Based in Paris, Behdad Nejatbakhshe aka Uppermost crafts each of his compositions with the will to bring instinctive emotion into the spotlight. Raised on Persian musical influences, the emotional side of music inspired his interest in formulating melodies and chords. His recent release of a 23-track career-spanning collection titled Origins (2011-2016) was a showcase of his french-wave touch, liquid disco grooves, and penchant for molten guitar funk. Citing inspiration from artists such as Daft Punk, Burial, Apparat, Phoenix and Pogo, Uppermost is able to transform his affinity for these acts into a sound that pays homage to their influence, while at the same time resonating with his own distinctive style, containing crisp production elements akin to similarly like-minded producers such as Moullinex, Star Slinger and Cyril Hahn. Uppermost’s long awaited LP ‘Perseverance’ is a colossal body of work encapsulating on an arduous journey through the unknown, across fourteen inspiring pieces; The opener and title track ‘Perseverance ft. Harry Pane’ is riddled with intense basslines as weighted beats drop like jolts of thunder amidst resonant clouds of yearning. ‘Focus’ is an energetic, blast of emotion complete with jittering synth-arpeggios and exhilarating builds. As the name suggests, ‘Make A Change’ is characterized by a weighted atmosphere and rich sonic textures. ‘Where Your Heart Goes ft SYML’ showcases the intimate and delicate aspects to the album, full of glittering, alluring auras. ‘Moment of Truth’ is a synthesizer-heavy delight, focusing in on form and melody. Extremely concise production techniques and many, many melodious hooks make this album one not to be missed!
