PAYDAR (IR/DK) — 'HEYVAN' EP Release + Naghib Shanbehzadeh live (IR/FR)

Copenhagen-based DJ and producer PAYDAR is a cult figure on the local scene with his amazing sets that intertwine references from across the Swana region and create vibrant, inclusive club universes. In November, she will release the new EP “HEYVAN” and invite you to a release party at ALICE. The evening will be opened by the masterful Iranian France-based percussionist Naghib Shanbehzadeh, while Amar Shah, founder of Among Good People, drops by with a selection of new Paydar merch and styles from his own brand, AGP.

With roots in Iran, an upbringing in the North and an identity that hovers freely between cultures, PAYDAR has enriched the local music scene with its energetic and inclusive shows where individuality, community and diverse identities are celebrated. The aspiring Copenhagen-based DJ and producer creates a sound that moves through percussive electronic music with inspiration from sounds and references from across the Swana region. Rhythm, movement and physical energy are key elements of her music, which has already hit everything from intimate clubs to Roskilde Festival's Apollo stage.

PAYDAR's upcoming EP “HEYVAN” -- meaning “animal” in Farsi -- explores instinct, movement, control and connection. Drawing on its Iranian cultural heritage, PAYDAR integrates Persian references into its musical universe in a way that feels natural and inextricably linked to electronic music. At the center of “HEYVAN” stands a fascination with what we all carry with us: rhythm, play, curiosity and intuition -- and of the ways through music we can connect to ourselves and each other. PAYDAR has already made ALICE's hall boil with its shows several times, and we are looking forward to now laying the house for her release.

Naghib Shanbehzadeh

The Iranian, internationally renowned percussionist Naghib Shanbehzadeh is a rare talent in his field. Now based in France, at the age of 33, he has already established himself as a distinctive percussionist of his generation, and with more than 20 years of experience from the stage he moves effortlessly between different musical worlds. He learned the traditional percussion of southern Iran through oral transmission from childhood and has since further developed his rhythmic language at the Conservatory of French Créteil. From here he has created a distinctive fusion of Southern Iranian rhythms, jazz, global roots and experimental music, where tradition and renewal go hand in hand.

Shanbehzadeh has collaborated with international names such as Billy Cobham, Manu Codjia and Kian Soltani as well as his father, master musician Saeid Shanbehzadeh, and has toured the world with rapper Tif. With his strong energy and distinctive sound, Naghib Shanbehzadeh opens the evening with a live set before PAYDAR.