Accordion

A piano accordion (top) and a Russian bayan (bottom)
Keyboard instrument
Other names	Danish (free-bass): Accordeon. Danish (standard-bass), Hungarian & Icelandic: Harmonika Portuguese:Acordeão or Sanfona French:Accordéon German:Akkordeon Greek:Ακορντεον Italian:Fisarmonica Norwegian:Trekkspill Polish:Akordeon, harmonia Catalan:Acordió Dutch:Accordeon Russian:Bajan Castillian:Acordeón Croatian: Harmonika Slovenian:Frajtonarca Swedish:Dragspel[1]
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	412.132 (Free-reed aerophone)
Developed	Early 19th century
Playing range
Depends on configuration: Right-hand manual Chromatic button accordion Diatonic button accordion Piano accordion Left-hand manual Stradella bass system Free-bass system
Related instruments
Hand-pumped: Bandoneón, Concertina, Flutina, Garmon, Trikitixa, Indian harmonium Foot-pumped: Harmonium, Reed organ Mouth-blown: Melodica, Harmonica, Laotian Khene, Chinese Shēng, Japanese Shō Electronic reedless instruments: Electronium, MIDI accordion, Roland Virtual Accordion
Musicians
Accordionists (list of accordionists).
More articles
Accordion, Chromatic button accordion, Bayan, Diatonic button accordion, Piano accordion, Stradella bass system, Free-bass system, Accordion reed ranks & switches

The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes colloquially referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.

The instrument is played by compressing or expanding the bellows whilst pressing buttons or keys, causing valves, called pallets, to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel, called reeds, that vibrate to produce sound inside the body.^{[notes 1]}

This instrument is sometimes considered a one-man-band, as it needs no accompanying instrument. The performer normally plays the melody on buttons or keys on the right-hand manual, and the accompaniment, consisting of bass and pre-set chord buttons, on the left-hand manual.

The accordion is often used in folk music in Europe, North America and South America and in some countries, such as in Brazil, it is also commonly used in mainstream pop music. In Europe and North-America, it is often associated with busking. Some popular music acts also make use of the instrument. Additionally, the accordion is sometimes used in both solo and orchestra performances of classical music.

The oldest name for this group of instruments is actually harmonika, from the Greek harmonikos, meaning harmonic, musical. Today, native versions of the name accordion are more common. These names are a reference to the type of accordion patented by Cyrill Demian, which concerned "automatically coupled chords on the bass side".^[2]

Construction[link]

A diatonic button accordion being played.

Accordions are made in a large number of different configurations and types. What may be technically possible to do with one accordion could be impossible with another:

• Some accordions are bisonoric, meaning they produce different pitches depending on the direction of bellows movement
• Others are unisonoric and produce the same pitch regardless of the direction of bellows movement
• Some accordions use a chromatic buttonboard for the right-hand manual
• Others use a diatonic buttonboard for the right-hand manual
• Yet others use a piano-style musical keyboard for the right-hand manual
• Some accordions are capable of playing in registers different from others
• Additionally, different accordion craftsmen and technicians may tune the same registers in a slightly different manner, essentially "personalizing" the end result, such as an organ technician might voice a particular instrument

Universal components[link]

Bellows[link]

	Accordion bellows controlled sounds A sample of effects that can be achieved with the bellows - 949 KB
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The bellows is the most recognizable part of the instrument, and the primary means of articulation. Similar to a violin's bow, the production of sound in an accordion is in direct proportion to the motion of the player. It is located between the right- and left-hand manuals, and is made from pleated layers of cloth and cardboard, with added leather and metal.^[3] It is used to create pressure and vacuum, driving air across the internal reeds and producing sound by their vibration, applied pressure increasing the volume.

The keyboard touch is not expressive and does not affect dynamics: all expression is effected through the bellows: some bellows effects as illustrated below:

1. Bellows used for volume control/fade
2. Repeated change of direction ("bellows shake")
3. Constant bellows motion while applying pressure at intervals
4. Constant bellows motion to produce clear tones with no resonance
5. Using the bellows with the silent air button gives the sound of air moving, which is sometimes used in contemporary compositions particularly for this instrument

Body[link]

The accordion's body consists of two wood boxes joined together by the bellows. These boxes house reed chambers for the right- and left-hand manuals, respectively. Each side has grilles in order to facilitate the transmission of air in and out of the instrument, and to allow the sound to better project. The grille for the right-hand manual is usually larger and is often shaped for decorative purposes. The right-hand manual is normally used for playing the melody and the left-hand manual for playing the accompaniment, however skilled players can reverse these roles.^{[notes 2]}

The size and weight of an accordion varies depending on its type, layout and playing range, which can be as small as to have only one or two rows of basses and a single octave on the right-hand manual, to the standard 120-bass accordion and through to large and heavy 160-bass free-bass converter models.

Pallet mechanism[link]

The accordion is an aerophone. The manual mechanism of the instrument either enables the air flow, or disables it:^{[notes 3]}

An illustration of the pallet mechanism in Piano Accordions. As the key is pressed down the pallet is lifted, allowing for air to enter the tone chamber in either direction and excite the reeds; air flow direction depends on the direction of bellows movement. Note that this is a side view of a piano accordion keyboard, so a similar effective mechanical pallet movement is used for buttons, both on button accordions and bass mechanisms, including the Stradella machine

Variable components[link]

There is a wide range of instruments that are called accordion. The different types have varying components. All instruments have reed ranks of some format. Not all have switches. The most typical accordion is the piano accordion, which is used for many musical genres. Another type of accordion is the button accordion, which is used in Conjunto and Tejano music.

Right-hand manual systems[link]

A Weltmeister piano accordion

Different systems exist for the right-hand manual of an accordion, which is normally used for playing the melody. Some use a button layout arranged in one way or another, while others use a piano-style keyboard. Each system has different claimed benefits^[4] by those who prefer it. They are also used to define one accordion or another as a different "type":

• Chromatic button accordions and the bayan, a Russian variant, use a buttonboard where notes are arranged chromatically. Two of these systems exist
• Diatonic button accordions use a buttonboard limited to the notes of diatonic scales in a small number of keys. The keys are often arranged in one row for each key scale available
• Piano accordions use a musical keyboard similar to a piano, at right angles to the cabinet, the tops of the keys inward toward the bellows
• 6-plus-6-accordions use a buttonboard with three rows of buttons. The chromatic scale consists of two rows. The third row is a repetition of the first row. So there is the same fingering in all twelve scales. These accordions are produced only in special editions.

Left-hand manual systems[link]

Typical 120-button Stradella bass system. This is the left-hand manual system found on most unisonoric accordions today

Different systems are also in use for the left-hand manual, which is normally used for playing the accompaniment. These almost always use distinct bass buttons and often have buttons with concavities or studs to help the player navigate the layout despite not being able to see the buttons while playing. There are three general categories:

• The Stradella bass system, also called standard bass, is arranged in a circle of fifths and uses single buttons for chords
• The Belgian bass system is a variation used in Belgian chromatic accordions. It is also arranged in a circle of fifths but in reverse order. This system has 3 rows of basses, 3 rows of chord buttons allowing easier fingering for playing melodies, combined chords, better use of fingers 1 and 5, and more space between the buttons. This system was poorly traded outside of native Belgium
• Various Free-bass systems for greater access to playing melodies on the left-hand manual and to forming one's own chords. These are often chosen for playing classical music

Reed ranks and switches[link]

Accordion reed ranks with closeup of reeds

Inside the accordion are the reeds that generate the instrument tones. These are organized in different sounding ranks, which can be further combined into registers producing differing timbres. All but the smaller accordions are equipped with switches that control which combination of reed ranks will be brought into operation, organized from high to low registers. Each register stop produces a separate sound timbre. See the accordion reed ranks & switches article for further explanation and audio samples.

