vaura and Religious to Damn) contributes percussion on select tracks.

History

Azar Swan played their first show on November 10, 2012, followed by notable direct support slots with Prurient, White Lung, Cut Hands, King Dude, Tamaryn and David J, and a BUST Magazine showcase with JD Samson and MEN.[1]

The band premiered their debut single, "Amrika", on USA Today on October 24, 2012.[2] They subsequently released several digital singles including "In My Mouth", which was one of the final releases from Pendu Sound Recordings and was remixed by Drew McDowall.

In November 2013, Azar Swan released their debut LP, Dance Before the War, on the independent label Handmade Birds. Pitchfork called the band's sound "prime industrial pop"[3] and said that the album's title track was aggressive and accessible with a "bent for experimentation." The band's second album, And Blow Us a Kiss, was released in October 2014 by Zoo Music, the record label owned and operated by Dee Dee Penny of Dum Dum Girls and Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles. They followed the album up with a double-A-side remix 12" called Variations on Handmade Birds, which featured mixes by Vatican Shadow and Cut Hands. Variations was notable for being the first time that both William Bennett (of Whitehouse) and Dominick Fernow (of Prurient), both widely recognized as two of the most significant pioneering figures in power electronics and noise music, had been featured on the same release.

Atash's sleep disorder,[4] childhood hallucinations,[5] and synesthesia[6] are the impetus for much of Azar Swan's lyrical imagery, which she has described as "living in the space between dreams and reality"[7] and "hallucinogenic realism". Subject matter ranges from anxiety, language, war, bestial hunger and weather, with lyrics mainly written while in a hypnagogic state.[8] Atash has been vocal about her experience as the child of Afghan refugees, as well as her experience as a woman navigating complex cultural experiences and identities.[9]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

  1. ↑ Allen, Brittany, 45 Minutes With Zohra Atash, BUST
  2. ↑ Marshalek, Russ, Two Exclusive Tracks: A Debut Single and a Killer Remix, USA Today
  3. ↑ O'Connor, Andy, Azar Swan "Dance Before the War", Pitchfork
  4. ↑ "Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) TALKS Jenny Hval's Apocalypse, Girl". Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  5. ↑ "BYT Interviews: Azar Swan 2014 - BrightestYoungThings - NYC". nyc.brightestyoungthings.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  6. ↑ "Greenpoint bar chat with Azar Swan | Chatter | Impose Magazine". www.imposemagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  7. ↑ "The Quietus | News | WATCH: Azar Swan - We Hunger". www.azarswan.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  8. ↑ "Zohra Atash's Waking Dream - Adult Mag". Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  9. ↑ Atash, Zohra, How To Get Your Religious Family To Break Up With You, Slutist
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