“Nature abhors a vacuum.” We hear that all the time. It’s ingrained in us. 9T Antiope, the Iranian duo (based in Paris) of Sara Bigdeli Shamloo and Nima Aghiani, dissects this idea through sonic world-building and inquisition on Horror Vacui. The music is textural and expansive, unearthing living moments in the smallest details. It’s an album that rewards repeated playthroughs, and at high volumes, reveals a physicality that echoes within the body. Shamloo and Aghiani use a limited palette here, but that focuses the work, deepening how it connects with listeners.
Horror Vacui is out on April 12 via the excellent American Dreams.
I always like to learn about musicians’ early experiences with sound and music. So, what are some of your earliest memories of sounds that stuck out to you and stayed with you?
Some of my earliest memories of sound are those of my brothers’ metal band and their instruments. I grew up in a musical environment where each member of the family played something, my brothers were pianists and guitarists, my father played the oud and my mother sang beautifully. I was always a part of singing along and making music with them.
How did those early experiences lead you to want/need to create your own music and sound?
These early experiences ignited a profound curiosity within me, a longing to understand the language of sound and to wield the power to evoke emotions and tell stories. I found solace in creating my own music and writing songs, a medium through which I could capture the essence of my surroundings and articulate my inner thoughts. Therefore, I too started to play the violin as a chosen instrument to learn music with.
I really want to focus on the new record, Horror Vacui, because it’s made such a huge impression on me. It’s utterly incredible. To start, there’s such a vivid narrative to it with the house at the end of the street, the void, the caretakers, etc – It immediately pulled me in and is just really immersive. How did this storytelling element play a role in shaping the album, and what emotions or themes did you aim to convey through this imagery?
Thank you, first of all, we’re glad it has left a mark. The narrative woven throughout “Horror Vacui” emerged organically from our collective fascination with spaces and their capacity to hold memories or sounds. The imagery of the house at the end of Mount 22 Street, the Crimson Crew, and the looming void served as vessels through which we could explore themes of memory, loss, and the relentless passage of time. Our aim was to immerse listeners in a journey that traverses the boundaries between reality and imagination, inviting them to confront their own fears and uncertainties. What seems empty might be full, and what looks full might be a void at first glance. World-building and telling the stories of the inhabitants of that world is usually the first step we take in writing for an album, it’s a habit and a pleasure of mine –Sara– and then Nima finds the right frames and colors for the different elements of that world. Together we have found a common language for the practice throughout the years.
This concept of “horror vacui” and resistance to letting empty spaces remain empty – how does the album challenge or subvert this concept?
The album challenges the concept of horror vacui by embracing the emptiness, the void, as a vessel for introspection and transformation. Rather than resisting empty spaces, we embrace them as repositories of memory and potential. The album invites listeners to confront their fear of emptiness and to embrace the beauty and possibility that lies within the void, and also to explore the weight of negative spaces and “what might once have been”.
What does that signify for you personally?
Personally, it signifies a relinquishing of control and an acceptance of the inherent impermanence of everything. It’s a recognition that emptiness is not something to be feared, but rather embraced. It’s an inevitable part of being, this content loss of time and life and memories.
Previous albums of yours focused on the challenges of life as Iranian expatriates, but Horror Vacui expands the scope of your music conceptually. What prompted the exploration of broader themes like memory, aging, dementia, and decay?
Well, we felt yet compelled to delve even deeper into the human experience and to confront the existential questions that plague us all, as we’ve tried with all our previous works as well. It’s a personal choice of writing about the concept of death, of disappearance, and displacement. All interwoven concepts that we have faced and know that will keep on facing.
You all mention living in the in-between of two worlds and this search for connections between the old and new world. How do you navigate the overlap of new and old sounds, colors, textures, and spaces?
We find it all a delicate dance between recognizing our past and embracing the ever-evolving nature of our craft. We draw inspiration from our past and present, while simultaneously exploring new sonic territories and pushing the boundaries of our artistry as much as we can. Hence, the newly introduced arrays of instruments and acoustics we’ve previously not used as bare as we have in Horror Vacui; a new tool for storytelling and for creating colors, but in a more intimate manner than our usual electronic sounds. Somehow to find new contrasts, a theme we both find very fascinating in every manner.
I’m really interested in the linguistic elements of the album,, like on the title track and how you all highlight the complexities of language and pronunciation. Can you elaborate on the significance of this linguistic element and how it contributes to the overall narrative of the album?
The linguistic elements of the album, serve as a means of exploring the complexities of language and pronunciation, as it does with introducing Farsi words into the concept and the way the sounds might be heard by someone who doesn’t speak the language. By incorporating Farsi poetry and wordplay, we aim to challenge traditional notions of communication and highlight the fluidity of language as a tool for expression and interpretation. This linguistic experimentation adds depth to the narrative of sounds that might have been and faded memories, inviting listeners to engage with its themes on multiple levels.
There are also a lot of dichotomies that you all explore and confront on Horror Vacui, like structure and formlessness, heaviness and softness, contemporary production, and deep-rooted Middle Eastern melodies. What challenges or rewards did you encounter in navigating these contrasts?
The dichotomies explored present both challenges and rewards in equal measure. Balancing all the mentioned dualities, required a willingness to embrace the tension between opposing forces. Yet, it is within these contrasts that true beauty emerges.
What surprised you the most about writing and recording this album?
The most surprising aspect of writing and recording “Horror Vacui” was the discovery of unexpected connections and revelations that emerged throughout the creative process. Each layer of sound, each lyrical motif, seemed to unveil new depths of meaning, guiding us on a journey of self-discovery and exploration. The idea of letting loose for once, of being more intimate, more opened up, proved to be a cathartic experience in the end.
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