Ata Ebtekar aka Sote is an electronic music composer and sound artist based in Tehran, Iran. Over the last two decades, he has published his work via established labels such as Warp, Sub Rosa, Opal Tapes, Morphine, Digitalis and Repitch, among others. He is a co-founder of the SET Festival in Tehran.

Known for creating compositions that range from the delicate to the abrasive, using sounds both of acoustical and electronic origins, Ebtekar sees music as the expression of cultural habits and views on sound and anti sound (silence). Seeking to expand such traditions he creates music that, while rooted in many cultures at once, itself belongs to none in particular. His works show a strong emphasis on electro-acoustic techniques, microtonal systems and polyrhythmic motifs.

Aside from his solo work and multi-channel sound installations, Sote has recently developed a new project with celebrated audiovisual composer Tarik Barri and performers Arash Bolouri (on santour, a Persian hammered dulcimer) and Behrouz Pashaei (on the long-necked, four-string setar). Titled Sacred Horror in Design, the work merges electronics with traditional acoustic instruments for a “Persian techno apocalypse.” The project, was put out in album format by Opal Tapes in July 2017, and on vinyl via Sub Rosa this summer 2018.

Sote has created commissioned work for and performed at, among other, Berghain and CTM Festival (Berlin), Unsound Festival (Krakow), Cafe Oto (London), Jazzhouse (Copenhagen), TodaysArt Festival (The Hague), Bozar (Brussels), Ultima Festival (Oslo), and Donaufestival (Krems).