Sussan Deihim and Richard Horowitz – Desert Equations: Azax Attra Made To Measure Vol 8 – Vinyl Record

Description

Sussan Deihim and Richard Horowitz – Desert Equations: Azax Attra Made To Measure Vol 8 – Vinyl Record

Desert Equations: Azax Attra is a groundbreaking album by Sussan Deyhim, an Iranian-born vocalist and performance artist, and Richard Horowitz, an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. Released in 1986 on the Belgian label Crammed Discs as part of their Made to Measure series (Vol. 8), the album is a mesmerizing and genre-defying blend of Persian classical music, electronic experimentation, minimalism, and ambient soundscapes. It remains one of the most compelling and innovative fusions of Eastern and Western musical traditions ever recorded.

The album’s subtitle Azax Attra refers to a mythical space or being, reflecting the album’s spiritual, otherworldly tone. Desert Equations creates a dreamlike journey through deserts both real and symbolic — geographical, psychological, and mystical. Deyhim’s powerful, non-verbal vocalizations, rooted in Persian singing but radically deconstructed, soar above Horowitz’s ambient textures, synthesized drones, and microtonal melodies created with instruments like the ney, keyboard, and digital sampling.

Tracks like “Ghost Valley” and “Azax Attra” immerse listeners in complex rhythms and multilayered soundscapes, as if channeling ancient chants through futuristic machinery. The result is a sound that defies categorization — at once sacred, alien, organic, and cinematic. Deyhim doesn’t sing in a conventional language but uses a form of vocal glossolalia, breaking voice down to its emotional and physical essence, akin to Meredith Monk or Diamanda Galás, but steeped in Middle Eastern spirit.

This album came at a time when “world music” was gaining traction in the West, but Desert Equations went far beyond the surface-level exoticism of many contemporaries. Deyhim and Horowitz were not merely blending East and West — they were creating a new sonic language. Their collaboration challenges both traditionalists and futurists, demonstrating how deeply rooted cultural expression can evolve into radical, boundary-pushing art.

Deyhim, who began her career as a dancer in the Iranian National Ballet and later worked with artists like Shirin Neshat, Peter Gabriel, and Bill Laswell, brings a visceral performance energy to the album. Horowitz, trained in classical and electronic music, spent years living and studying in Morocco, bringing an authentic understanding of maqam theory and ethnomusicology to the project.

Though it didn’t receive widespread mainstream attention, Desert Equations has achieved cult status among fans of experimental, ambient, and world fusion music. It was highly influential in circles that appreciated cross-cultural avant-garde work and remains a reference point for sound artists, composers, and producers seeking to break traditional molds.

This album is often cited alongside works by Jon Hassell, Brian Eno, and Dead Can Dance for its atmospheric and mystical qualities, but its emotional immediacy and cultural depth set it apart.

Brand new, never played, unsealed

Crammed Discs Records 1985 UK

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Horowitz & Iranian-born vocalist Sussan Deihim have been collaborating since 1981.

Track Listing
Ishtar
Got Away
I’m A Man
Tear
Azax Attra
Jum Jum
Armour
Deset Equations