All but the smallest accordions usually have treble switches. The larger and more expensive accordions often also have bass switches.

Classification of chromatic and piano type accordions[link]

In describing/pricing an accordion, the first factor is size, expressed in number of keys on either side. For a piano type, this could for one example be 37/96, meaning 37 keys (3 octaves plus one note) on the treble side and 96 bass keys. After size, the price and weight of an accordion is largely dependent on the number of reed ranks on either side, either on a cassotto or not, and to a lesser degree on the number of combinations available through register switches. Typically, these could be announced as Reeds: 5 + 3, meaning 5 reeds on the treble side and 3 on the bass, and Registers: 13 + M, 7, meaning 13 register buttons on the treble side plus a special "master" which activates ALL ranks like the "tutti" on an organ, and 7 register switches on the bass side.

Straps[link]

The larger piano and chromatic button accordions are usually heavier than other smaller squeezeboxes, and are equipped with two shoulder straps to make it easier to balance the weight and increase bellows control while sitting, and avoid dropping the instrument while standing.

Other accordions, such as the diatonic button accordion, have only a single shoulder strap and a right hand thumb strap. All accordions have a (mostly adjustable) leather strap on the left-hand manual to keep the player's hand in position while drawing the bellows. There are also straps above and below the bellows to keep it securely closed when the instrument is not playing.

Unusual accordions[link]

Garmon player

Various hybrid accordions have been created between instruments of different buttonboards and actions. Many remain curiosities — only a few have remained in use:

• The Schrammel accordion, used in Viennese chamber music and klezmer, which has the treble buttonboard of a chromatic button accordion and a bisonoric bass buttonboard, similar to an expanded diatonic button accordion
• The schwyzerörgeli or Swiss organ, which usually has a 3-row diatonic treble and 18 unisonoric bass buttons in a bass/chord arrangement – actually a subset of the Stradella system – that travel parallel to the bellows motion
• The trikitixa of the Basque people has a 2-row diatonic, bisonoric treble and a 12-button diatonic unisonoric bass
• In Scotland, the favoured diatonic accordion is the instrument known as the British Chromatic Accordion. While the right hand is bisonoric, the left hand follows the Stradella system. The elite form of this instrument is generally considered to be the German manufactured Shand Morino, produced by Hohner with the input of Sir Jimmy Shand^[5]

History[link]

This section requires expansion.

The accordion is a free reed instrument and is in the same family as other instruments such as the sheng and khaen. The sheng and khaen are both much older than the accordion and this type of reed did inspire the kind of free reeds in use in the accordion as we know it today.

8-key bisonoric diatonic accordion (c. 1830s)

The accordion's basic form is believed to have been invented in Berlin in 1822 by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann,^{[notes 4][citation needed]} although one instrument has been recently discovered that appears to have been built earlier.^{[notes 5][6][7]}

Zitat Dillner Akkordeon

The accordion is one of several European inventions of the early 19th century that used free reeds driven by a bellows. An instrument called accordion was first patented in 1829 by Cyrill Demian, of Armenian descent, in Vienna^{[notes 6]}

Demian's instrument bore little resemblance to modern instruments. It only had a left hand buttonboard, with the right hand simply operating the bellows. One key feature for which Demian sought the patent was the sounding of an entire chord by depressing one key. His instrument also could sound two different chords with the same key; one for each bellows direction (a bisonoric action).

The piano accordion was first played in German-speaking regions, and then spread over Europe. Some early portable instrument with piano keys had been invented in 1821, but it started to actually be played much later, and built its reputation from there.

At that time in Vienna, mouth harmonicas with Kanzellen (chambers) had already been available for many years, along with bigger instruments driven by hand bellows. The diatonic key arrangement was also already in use on mouth-blown instruments. Demian's patent thus covered an accompanying instrument: an accordion played with the left hand, opposite to the way that contemporary chromatic hand harmonicas were played, small and light enough for travelers to take with them and used to accompany singing. The patent also described instruments with both bass and treble sections, although Demian preferred the bass-only instrument owing to its cost and weight advantages.^{[notes 7]}

By 1831 at least the accordion had appeared in Britain.^[8] The instrument was noted in The Times of that year as one new to British audiences^[9] and not favourably reviewed, but nevertheless it soon became popular.^[10] It had also become popular with New Yorkers by the mid-1840s at the latest.^[11]

After Demian's invention, other accordions appeared, some featuring only the righthanded keyboard for playing melodies. It took English inventor Charles Wheatstone to squeeze both chords and keyboard together in one squeezebox. His 1844 patent for what he called a “concertina” also featured the ability to easily tune the reeds from the outside with a simple tool.

The first pages in Adolph Müller's accordion book

The musician Adolph Müller described a great variety of instruments in his 1833 book, Schule für Accordion. At the time, Vienna and London had a close musical relationship, with musicians often performing in both cities in the same year, so it is possible that Wheatstone was aware of this type of instrument and may have used them to put his key-arrangement ideas into practice.

Jeune's flutina resembles Wheatstone's concertina in internal construction and tone color, but it appears to complement Demian's accordion functionally. The flutina is a one-sided bisonoric melody-only instrument whose keys are operated with the right hand while the bellows is operated with the left. When the two instruments are combined, the result is quite similar to diatonic button accordions still manufactured today.

Further innovations followed and continue to the present. Various buttonboard and keyboard systems have been developed, as well as voicings (the combination of multiple tones at different octaves), with mechanisms to switch between different voices during performance, and different methods of internal construction to improve tone, stability and durability.

Use in various music genres[link]

The accordion has traditionally been used to perform folk or ethnic music, popular music, and transcriptions from the operatic and light-classical music repertoire.^[12] Today the instrument is sometimes heard in contemporary pop styles, such as rock, pop-rock, etc.,^[13] and occasionally even in serious classical music concerts, as well as advertisements.

Use in traditional music[link]

Invented in 1829, its popularity spread rapidly: it has mostly been associated with the common people, and was spread by Europeans who emigrated around the world. The accordion in both button and piano forms became a favorite of folk musicians^[14] and has been integrated into traditional music styles all over the world: see the list of traditional music styles that incorporate the accordion.

This is a button key accordion made by the company Marrazza in Italy. It was brought by Italian immigrants to Australia as a reminder of their homeland.

Use in popular music[link]

	New York Blues A 1916 recording of "New York Blues" composed and performed by Pietro Frosini, one of the first major stars of the accordion.
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The accordion appeared in popular music from the 1900s-1960s. This half century is often called the "Golden Age of the Accordion." Three players: Pietro Frosini, and the two brothers Count Guido Deiro and Pietro Deiro were major influences at this time.

Most Vaudeville theaters closed during the Great Depression, but accordionists during 1930s-1950s taught and performed for radio. During the 1950s through the 1980s the accordion received great exposure on television with performances by Myron Floren on the Lawrence Welk Show.^[15] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the accordion declined in popularity.

A folk accordionist 2009

In popular music, it is now generally considered exotic or old-fashioned to include the accordion, especially in music for advertisements. Some popular acts do use the instrument in their distinctive sounds.

Use in classical music[link]

Although best known as a folk instrument, it has grown in popularity among classical composers. The earliest surviving concert piece is Thême varié très brillant pour accordéon methode Reisner, written in 1836 by Miss Louise Reisner of Paris. Other composers, including the Russian Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Italian Umberto Giordano, and the American Charles Ives (1915), wrote works for the diatonic button accordion.

