Zevra — Electronic Press Kit

Photos

Biography

Fan-Qi Wu — pipa
Niloufar Shiri — kamancheh
Jonas Engel — reeds
Matthew Ryals — modular synthesizer

Zevra is an international quartet uniting artists from Taiwan, Iran, Germany, and the United States dedicated to the evolution of improvised experimental music. Formed at the Art Omi: Music 2025 residency in New York, the ensemble combines a distinctive sonic palette of pipa, kamancheh, saxophone, and modular synthesizer, augmented by tape machines and 3D-printed instruments. Each member brings a distinct musical voice shaped by experimentation, cultural heritage, and a shared commitment to expanding the sonic possibilities of their instruments.

Blending acoustic timbres with electronics and extended techniques, Zevra experiments with proximity, silence, and density, allowing the music to unfold through sustained listening and real-time negotiation. The result is an ephemeral terrain of sound that drifts between quiet detail and immersive intensity, drawing listeners into an experience of the unexpected.

About the Album

While on their first tour in April 2026, spanning the UK and EU, Zevra performed at Stadtgarten in Köln, Germany. The show was presented by NICA Artist Development, as Jonas Engel is currently represented by the organization as a NICA artist. The concert featured two sets, with the full performance documented in high quality video and audio, along with professional photos taken before and during the set.

This concert, the penultimate performance of the tour, stands as an unfiltered and unaltered document, a culmination of our work together on the road. We are hoping to find a fitting and supportive label home for this material. The first set runs album length, and we feel the second set could serve as strong bonus material to support promotion.

We are currently planning a summer/early fall 2027 tour in the USA. While we are not in a rush to release the material, the tour could serve in support of the record if timing aligns.

Below are four video clips and the full audio of the first set.

Videos

Audio

Press Quotes

“I was delighted to feature Zevra, a quartet featuring Niloufar Shiri, Jonas Engel, Matthew Ryals, and Fan-Qi Wu, as part of the Handmade Music programme for Sonorities Festival Belfast 2026. Zevra’s performance exemplified the kind of experimental approach to bringing together multiple musical traditions that most excites me about improvised music making in this day and age. A dynamic energy emerged through the relationships found in their diverse instrumentation and playing styles, as well as from the group’s focused listening and generous ensemble interactions. They brought the audience along with them through their full set of unforeheard sounds and reimagined futures. I’m looking forward to the next time our paths cross.” – Paul Stapleton, Sonorities Director

"Total chemistry on stage between a highly unlikely combination of artists and instruments, brewing a lively top quality improvised concert experience." – Harco Rutgers, Der Perifeer