Roy Jurgens on May 31st, 2019

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If there is one word that perfectly captures the enigma that is Azam Ali, it would be the word “hypnotic.” Her forthcoming solo effort, “Phantoms,” is a sultry cobra that has been snake-dancing within her subconscious for some 25 years, capturing another aspect of the ethereal grace that Ali has become known for.

Born in Tehran, Iran, and raised in India, Ali came to the U.S. in 1985 as part of the diaspora that fled the Iranian revolution. Landing in Los Angeles as a teen, she became enamored with New Wave and Goth sounds, while remaining steeped in the musical traditions of the Middle East, India and Eastern Europe.

Her initial musical explorations came forth in the under-appreciated alternative world music duo Vas, a collaboration with percussionist Greg Ellis. In the mid-2000s she created Niyaz with her husband, multi-instrumentalist Ramin Loga Torkian. That group went on to record five critically lauded albums, breaking down multiple barriers in what is commonly known as “world music.” By marrying the traditional with the electronic, the duo has expanded upon the territory previously mined by Dead Can Dance, while doing it with the respect and dignity usually accorded to long-tenured professors of ethnomusicology. The past year they’ve been gracing stages across the globe with their state-of-the-art live show, featuring their music set to light architecture.

Odds are, you’ve probably heard Ali’s work without realizing it. She is an in-demand collaborator, having recorded with the likes of Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Peter Murphy, the Crystal Method, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain and members of Nine Inch Nails. She’s also an in-demand voice in the soundtrack world, contributing heavily to “Thor: The Dark World,” “Matrix-Revolutions,” “300,” “The Fight Club,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “True Blood,” “Alias,” “The Agency” and “Prison Break,” among others. In gaming, she’s been featured in “Uncharted 3,” “Call of Duty,” “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands” and “Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow.”

On the whole, “Phantoms” is haunting, soothing and brimming with Bristol-like trip-hop intensity. A simmering piece that draws from Brit grime and darkwave, there are also hints of industrial and shoegazey shimmer that bubbles up throughout the work. Her first full English-language release is a sonic treatise on the current state of humanity, on one hand technically adept, yet retaining the visceral element of flesh and blood. It is the kind of release that is best enjoyed under headphones with a fine spirit, or in flagrante delicto with a daring partner. There is a long-running joke as to how many children have been conceived while listening to her back catalog.

The album is retro-futuristic love letter that kisses 1980s synth-pop. Her initial solo foray into the electronic realm began with her 2006 solo album “Elysium for the Brave.” “This album is almost a follow-up to that,” she says. “I waited this long to do an entirely English album because I wanted to be sure the quality would be on par with the work of my idols.” It is these idols — Massive Attack, Portishead, Soft Cell, Cocteau Twins (she covers “Shallow Then Halo” on “Phantoms”), Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Dead Can Dance, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry — from which she drew inspiration. 

Ali is no slouch when matching her sounds with words. “The lyrical content delves into the philosophies of spiritual humanism,” she says. “The ongoing quest in our human existence to harmonize our outward journey in the material, technological, globalized world, with our inner human journey seeking sublimation and truth.  And at the center of it all, lies universal, unconditional love for everything and everyone within the cosmos.”

“Phantoms” is also significant to Ali in that she wrote, programmed, recorded and produced the album entirely by herself, something she initially found to be daunting. “This album became about getting over fears and self-doubt—the two demons every artist struggles with—it gave me a bring-it-on attitude,” she says.

The kaleidoscopic video for the lead single, “Hope,” was directed by Skyler Brown, and is an entrancing visual introduction to the rest of the album. 

||| Watch: The video for “Hope”