The Toronto trio Dastgâmachine (Mahmood Schricker [setâr/effects], Caleb Klager [electronics/synths], Jason Rule [turntables/processing]) embrace a legible and unique form of psychedelia, incorporating the sounds and production techniques of dub, techno, and musique concrete into the Dastgâ system of arranging classical Persian art music. The three come from disparate scenes and sound worlds: Mahmood from a traditional composition background, with years of performance and soundtrack experience; Caleb a bassist and jazz composition student, found performing in multiple ensembles and creating full throttle techno (as heard at MUTEK and Sled Island); and Jason with experience in computer music ensembles and with over 15 years of radio shows & club DJing under their belt in multiple countries, on multiple channels. Their debut EP “Tapestry” was four excerpts of sound collage and low-slung acid rhythm; a snapshot of their riotous Infinite Jest residency at the bar that lent its name, and gave a platform for diasporic experimental and dance musics in Toronto. They’ve since honed their sound in church basements, industrial lofts, grottos, and performing arts centres, supporting Bay Area art-rock legends Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, the transatlantic art pop of Atlanta’s Peyman Salimi, the nervy modular tombak paintings of Paris’s Cinna Peyghamy, and Chicago’s bouzouk maestros The Arab Blues. Future horizons include this EP’s release January 23 at BSMT254 alongside a duo performance from Detroit acid legend Sard and Toronto cosmonaut Raf Reza, and at Wavelength Festival March 19 alongside Cinna and Salar Ansari. This second EP “Bâzsâzi” sees the group rearranging their oeuvre for the dancefloor, starting with a raw excerpt of Zolfonoon, taken from their first ever show in August 2023, before they had a name. Caleb dons his Wavemap alias to rework it into a tunnelling, heads-down groover, in the lineage of Mike Dehnert and Luke Hess. On the B-side, Raf Rizzla sends Parisa shapeshifting through the hardcore continuum with a nod to UK Drill, in continuation from his recent debut Ekbar [Telephone Explosion]. Jason (as Neonlichter) turns Delkash into a jungle montage to close out – all mutant bass and tessellations. Link Music Lab, Mahmood’s organization and label, is a Toronto-based artist collective & not-for-profit rooted in the city’s Persian diaspora but with outreach into the techno, experimental, and classical worlds. Previous bookings (inc. A Guy Called Gerald, Dan Curtin, Elena Colombi, Kamran Sadeghi, Rana Farhan, Sepehr, The Tiger Lilies, Vladimir Ivkovic) attest to this lack of interest in stylistic orthodoxy. INSTAGRAM @dastgamachine BANDCAMP linkmusiclab.bandcamp.com