The first composer to write specifically for the chromatic accordion was Paul Hindemith.^[16] In 1922, the Austrian Alban Berg included an accordion in Wozzeck, Op. 7. Other notable composers have written for the accordion during the first half of the 20th century^[17] American composer William P. Perry featured the accordion in his orchestral suite Six Title Themes in Search of a Movie (2008). The experimental composer Howard Skempton began his musical career as an accordionist, and has written numerous solo works for it. Russian Bayan virtuoso Stas Venglevski has premiered contemporary works by Yehuda Yannay, Charles-Alexandre Julliard, Anthony Galla-Rini and William Susman.^[18]

Bosnia and Herzegovina[link]

The accordion is a traditional instrument in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the dominant instrument used in sevdalinka, a traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is also considered a national instrument of the country.

Brazil[link]

The accordion is widely used in Brazil (in particular in the South, South-East, Centre-West and North-East), in traditional as well as pop music. Compared to many other countries, the instrument enjoys in Brazil high popularity in mainstream pop music. In some parts of the country, such as the North-East it is the most popular melodic instrument. As opposed to most European folk, a very dry tuning is usually used in Brazil.

The accordion (predominantly the piano accordion) is used in almost all styles of Forró (in particular in the sub-genres of Xote and Baião) as principal instrument, Luiz Gonzaga (the King of the Baião) and Dominguinhos being among the notable musicians in this style. In this musical style the typical combination is a trio of accordion, triangle and zabumba (a type of drum). This style has gained popularity recently, in particular among the student population of the South-East of the country (in the Forró Universitário genre, with important exponents today being Falamansa, and trios such as Trio Dona Zefa, Trio Virgulino and Trio Alvorada). Moreover the accordion is the principal instrument in Junina music (music of the São João Festival), with Mario Zan having been a very important exponent of this music.

It is an important instrument in the Sertanejo (and Caipira) music which originated in the Centre-west and South-east of Brazil and subsequently has gained popularity throughout the country.

In the South of the country (where there is a preponderance of the button accordion), in particular in Rio Grande do Sul, it used in the Brazilian Gaúcho musical style, an important exponent of this music being Renatto Borghetti.

Colombia[link]

The accordion is also a traditional instrument in Colombia. Used in the style known as vallenato and cumbia in the Atlantic Coast of Colombia. Recently the Accordion has been used by Tropipop musicians such as Bacilos, Carlos Vives, and Andres Cabas, as well as Rock musicians like Juanes and Shakira. Vallenato has come to symbolize the folk music of Colombia. The legend of the Accordion's arrival in Colombia comes from a story of a ship wreck that was coming from Germany to Argentina. The wreck happened over the Magdalena river in the Atlantic coasts.

Use in heavy metal music[link]

Accordionists in heavy metal make their most extensive appearances in the folk metal sub-genre, and are otherwise generally rare. Full-time accordionists in folk metal seem even rarer, but they are still utilized for studio work, as flexible keyboardists are usually more accessible for live performances.

Notably, the Finnish symphonic folk-metal band Turisas has always had a full-time accordionist, employing classical and polka-style sensibilities alongside a violinist. Another Finnish metal band, Korpiklaani, invokes a type of Finnish polka called humppa, and also has a full-time accordionist. Sarah Kiener, the former hurdy-gurdy player for the Swiss melodic-death/folk metal band Eluveitie, played a Helvetic accordion known as a zugerörgeli, which could be a distant relative (in one way or another) to the Swiss schwyzerörgeli, as both are indigenous to and very rare outside of Switzerland.

Manufacturing process[link]

This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since May 2012. It is incomplete and may require expansion or cleanup. Tagged since May 2012.

The best accordions are always fully hand-made, especially in the aspect of reeds; completely hand-made reeds have a far better tonal quality than even the best automatically manufactured reeds. Some accordions have been modified by individuals striving to bring a more pure sound out of low-end instruments, such as the ones improved by Yutaka Usui,^[19] a Japanese-born craftsman.

The manufacture of an accordion is only a partly automated process. In a sense, all accordions are handmade, since there is always some hand assembly of the small parts required. The general process involves making the individual parts, assembling the subsections, assembling the entire instrument, and final decorating and packaging.^[20]

Famous centres of production are the Italian cities of Stradella and Castelfidardo, with many small and medium size manufacturers especially at the latter. Castelfidardo honours the memory of Paolo Soprani who was one of the first large-scale producers. The French town of Tulle has hosted Maugein Freres since 1919, and the company is now the last complete process manufacturer of accordions in France. Large scale production existed in Germany by Hohner and Weltmeister, but these lost volume by the end of the 20th century. Hohner now manufactures in China; the Weltmeister instruments are still handmade by HARMONA in Klingenthal.

Other audio samples[link]

Accordion chords Chords being played on an accordion – 145 KB Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Accordion tones Audio clip of the same octave cycled through five different timbres (Piano Accordion) – 676 KB Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Notes[link]

1. ^ For the accordion's place among the families of musical instruments, see Henry Doktorski's Taxonomy of Musical Instruments (The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.) Also on this page is Diarmuid Pigott's The Free-Reed Family of Aerophones
2. ^ Guido Deiro claimed to be the first accordionist to play a solo with the left hand: Sharpshooter's March (1908) Guido Deiro, Guido Deiro's Own Story of Sharpshooters March, The Pietro Musicordion, Volume 6, Number 2 (May–June 1948)
3. ^ Illustration made with reference from a similar illustration that can be found in both Det levende bælgspil (p. 9) by Jeanette & Lars Dyremose (2003), and Harmonikaens historie (p. 35a) by Bjarne Glenstrup (1972, The University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Music)
4. ^ There is not a single document to back up this belief, Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann was 16 years old at that time and we do have some handwriting of C.F. Buschschmann and his Father, but without any related notice within. First time of mentioned a aeoline was in a writing dated 1829.
5. ^ This is the accordion owned by Fredrik Dillner of Sweden which has the name F. Löhner Nürnberg engraved (stamped) on it. The instrument was given to Johannes Dillner in 1830 or earlier
6. ^ A summary and pictures of this patent can be found at www.ksanti.net/free-reed/history/demian.html (Version of 20 Okt 04 - 19 Jun 09 Using Way Back Machine to Display: The Classical Free-Reed, Inc.)
7. ^ German Text: "Mit den Dekel des Balges, läßt sich das ganze Instrument verdoppeln, so daß man dadurch die Accorde vermehrt, oder auch mit einzelne Töne spielen kann, in diesem Fall, muß ein zweyter Einsatz mit Federn, und auch eine 2te Claviatur dazu kommen, der Blasebalg bleibt in der Mitte, jede Hand dirigirt abwechselnd, entweder die Claves, oder den Balg. Durch eine obengenannte Verdoplung des Instruments oder durch Vermehrung der Accorde, würde niemand etwas verbessern, oder was neues liefern, weil nur die Bestandtheile dadurch vermehrt, das Instrument theurer und schwerer wird." Translation of this snip: With the Cover of the bellows the instrument can be duplicated, so the amount of Chords or single notes can be enlarged, or one can sound single notes, in this case a second part with springs (free reeds) and also a second keyboard has to be added, the bellows will be in between this two parts, every hand will be used to push buttons and push and pull the bellow at the same time or alternatively. Trough such a doubling or increasing of chords within the instrument nothing new will be invented or improved by someone else, because only the amount of similar parts will be increased and the Instrument will be heavier and more expensive.German full text

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: accordions

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Accordion

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Accordion". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

• Free accordion scores, music, videos, forum GoldAccordion.com
• Accordions Worldwide
• List of accordionists
• Accordion museum in Castelfidardo Museo della Fisarmonica Comune di Castelfidardo
• Accordion Fanatic provides useful information about accordions from accordion playing to repairing and even gifts.
• Accordion Trainer Is a tutoring application which can be used to educate the Stradella bass system.

