Artist Biography:

Milad Khosravi Mardakheh (b.1991) is an Iranian composer, sound-artist, programmer and researcher based in the UK. He has an undergraduate background in computer engineering, and has been an eclectic musician and composer of various styles and genres for over 15 years, namely Rock/Metal, Film/Theatre, Contemporary Classical, Acousmatic, Experimental Electronic and Computer music. He continued his postgraduate studies in music composition, and acquired an MMus in Composition at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2017, and later a PhD in Composition at the University of Birmingham in 2021. His thesis focused on the sonification of data derived from cancer research, and the composition/performance of data music reflecting cancer as a disease, using bespoke interfaces created in Max/MSP.

In recent years, Mardakheh has been predominantly focused on the intersection of science, computing and music, exploring areas such as human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, live-improvisation, and data sonification. His work has been presented and published in various International conferences/symposiums, academic journals, music festivals, radio programs and concerts including Leonardo Journal, NIME (International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression), ICMC (International Computer Music Conference), klingt gut! (International Symposium on Sonic Art and Spatial Audio), annual International BEAST (Birmingham Electroacoustic Sound Theatre) Festival, Reform Radio and Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Kungl. Musikhögskolan).

He is currently Lecturing in Electronic Music Composition and Creative Music Technology at Goldsmiths, University of London & Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Artist Statement:

Random Walks explores improvisation, random number generators, computer music and Persian classical music. This exploration juxtaposes the aesthetics of algorithmic computer music, with the rich modality of Persian Classical music. Written almost entirely in SuperCollider, the works in this collection feature both fully-improvised and semi-improvised compositions.

At the heart of this album lies a profound fascination with the interplay between human creativity and the intricate world of computer-generated random numbers. The compositions serve as dialogues between myself as the composer and various random generator algorithms such as Brownian Motion - where the term Random Walk derives. Through the writing process, I often found myself capturing and conversing with moments where through the seeming chaos and unpredictable forces, unexpected musical landscapes, and new paths of artistic expression emerged. The algorithms act as co-creators, shaping and influencing the musical outcome in real-time, and the resulting symbiotic relationship between human intention and computational serendipity adds an element of unpredictability and spontaneity which aligns well with improvisation and musical spontaneity.

Improvisation is a key element in Random Walks. Through spontaneous musical interaction, I embrace the unknown and invite listeners to embark on a journey of discovery alongside me. I am an observer of sorts just as they are, and improvisation allows me to both surrender control and respond intuitively to the interplay between the algorithms and myself. The resulting sound worlds are dynamic and ever-evolving, embodying the organic fusion of human expression and algorithmic intervention. At a deeper level, the somber unpredictability of the improvised results resonates with the uncertainty of the times in the current socio-political atmosphere of Iran, and reflects the deep anxiety and turmoil I, and many of my fellow Iranians, feel as we ponder the future of our home country.

At a conceptual level, randomness represents unknowing and unfamiliarity to me; a strange and erratic state where anything or nothing is to be expected, and one which can obliviate any sense of identity or belonging. This state resonates particularly deeply with my personal experience as an immigrant here in the West, especially when it comes to notions of alienation, acceptance and assimilation. On the other hand, as an Iranian composer, Persian classical music holds a special place in my heart and is deeply ingrained in my musical identity. This rich and ancient musical tradition has shaped my ear and musical faculties from a young age, and signifies a profound sense of belonging. Even though it has taken me a long time to finally find the confidence to start experimenting with it, it is nonetheless a language through which I can articulate my emotions, memories, and connections to Iran. Infusing the modal harmonies of Persian classical music into the tapestry of computer-generated soundscapes, is thus both a recognition of, and homage to my cultural heritage, as well as my fascination with coding and computer music.

Through Random Walks, I invite listeners to embark on a sonic exploration which traverses cultural and perceptual boundaries, and embraces the conceptual dialogues between the performer and the computer, the familiar and the unexpected, chaos and order, the past and the present, tradition and innovation, and belonging and alienation.