Latency presents Nexus, the new solo album by virtuoso Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, out October 17 on vinyl and digital. Cover art by Jordan Belson.

Following his acclaimed 2019 release Ritme Jaavdanegi, Nexus marks Mortazavi’s return to Latency with a full-length album recorded entirely in Berlin. The record introduces new elements into his sound: voice, effects, and treatments never before used in his discography. These experiments serve not as departures but as further extensions of his ongoing exploration of rhythm, resonance, and transformation.

The album opens with Zendegi (“Life”), a piece inspired by the chant Woman, Life, Freedom. Mortazavi broke down its underlying rhythm and used it to build a new compositional structure, offered as a gesture to his homeland and beyond.

Nexus refers to a point of connection or intersection, a meeting place where different energies, times, and spaces converge and transform. In Mohammad’s words:

“Nexus was a journey for me—a deep, transformative experience. Along the way, the ideas of connection, mutual influence, and transformation became clearly reflected in my sound. In moments where my playing shifted between release and focus, I came to understand that music is my teacher. It leads me to a place where everything is interconnected. For me, Nexus is the point where everything converges—where each encounter brings about a profound and new transformation. On this path, I became aware of something that remains unseen, yet undeniably present: an invisible world, hidden from view, whose effects shape our visible reality. Though we cannot see it, it is in motion—and through sound, through the waves of music, it connects with the outer world. Nexus, then, is more than a connection. It is a space beyond the visible—a point of convergence where the hidden becomes audible.”