MF DOOM
MF Doom at the Hultsfred Festival 2011 in Sweden
Background information
Also known as	DOOM, King Geedorah, Metal Face, Metal Fingers, Viktor Vaughn, Zev Love X, Madvillain
Born	(1971-01-09) January 9, 1971 (age 41) London, United Kingdom
Origin	Long Island, New York
Genres	East Coast hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, hip hop producer
Instruments	Vocals, sampler, synthesizer, drum machine, Pro Tools
Years active	1988–1993 1997–present
Labels	Elektra (1988–1993) Sub Verse (1997–2003) Fondle 'Em (1997–2001) Metal Face (1997–present) Big Dada (2003) Naturesounds (2003–present) Rhymesayers (2004) Stones Throw (2004–present) Lex (2005–present)
Associated acts	KMD, Madvillain, Danger Doom, Madlib, MF Grimm, Ghostface Killah, J Dilla, Count Bass D, Aesop Rock, Jneiro Jarel, Gorillaz, Masta Ace, De La Soul
Website	Official website

Daniel Dumile (pronounced /ˈduːmɨleɪ/ DOO-mə-lay; born January 9, 1971) is a hip hop artist who has taken on several stage names in his career, most notably MF Doom, often stylized as MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for metal face, but metal fingers when using his producing name. He has appeared in several collaborative projects such as Danger Doom (with Danger Mouse) and Madvillain (with Madlib).

History[link]

Early years with KMD[link]

Dumile was born on January 9, 1971, in London, England, the son of a Trinidadian mother and Zimbabwean father.^[1] He then moved with his family to New York and was raised in the city of Long Beach, New York on Long Island.

As Zev Love X, he formed the group KMD in 1988 with his younger brother DJ Subroc and another MC called Rodan. When Rodan left the group, Zev found another MC to replace Rodan named Onyx the Birthstone Kid.^[1] A&R rep Dante Ross learned of KMD through the hip hop group 3rd Bass, and signed the group to Elektra Records.^[2]

Dumile and KMD's recorded debut came on 3rd Bass's song "The Gas Face" from The Cactus Album,^[1] followed in 1991 with KMD's album Mr. Hood, which became a minor hit through its singles "Peachfuzz", "Who Me?" and heavy video play on cable TV's Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City.

Subroc was struck and killed by a car in 1993 while attempting to cross the Long Island Expressway before the release of a second KMD album, titled Black Bastards.^[1] The group was subsequently dropped from Elektra Records that same week. Before the release of the album, it was shelved due to controversy over its cover art,^[2] which featured a cartoon of a stereotypical pickaninny or sambo character being hung from the gallows.

With the loss of his brother, Dumile retreated from the hip hop scene from 1994 to 1997. He testifies to disillusionment and depression, living "damn near homeless, walking the streets of Manhattan, sleeping on benches.^[1][3]" In the late 1990s, he left New York City and settled in Atlanta. According to interviews with Dumile, he was also "recovering from his wounds" and swearing revenge "against the industry that so badly deformed him."^[1] Black Bastards had become bootlegged at the time, leading to Doom's rise in the underground hip hop scene.

Birth of MF DOOM[link]

In 1997, Dumile began freestyling incognito at open-mic events at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan, obscuring his face by putting a stocking over his head. He meanwhile had taken on a new identity, MF Doom, patterned after and wearing a mask similar to that of Marvel Comics super-villain Doctor Doom, who is depicted rapping on the cover of the 1999 album Operation: Doomsday. He wears this mask while performing and isn't photographed without it, except for very short glimpses in videos such as Viktor Vaughn's "Mr. Clean", "?", and in earlier photos with KMD.^[1] MF Doom's mask has undergone at least one design revision since its adoption (it is now an altered version of the mask worn by the character Maximus Decimus Meridius in the film Gladiator).

Early career[link]

Dumile released three singles on "Bobbito" García's Fondle 'Em Records, "Dead Bent", and "Greenbacks" (1997), and "The M.I.C." (1998). In 1999 Fondle 'Em released MF Doom's first full-length LP, Operation: Doomsday, which included these singles and their b-sides, and additional tracks. Dumile had used the spelling variant "M.F. DOOM" for the singles releases, but thereafter changed this to "MF DOOM".

Among the collaborators on these tracks were fellow members of the Monsta Island Czars collective (The M.I.C.), for which each artist took on the persona of a monster from the Godzilla mythos. Dumile went by the alias "King Geedorah," a three-headed golden dragon space monster, modeled after King Ghidorah, the Toho movie monster who was a three-headed dragon that often battled Godzilla. Some of his appearances on the LP are as, and are credited to this persona, instead of that of MF Doom. Dumile would revisit this character later under various name-spellings.

Guest appearances, production, and instrumental work[link]

In the years intervening before his next full-length solo release, and continually since, Dumile has appeared on several tracks on other artists' LPs and remixes, contributed one-off tracks to compilations, and done various guest production work.^[4]

In 2002, he appeared on the Sound-Ink's Colapsus collection,on a very hard to find track titled "Monday Nite at Fluid" featuring Kurious with production by King Honey, who also produced some tracks for Dumile's album Vaudeville Villain. DOOM also made an appearance in "November Has Come", a track on Gorillaz's 2005 album Demon Days, which reached #6 on the Billboard 200.^[5]

Besides the Viktor Vaughn album Dumile produces all the instrumentation tracks for his solo releases with very few exceptions.^[4]

Beginning in 2001, under the "Metal Fingers" moniker, Dumile began releasing his Special Herbs instrumentals series. Many of these beats can be heard as the instrumentation tracks throughout his body of work. A separate website catalogs for which tracks each instrumental has been used.^[6]

Ongoing career[link]

In 2003, Dumile released the King Geedorah album Take Me to Your Leader. Geedorah is credited as producer, but only appears as an MC on four tracks. The majority of vocal tracks feature guest MCs, and the album features several instrumental montages of sampled vocals from old movies and TV shows—a technique employed on most of Dumile's albums. Both Venomous Villain and Take Me to Your Leader feature appearances by MF Doom.

Also in 2003, Dumile released the LP Vaudeville Villain under the moniker Viktor Vaughn (another play on Doctor Doom, whose "real name" is Victor von Doom). In 2004 he released a follow-up LP, Venomous Villain (also called VV2).

And, in 2004, the second MF Doom album MM.. Food was released by the Minnesota-based label Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Mainstream recognition[link]

DOOM's first commercial breakthrough came in 2004, with the album Madvillainy, created with producer Madlib under the group name Madvillain. Released by Stones Throw Records, the album was a critical and commercial success. MF DOOM was seen by mainstream audiences for the first time as Madvillain received publicity and acclaim in publications such as Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Spin. A video for "All Caps" and a four-date U.S. tour followed the release of Madvillainy. Additional videos for "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Accordion", both directed by Andrew Gura, were released on the DVDs Stones Throw 101 and Stones Throw 102: In Living the True Gods, respectively.

MF Doom collaborated with Danger Mouse who together are known as DANGERDOOM.

Though still an independent artist, MF DOOM took a bigger step towards the mainstream in 2005 with The Mouse and the Mask, a collaboration with producer DJ Danger Mouse under the group name Danger Doom. The album, released on October 11, 2005 by Epitaph, was done in collaboration with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and featured voice-actors and characters from its programs (mostly Aqua Teen Hunger Force). Danger Doom reached #41 on the Billboard 200.^[7] In 2006 DOOM hosted the Adult Swim Christmas special and he could be seen in between shows, usually talking about what was up next, and making jokes.

