Womex: Padik

Padik is the jingle sound of chiming anklets that women in Balochistan put on when they want to be especially enticing. The culture of Balochistan, a region spanning southeastern Iran, western Pakistan and southwestern Afghanistan, is distinguished, in part, by its poignant music that resonates with people far beyond its borders. Lead singer Rostam Mirlashari and multi-instrumentalist Abdul Rahman Surizehi, both from Balochistan, live in exile in Scandinavia. Together with Swedish percussionist Fredrik Gille and Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player Anne Hytta they make up the quartet, Padik. Padik specializes in Balochi music with a fresh Nordic infusion and has delivered passionate, almost spiritual performances for the BBC in London and at various venues in Europe.

Abdul Rahman Surizehi is without dispute the grand maestro of the benjo, a type of cittra from Balochistan. He regularly tours all over the world performing as a soloist as well as a member of various groups. Considered a living legend among music lovers of Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and parts of India, he has also been rewarded with the prestigious German award "Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik" and the Norwegian Folk Music prize. Surizehi has been praised by various grand masters of Iranian music like M.R. Shajarian, Shahram Nazeri, Hossein Alizadeh among others. Recordings in which he has participated include editions on the Occora label, Golbang, The Sacred Music of Balochistan, and numerous folk music recordings in the Balochi world.

The Hardanger fiddle is a traditional Norwegian folk instrument with more strings than a traditional violin. Its "sympathetic" strings create a haunting sound that has contributed a special flavor to the Norwegian folk music repertoire. Anne Hytta is a soloist as well as a member of various ensembles, such as the trio Slagr and British-based SYM. During the past few years, she has studied Balochi music with Abdulrahman Surizehi with whom she has performed in numerous concerts. The sympathetic strings of the Hardanger fiddle is a feature shared with the Balochi Soroud. When its sound is woven into Balochi music, unlike "cross-over", the resulting sound is traditional Balochi with a delightful, slightly exotic twist.

Padik's lead singer, Rostam Mirlashari, sings traditional and modern music from Baluchistan, Iran. He has mastered many different singing techniques adding a shimmering depth to Padik's sound. Mirlashari also founded and sings with the highly successful world music group Golbang, which has published four acclaimed albums to date. According to music critic Martin Nyström of Dagens Nyheter (Sweden's most widely read morning newspaper), Mirlashari "must have one of Sweden's most beautiful and seductive voices". He has appeared several times on Voice of America, BBC as well as on Swedish national television and radio.

Swedish percussionist Petter Berndalen plays with Padik at this event. Petter is well known for his skilled and musical way of adapting new rythms to traditional folk music.

Padik can be reached through the world music association Farhang.