Currently based in Montreal, Niyaz was founded by Iranian-born vocalist Azam Ali and multi-instrumentalist Loga Ramin Torkian, both JUNO Award nominees.
Described by the Huffington Post as “an evolutionary force in contemporary Middle Eastern music,” Niyaz – which means “yearning” in both Farsi and Urdu – blend medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from Turkey, India, and their native Iran with acoustic instrumentation and modern electronic rhythms. The result is a mesmerizing folktronica, a distinctively 21st century global trance sound that crosses not only stylistic and cultural boundaries but generational ones as well.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on March 10 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students.