2006–2009[link]

MF Doom produced tracks for both of Ghostface Killah's 2006 albums Fishscale and More Fish, and the two are currently at work on a collaboration album titled Swift & Changeable. So far only track released from the album is "Angels", which appeared on a Nature Sounds compilation in late 2006, and later re-released in a different fashion on Doom's 2009 album Born Like This. Doom has also revealed plans for a second Madvillain album with producer Madlib, with one song, "Monkey Suite", first appearing on the Adult Swim/Stones Throw Records album Chrome Children, later it appeared on Madvillainy 2 - The Madlib Remix. Other potential projects mentioned by Doom include new albums from Danger Doom,^[8] KMD, as well as further albums under both his Viktor Vaughn and King Geedorah aliases. However, many such Doom projects have been rumored in recent years without materializing.

Despite no new Doom releases in 2006, Kidrobot and Stones Throw released an 8" tall Madvillain toy available to coincide with the release of the Chrome Children CD/DVD (hosted by Peanut Butter Wolf) which featured a DVD performance of Madvillain and several other Stones Throw artists. Doom also continued to work with Adult Swim doing voice-over work as Sherman the Giraffe on Perfect Hair Forever, being the voice for The Boondocks ads and previews and hosting their Christmas Eve 2006 programming.

In late January 2009, Lex records confirmed Doom's new album title to be Born Like This, and that the "MF" would be dropped from his name, now just "DOOM".^[9] The album was released worldwide on March 24, 2009.^[10] As a teaser, the track "Ballskin" was posted on Doom's Myspace page on January 13, 2009.^[11] Snippets of the entire album were made available for streaming on Doom's Myspace on the album's release date. The title for the album was inspired by the poem "Dinosauria, We" by poet and writer Charles Bukowski. Doom samples a performance of the poem by Bukowski on the track "Cellz". Previously, Doom used a Bukowski sample for a vocal interlude on 2004's "All Outta Ale.^[12] "Thom Yorke of Radiohead remixed the track "Gazillion Ear" which is available as an iTunes-only bonus track.^[13] June 26, 2009 Kurious released II which featured Doom on the song "Benetton".^[14]

2009-2012[link]

On May 26, 2010, the second single for the next Madvillain album "Paper Mill" was released through Adult Swim.^[15] Expektoration, a live Doom album, was released on September 14, 2010 through Gold Dust Media. In mid 2010, DOOM released the mix-tape "DOOM!", a collection of greatest hits, B-sides and rareties, including the theme for the video game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars featuring Ghostface Killah, and Biochemical Equation, featuring the RZA.

On July 27, 2011 DOOM and Ghostface Killah released the track "Victory Laps" from their long awaited collaboration project Swift & Changeable on the Nature Sounds label.

DOOM was chosen by Portishead to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival that they curated in July 2011 at London's Alexandra Palace.^[16]

DOOM will be the guest curator for Chapter 48 of Frank151's quarterly magazine. Chapter 48 will be released Summer 2012 and will feature a candid interview with DOOM on a variety of topics.^[17]

In September DOOM will be performing live as part of Bestival 2012 on the Isle Of Wight.^[18]

Live show controversy[link]

Dumile has become infamous for allegedly sending imposters to perform on his behalf.^[19] Doom initially countered such accusations by claiming that he lost weight and thus looked - and sounded - different,^[20] before his road manager described the move as an intentional choice made by Dumile.^[21] For his 2011 UK tour, a promoter for the Glasgow show - fearing reduced attendance from a cautious public - guaranteed on Twitter that Dumile would be appearing in person.

Discography[link]

Solo[link]

• 1999: Operation: Doomsday
• 2003: Take Me to Your Leader (as King Geedorah)
• 2003: Vaudeville Villain (as Viktor Vaughn)
• 2004: Venomous Villain (as Viktor Vaughn)
• 2004: Mm.. Food
• 2009: Born Like This (as DOOM)

Compilation Albums[link]

• 2009: Unexpected Guests

Collaboration Albums[link]

• 1991: Mr. Hood (as Zev Love X with KMD)
• 2001: Black Bastards (as Zev Love X with KMD)
• 2003: Escape from Monsta Island! (as King Geedorah with Monsta Island Czars)
• 2004: Madvillainy (with Madlib as Madvillain)
• 2005: The Mouse and the Mask (with Danger Mouse as DANGERDOOM)
• 2006: Occult Hymn (with Danger Mouse as DANGERDOOM)
• 2012: Son of Yvonne (with Masta Ace as MA DOOM)
• 2012: Key to the Kuffs (with Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM) ^[22]
• TBA: Swift & Changeable (with Ghostface Killah as DOOMSTARKS)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Daniel Dumile

• MF Doom on Myspace
• Official website

Pauline Oliveros (born May 30, 1932, Houston, Texas) is an American accordionist and composer who is a central figure in the development of post-war electronic art music.

She was a founding member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center in the 1960s, and served as its director. She has taught music at Mills College, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Oliveros has written books, formulated new music theories and investigated new ways to focus attention on music including her concepts of "Deep Listening" and "sonic awareness".

Early career[link]

Oliveros earned degrees from Moores School of Music at the University of Houston and San Francisco State University where her teachers included composer Robert Erickson. At the University of Houston, she was a member of the band program and was a founding member of the local chapter of Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority.

Oliveros is one of the original members of the San Francisco Tape Music Center, which was an important resource on the U.S. west coast for electronic music during the 1960s.^[1] The Center later moved to Mills College, where she was its first director, and is now called the Center for Contemporary Music. Oliveros often improvises with the Expanded Instrument System, an electronic signal processing system she designed, in her performances and recordings.

UCSD[link]

In 1967, Oliveros left Mills to take a faculty music department position at UCSD.^[2] There, Oliveros met theoretical physicist and karate master Lester Ingber with whom she collaborated in defining the attentional process as applied to music listening.^[3] Oliveros also studied karate under Ingber, achieving black belt level. In 1973, Oliveros conducted studies at UCSD's one-year-old Center for Music Experiment; she served as the Center's director from 1976 to 1979. In 1981, to escape creative constriction,^[4] she left her tenured position as full Professor of Music at UCSD^[5] and relocated to upstate New York to become an independent composer, performer and consultant.^[5]

Deep Listening[link]

Oliveros coined the term "Deep Listening" in 1991,^[2] a term which she then applied to her group The Deep Listening Band and to the Deep Listening program of Deep Listening Institute, Ltd. (formerly The Pauline Oliveros Foundation, founded in 1985). The Deep Listening program includes annual listening retreats in Europe, New Mexico and in upstate New York, as well as apprenticeship and certification programs. The Deep Listening Band, which includes Oliveros, David Gamper, and Stuart Dempster, specializes in performing and recording in resonant or reverberant spaces such as caves, cathedrals and huge underground cisterns. They have collaborated with Ellen Fullman and her long string instrument, as well as countless other musicians, dancers, and performers.

Sonic awareness[link]

Von Gunden (1983, p.105-107) describes and names a new musical theory, developed by Oliveros in the "Introductions" to her Sonic Meditations and in articles, called "sonic awareness." Sonic awareness is the ability to consciously focus attention upon environmental and musical sound, requiring continual alertness and an inclination towards always listening, and comparable to John Berger's concept of visual consciousness (as in his Ways of Seeing). "Sonic awareness is a synthesis of the psychology of consciousness, the physiology of the martial arts, and the sociology of the feminist movement" and describes two ways of processing information, focal attention and global attention, which may be represented by the dot and circle, respectively, of the mandala Oliveros commonly employs in composition. Later this representation was expanded, with the mandala quartered and the quarters representing actively making sound, imagining sound, listening to present sound, and remembering past sound. This model was used in the composition of her Sonic Meditations. Practice of the theory creates "complex sound masses possessing a strong tonal center", as focal attention creates tonality and the global attention creates masses of sound, flexible timbre, attack, duration, intensity, and sometimes pitch, as well as untraditional times and spaces for performance such as requiring extended hours or environmental settings. The theory promotes easily created sounds such as vocal ones, and "says that music should be for everyone anywhere."

