"Farhadian is an American composer and performer with a base in San Francisco and one in Berlin. Her work often is about connecting solo violin and interactive electronics. Combining her classical background as violist (Berkeley Symphony Orchestra) with what she learned for her studies on interdisciplinary arts and electronic music. 'Tectonic Shifts' illustrates this. If I'm not mistaken this is her first solo-album. Earlier releases have her in duo and trio line-ups, with Klaus Kervers (bass), Dean Santomieri (electric guitar), among others. Liner notes on 'Tectonic Shifts' say "These pieces for violin and interactive electronics were selected from a cycle of works that blend improvisation and composition. Using Max/MSP software, Tectonic Shifts employs real-time processing to create twisted echoes, jagged rhythms, and microtonal landscapes." Recorded between 2010 and 2013 in Berlin as well as San Francisco makes this release a document of her investigations into combining violinwith electronics, both in a composed and in an improvised setting. Whatever electronic manipulations she uses, always one hears the violin is at the start of it. She expands the sound world of violin into unknown and unheard territories. The music is a constant fight between musicality and experimentation and demanding but interesting journey. Feelings of joy changed for feeling lost. One could feel at home at last, in the closing piece 'Silverplate', that is the most conventional and even romantic part of this journey. But it is here that I wanted to be lost again like in the complex 'Particle party'."-Dolf Mulder, Vital Weekly