Composer, teacher, author[link]

In 1994, Oliveros was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Grants to Artists award.

Oliveros currently teaches at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Mills College. She is openly lesbian.^[6]

Oliveros is the author of five books, Sounding the Margins: Collected Writings 1992-2009, Initiation Dream, Software for People, The Roots of the Moment, and Deep Listening: A Composer's Sound Practice.

She recently contributed a chapter to Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture (The MIT Press, 2008) edited by Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky.

In 2007, Oliveros received the Resounding Vision Award from Nameless Sound. She was the 2009 recipient of the William Schuman Award, from Columbia University School of the Arts.

She is a patron of Soundart Radio in Dartington, Devon, UK

Notable works[link]

• Sonic Meditations: "Teach Yourself to Fly", etc.
• Sound Patterns for mixed chorus (1961), awarded the Gaudeamus International Composers Award in 1962, available on Extended Voices (Odyssey 32 16) 0156 and 20th Century Choral Music (Ars Nova AN-1005)
• Music for Annie Sprinkle's The Sluts and Goddesses Video Workshop—Or How To Be A Sex Goddess in 101 Easy Steps (1992)
• Theater of Substitution series (1975-?). Oliveros was photographed as different characters, including a Spanish señora, a polyester clad suburban housewife, and a professor in robes. Jackson Mac Low played Oliveros at the New York Philharmonic's "A Celebration of Women composers" concert on November 10, 1975 and Oliveros has played Mac Low (see Mac Low's "being Pauline: narrative of a substitution", Big Deal, Fall 1976). (ibid, p.141

Books[link]

• Oliveros, Pauline (2010), Lawton Hall, ed., Sounding the Margins: Collected Writings 1992-2009, Kingston, New York: Deep Listening Publications, ISBN 978-1-889471-16-7 .

• Oliveros, Pauline (2005), Deep Listening: A Composer's Sound Practice, New York: iUniverse, Inc., ISBN 978-0-595-34365-2 .

• Oliveros, Pauline (1998), Roots of the Moment, New York: Drogue Press, ISBN 978-0-9628456-4-2 .

• Oliveros, Pauline (1984), Software for People: Collected Writings 1963-80, Baltimore: Printed Editions, ISBN 978-0-914162-59-9 .

• Oliveros, Pauline (1982), Initiation Dream, Los Angeles: Astro Artz, ISBN 978-0-937122-07-5 .

Notable students[link]

• Sidney Corbett
• Andrew Deutsch
• Paul Dresher
• Alexina Louie
• Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
• Dana Reason

Films[link]

• 1976 - Music With Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television. Tape 5: Pauline Oliveros. Produced and directed by Robert Ashley. New York, New York: Lovely Music.
• 1993 - The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers - Laurie Anderson, Tania León, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros. Directed by Michael Blackwood.
• 2001 - Roulette TV: Pauline Oliveros. Roulette Intermedium Inc.
• 2005 - Unyazi Of The Bushveld. Directed by Aryan Kaganof. Produced by African Noise Foundation

Listening[link]

• Dear.John: A Canon on the Name of Cage on Larry Polansky's Home Page
• Epitonic.com: Deep Listening Band featuring a track from Deep Listening
• Art of the States: Pauline Oliveros two works by the composer
• Excerpt from 2001 sound. at the Schindler House performance at SASSAS @ YouTube

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening
• Deep Listening Institute
• Pauline Oliveros Foundation
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Faculty and Staff: Pauline Oliveros, Clinical Professor, Arts Department, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• The Sonic Rituals of Pauline Oliveros by Ron Drummond
• EST Interview
• Pauline Oliveros in conversation with Frank J. Oteri
• Listen to an excerpt of Oliveros' Alien Bog at Acousmata music blog
• Interview with Pauline Oliveros by Bruce Duffie, April 5, 1996

Sandy Brechin
Sandy Brechin
Background information
Born	20 April 1969
Origin	Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland
Genres	Scottish folk music
Instruments	Accordion
Years active	1985-Present.
Labels	Brechin All Records
Associated acts	SB Band, Burach, Seelyhoo, Shandoneers
Website	www.brechin-all-records.com

Sandy Brechin is a Scottish musician and accordionist. He has developed an instantly recognisable style and is well known as a player, teacher and composer of traditional Scottish music.^[1][2][3]

He is a member of three bands, the Sandy Brechin Band, Bùrach and The Sensational Jimi Shandrix Experience and has released material with all three bands as well as his own two solo albums, Out of his Box and Out of his Tree. He was also, previously, a member of Seelyhoo.

In February 1997, he played in the final to select Britain’s entry for the Eurovision Song contest 1997, as part of the band “Do Re Mi, with Kerry”. The song was called “Yodel in the Canyon of Love”. The song came second to Katrina And The Waves, who went on to win Eurovision.

Brechin is also the box player in the play "The Accidental Death of an Accordionist".

Brechin also runs his own record company, Brechin All Records, an independent which specialise in Scottish Folk music. He also published a book of his collected tunes Out of his Mind.

Discography[link]

Solo[link]

• Out of His Box 1996
• Out of His Tree 1999

With Bùrach[link]

• The Weird Set 1995
• Born Tired 1997
• Deeper 2000
• Unstoppable 2007

With Seelyhoo[link]

• The First Caul 1995
• Leetera 1998

With the Sensational Jimi Shandrix Experience[link]

Electric Landlady 2007

Bibliography[link]

Out of his Mind 2004 ISBN/ISMN: 1871931878

External links[link]

• Brechin All Records
• 1998 Interview with Brechin
• Footstompin' Records Profile

References[link]

جعفر پناهی Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi, Cines del Sur 2007
Born	(1960-07-11) 11 July 1960 (age 51) Mianeh, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Ethnicity	Azeri
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, producer, film editor, assistant director
Years active	1988–Present
Influenced by	Vittorio De Sica, Abbas Kiarostami[citation needed]
Criminal charge	Propaganda
Criminal penalty	6 years
Criminal status	Awaiting Trial
Spouse	Tahereh Saidi
Children	Solmaz Panahi (daughter) Panah Panahi (son)

Jafar Panahi (Persian: جعفر پناهی ‎; born July 11, 1960 Meyaneh, East Azarbaijan) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter and film editor. After several years of making short films and working as an assistant director for Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi first achieved international recognition with his feature film debut The White Balloon in 1995, which won the Caméra d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Panahi was quickly recognized as one of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave movement. Although his films were often banned in his own country, he continued to receive international acclaim from film theorists and critics and has won numerous awards, including the Golden Leopard at the 1997 Locarno International Film Festival for The Mirror, the Golden Lion at the 2000 Venice Film Festival for The Circle and the Silver Bear at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival for Offside.^[1] His films are often noted for their humanistic perspective, often focusing on the hardships of children, the impovershed and women in Iran.

After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films (including several short-term arrests), Panahi was arrested in March 2010 along with his wife, daughter and 15 friends. He was later charged with commiting propaganda against the Iranian government. Despite support and pressure from filmmakers, film organizations and human rights organizations from around the world, in December 2010 Panahi was sentenced to a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media as well as leaving the country.^[2] This lead to Panahi's last film to date This Is Not a Film, a documentary feature in the form of a video diary was made despite and in protest of the legal ramafications of Panahi's arrest. It was smuggled out of Iran in a Flash-Drive hidden inside a birthday cake and was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Early life and career[link]

Panahi was born in Mianeh, Iran, an Azerbaijani area outside of Tehran. He has described his family as working class and grew up with four sisters and two brothers^[3], with his father working as a house painter. His family spoke Azeri at home, but Farsi with other Iranians.^[4] When he was ten years old when he wrote his first book about a young boy who successfully cheats at his school exams, but feels guilty and eventually admits his crime.^[5] It won first prize in a library competition.^[6] His love of films began at the age of nine when Panahi's sisters would recruit him to go to see films at the local theaters so that he could dramatically re-enact every scene and piece of dialogue for them. His sisters were not allowed to leave their family home and Panahi often had to hide from his father at the local movie theaters. Panahi's father was also a film lover, but disaproved of his son going to see films. Panahi has stated that his father told him "'These films are not good for you to see.' But I wanted to see what wasn't good for me to see." One film that had a lasting impression on Panahi as a child was Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves. ^[7][8] Around this time he began experimenting with photography and making short films with an 8mm film camera, acting in one film and assisting its director in running a library program that taught children how to operate a film camera.^[9] Starting at the age of twelve, Panahi would work after school in order to afford to go see films. His impoverished childhood helped form his humanistic worldview that would later manifest in his films.^[10]

As a young man Panahi was drafted into the Iranian army and served in the Iran–Iraq War, working as an army cinematographer. In 1981 he was captured by Kurdish rebels who were fighting Iranian troops and held for 76 days.^[11] From his war experiences he made The Wounded Heads (Yarali Bashlar), a documentary about the war that was eventually shown on TV.^[12] After completing his military service, Panahi enrolled at the College of Cinema and TV in Tehran, where he studied filmmaking. In school, he especially appreciated the work of film directors Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, Luis Buñuel and Jean-Luc Godard.^[13] At school he made several documentary shorts and began working as an assistant director on his professor's films before graduating in 1988.^[14][15][16] Panahi then made several films for Iranian television. Inspired by a story of a young Luis Buñuel once contacting successful film director Jean Epstein to ask for a job in filmmaking, Panahi left a message on Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami's answering machine, stating that he loved his films and asking for any job on his next film. Kiarostami hired Panahi as his assistant director for the film Through the Olive Trees.^[17][18]

Films[link]

Panahi in 2007

In 1995 Panahi made his feature film debut, The White Balloon (Badkonake sefid). Panahi showed his original treatment for the film to Kiarostami during the shooting of Through the Olive Trees, expecting it to be made as a short film. Kiarostami encouraged Panahi to make the idea into a feature and agreed to write the script. During their car rides to set while shooting, Kiarostami would verbally write the film's script while Panahi taped the conversation and typed the script up.^[19] Kiarostami also helped Panahi secure funding from the Centre for Children's Filmmaking.^[20] While casting the film, Panahi traveled throughout Iran in order to include all of the diverse ethnicities of his country as characters in the film. He found lead actress Aida Mohammadkhani at the first school that he visited and immediately cast her as Razieh, but auditioned 2,600 young boys for the role of Razieh's brother Ali before settling on Mohsen Kalifi.^[21] In the film Razieh, a strong-willed little girl in Tehran, wants to buy a lucky goldfish for the upcoming Iranian New Year celebration, but struggles to get and hold onto the 500-toman banknote needed to purchase the fish. Panahi worked closly with Mohammadkhani, gaining her trust and acting out each scene for her to mimic while still adding her own personality to the performance. Panahi was most concerned about Mohammadkhani being able to cry on cue, so he would have her stare at him off camera while he started to cry, causing her to cry.^[22] Panahi has stated that during the making of his feature debut he "wanted to prove to myself that I can do the job, that I can finish a feature film successfully and get good acting out of my players."^[23] He also stated that "In a world where films are made with millions of dollars, we made a film about a little girl who wants to buy a fish for less than a dollar – this is what we’re trying to show."^[24] In Iran, films depicting children are the most likely to avoid censorship or political controversy, and The White Balloon was screened exclusively in theaters that specialized in children's films. Because of this the film had low attendance on its initial run in Iranian theaters, with only 130,000 tickets sold. It went on to win four prizes in Iran.^[25] Outside of Iran The White Balloon received rave reviews^[26] and debuted at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Camera d'Or. It also won the Gold Award for Best Film at the 1995 Tokyo International Film Festival and the International Jury Award at the 1995 São Paulo International Film Festival.^[27] It was Iran's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards, however the Iranian government asked the Academy to withdrawl the film after Iran's relations with the US began to intensify. The Academy refused to withdrawl the film, which was not nominated, and Panahi was forbidden by the Iranian government to travel to the Sundance Film Festival or to participate in phone interviews with US reporters to promote the film.^[28]

His second feature film, The Mirror, received the Golden Leopard Award at the Locarno Film Festival.

His most notable offering to date has been The Circle (2000), which criticized the treatment of women under Iran's Islamist regime. Jafar Panahi won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle, which was named FIPRESCI Film of the Year at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and appeared on Top 10 lists of critics worldwide.^[29] Panahi also directed Crimson Gold in 2003, which brought him the Un Certain Regard Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. During that time Panahi was detained in the JFK airport, New York, while taking a connection from Hong Kong to Montevideo, after refusing to be photographed and fingerprinted by the immigration police. After being chained and waiting for several hours, he was finally sent back to Hong Kong.^[30]

Panahi's Offside (the story of girls who disguise themselves as boys to be able to watch a football match) was selected for competition in the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, where he was awarded with the Silver Bear (Jury Grand Prix). The Film was inspired by the occasion when his own daughter was refused entry to a football stadium. ^[31]

Imprisonment[link]

On 30 July 2009, Mojtaba Saminejad, an Iranian blogger and human rights activist writing from inside Iran, reported that Panahi was arrested at the cemetery in Tehran where mourners had gathered near the grave of Neda Agha-Soltan.^[32] He was later released, but his passport was revoked and he was banned from leaving the country. In February 2010 his request to travel to the 60th Berlin Film Festival to participate in the panel discussion on "Iranian Cinema: Present and Future. Expectations inside and outside of Iran" was denied.^[33]

On 1 March 2010, Panahi was arrested again. He was taken from his home along with his wife Tahereh Saidi, daughter Solmaz Panahi and 15 of his friends by plainclothes officers to Evin Prison.^[34] Most were released 48 hours later, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mehdi Pourmoussa on 17 March 2010, but Panahi remained in ward 209 inside Evin Prison.^[35] Panahi's arrest was confirmed by the government, but charges were not specified.^[36]

On May 18, 2010, J. Hoberman at VoiceFilm.com reported that an unconfirmed announcement indicated the Iranian regime would release Panahi to coincide with the public screening of another Iranian film at the festival, Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy.^[37] However, it was instead announced at the screening that Panahi's prison sentence had been extended.^[38]

On May 18, 2010, Panahi sent a message to Abbas Baktiari, director of the Pouya Cultural Center, an Iranian-French cultural organization in Paris.^[39] Panahi wrote that he has been mistreated in prison and his family threatened, and as a result has begun a hunger strike.^[40]

On 25 May 2010, Panahi was released on $200,000 bail.^[41]

On 12 November 2010, Panahi was back in court for his hearing. In a lengthy statement he defended himself and told the court that "I am Iranian and I will remain in Iran."

On 20 December 2010 Panahi, after being prosecuted for “assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” was handed a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media as well as leaving the country.^[2]

International response to the imprisonment[link]

The following people and organisations have called for his release:

• Filmmakers Ken Loach, Dardenne brothers, Jon Jost, Walter Salles, Olivier Assayas, Tony Gatlif, Abbas Kiarostami,^[42]

Kiomars Pourahmad, Bahram Bayzai, Asghar Farhadi, Nasser Taghvai, Kamran Shirdel and Tahmineh Milani, actors Brian Cox and Mehdi Hashemi, actresses Fatemeh Motamed-Aria and Golshifteh Farahani,^[43]

• Film critics Roger Ebert, Amy Taubin, David Denby, Kenneth Turan, David Ansen, Jonathan Rosenbaum and Jean-Michel Frodon,
• Federation of European Film Directors, European Film Academy,^[44] Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema,^[45] Berlin Film Festival,^[46] Karlovy Vary International Film Festival,^[47] International Film Festival Rotterdam,^[48] Febiofest, National Society of Film Critics, Toronto Film Critics Association^[49] and Turkish Cinema Council.

France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs^[50] and minister of culture and communications Frédéric Mitterrand, German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle,^[51] Canadian government, Finnish Green MP Rosa Meriläinen and Human Rights Watch^[52] have condemned the arrest.

On 8 March 2010, a group of well-known Iranian producers, directors and actors visited Panahi's family to show their support and call for his immediate release. After more than a week in captivity, Panahi was finally allowed to call his family. On 18 March 2010 he has been allowed to have visitors, including his family and lawyer. Iran's culture minister said on 14 April 2010 that Panahi was arrested because he "was making a film against the regime and it was about the events that followed election."^[53] But in an interview with AFP in mid-March, Panahi's wife, Tahereh Saeedi, denied that he was making a film about post-election events, saying: "The film was being shot inside the house and had nothing to do with the regime."^[54]

In mid-March, 50 Iranian directors, actors and artists signed a petition seeking Panahi's release.^[53] American film directors, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joel & Ethan Coen, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Robert De Niro, Curtis Hanson, Jim Jarmusch, Ang Lee, Richard Linklater, Terrence Malick, Michael Moore, Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese, James Schamus, Paul Schrader, Steven Soderbergh, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone and Frederick Wiseman, signed a letter on 30 April 2010 urging Panahi's release.^[55] The petition ends with “Like artists everywhere, Iran’s filmmakers should be celebrated, not censored, repressed, and imprisoned.” He was named a member of the jury at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, but because of his imprisonment he could not attend and his chair was symbolically kept empty.^[56]

On 23 December 2010 Amnesty International announced that it was mobilizing an online petition spearheaded by Paul Haggis and Nazanin Boniadi and signed by Sean Penn, Martin Scorsese, Harvey Weinstein and others to protest the imprisonment of Panahi.^[57][58]

Cine Foundation International, a "non-profit film company and human rights NGO aiming to 'empower open consciousness through cinema'" announced on 3 January 2011 that they are launching a campaign of protest films and public actions calling for the release of Panahi. "The campaign will include protest films that speak to human rights issues in Iran and throughout the world, six of which are commissioned feature-length, plus twenty shorts. Participating filmmakers may act anonymously or through pseudonyms since voicing their stories can be dangerous. The films, which will address themes of nation, identity, self, spiritual culture, censorship and imprisonment, will be aimed for public, web and various exhibition media".^[59][60] Later in January, CFI deployed a video protest mechanism called WHITE MEADOWS ^[61] (named for the Mohammad Rasoulof film, The White Meadows, which was edited by Panahi) and developed by Ericson deJesus (of Yahoo! and frog design) at the request of the foundation. The video mechanism "allow(s) anyone in the world to record a short video statement about Panahi and Rasoulof. There will be an ESCAPE button at top, allowing quick exit for those in countries where recording a statement would be dangerous. There will an option to have the screen black, and soon, voice distortion. The video statements will be recorded as mp4s, giving them maximum transmedia capacity, which essentially makes them broadcastable from any device that can show video".^[62] Users can also use the mechanism to comment on how they would "like to see as an international response by the film industry", comment on the state of human rights in general, or to "report a human rights abuse to the world". ^[63]

In Spring 2011, Boston's American Repertory Theater and System of a Down's Serj Tankian dedicated their production of Prometheus Bound to Panahi and seven other activists, stating in program notes that "by singing the story of Prometheus, the God who defied the tyrant Zeus by giving the human race both fire and art, this production hopes to give a voice to those currently being silenced or endangered by modern-day oppressors".^[64]

Style[link]

Panahi's style is often described as an Iranian form of neorealism.^[65] Jake Wilson describes his films as connected by a "tension between documentary immediacy and a set of strictly defined formal parameters" in addition to "overtly expressed anger at the restrictions that Iranian society imposes".^[66] His film Offside is so ensconced in the reality that it was actually filmed in part during the event it dramatizes – the Iran-Bahrain qualifying match for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.^[67]

Where Panahi differs from his fellow realist filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, is in the explicitness of his social critique. Stephen Teo writes that

"Panahi's films redefine the humanitarian themes of contemporary Iranian cinema, firstly, by treating the problems of women in modern Iran, and secondly, by depicting human characters as "non-specific persons" – more like figures who nevertheless remain full-blooded characters, holding on to the viewer's attention and gripping the senses. Like the best Iranian directors who have won acclaim on the world stage, Panahi evokes humanitarianism in an unsentimental, realistic fashion, without necessarily overriding political and social messages. In essence, this has come to define the particular aesthetic of Iranian cinema. So powerful is this sensibility that we seem to have no other mode of looking at Iranian cinema other than to equate it with a universal concept of humanitarianism."^[32]

Panahi says that his style can be described as "humanitarian events interpreted in a poetic and artistic way". He says "In a world where films are made with millions of dollars, we made a film about a little girl who wants to buy a fish for less than a dollar (in The White Balloon) – this is what we're trying to show."^[32]

In an interview with Anthony Kaufman, Panahi said: "I was very conscious of not trying to play with people's emotions; we were not trying to create tear-jerking scenes. So it engages people's intellectual side. But this is with assistance from the emotional aspect and a combination of the two."^[32]

Personal life[link]

Panahi is married to Tahereh Saidi, with whom he has a daughter, Solmaz Panahi, and a son, Panah Panahi. In 2009 Panah Panahi made his first short film, The First Film^[68], which was screened at the 2009 Montreal World Film Festival.^[69]

Filmography[link]

Features[link]

• 1995 The White Balloon (Badkonake Sefid)
• 1997 The Mirror (Ayneh)
• 2000 The Circle (Dayereh)
• 2003 Crimson Gold (Talaye Sorkh)
• 2006 Offside
• 2011 This Is Not a Film (In film nist) (documentary)

Shorts[link]

• 1988 The Wounded Heads (Yarali Bashlar) (documentary)
• 1991 Kish
• 1992 The Friend (Doust)
• 1992 The Last Exam (Akharin Emtehan)
• 1997 Ardekoul (documentary)
• 2007 Untying the Knot (part of the omnibus film Persian Carpet)
• 2010 The Accordian (part of the omnibus film THEN AND NOW Beyond Borders and Differences for Art for The World)

Other work[link]

• 1991 The Fish (assistant director)
• 1994 Through the Olive Trees (assistant director, actor)
• 1997 Traveler from the South (editor)
• 2005 Verdict (editor)
• 2005 Border Café (editor)
• 2009 The White Meadows (editor)

Awards and honors[link]

Panahi has won numerous awards. These are the most important:

• Carrosse d'Or, 2011 Cannes Film Festival
• HIVOS Cinema Unlimited Award (2007)
• Pudú Award, at the Valdivia International Film Festival 2007 for his life-time artistic accomplishments
• Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival 2006
• Prix du Jury – Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2003.^[70]
• Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival 2000
• Golden Leopard, Locarno International Film Festival 1997
• Prix de la Camera d'Or, Cannes Film Festival 1995