Ashkan Kooshanejad
{{Short description|Iranian entrepreneur and musician (b. 1985)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ashkan Kooshanejad
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| origin = Tehran, Iran
| genre = Electronic
Experimental
Soundtrack
Ambient
| occupation = Entrepreneur, Composer, record producer, film director,
| years_active = 2007–present
| label = Olde English Spelling Bee
Ninja Tune
Realms
| associated_acts = Take It Easy Hospital
Roya Arab
| current_members =
| past_members =
}}
Ashkan Kooshanejad ({{langx|fa|اشکان کوشانژاد}}; born 13 August 1985), also known as Ash Koosha, is a British-Iranian technology entrepreneur,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-26/the-loneliness-of-a-highbrow-teenage-songwriting-robot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127074539/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-26/the-loneliness-of-a-highbrow-teenage-songwriting-robot|archive-date=27 November 2019|title=The Loneliness of a Highbrow Teenage Songwriting Robot|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=26 November 2019}} multidisciplinary artist, futurist and innovator.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theransomnote.com/music/interviews/extension-of-self-ash-koosha-talks/|title=Extension of Self: Ash Koosha Talks|website=Theransomnote.com|accessdate=27 July 2020}} He is known to use computer software such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality in his work. He is the CEO and co-founder of Oorbit Inc.{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/17/oorbit-raises-5m-from-mark-cuban-deadmau5-and-more-for-metaverse-platform/|title=Oorbit raises $5M from Mark Cuban, Deadmau5 and more for metaverse platform|date=17 March 2022}} and one of the founders of Auxuman Inc.
Early life and education
Kooshanejad was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He studied music at the Tehran Conservatory of Music.{{cite web|first=Philip|last=Sherburne |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/rising/9722-ash-koosha-conducting-destruction |title=Ash Koosha: Conducting Destruction |website=Pitchfork.com |date=16 September 2015 |accessdate=3 June 2016}}
Career
Kooshanejad played the lead role in an Iranian-Cannes jury prize winner docufiction film by director Bahman Ghobadi called No One Knows About Persian Cats, which follows his band's story scouring the Iranian underground music scene trying to find musicians to play in a festival in the UK.{{cite news|last1=Davies|first1=Rodrigo|title=Iran's underground rock scene thrives despite censors|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8585902.stm|work=BBC News|date=25 March 2010}}{{cite magazine | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/ash-koosha-iranian-musician-on-being-banned-from-us-w464032 | title = Ash Koosha: Acclaimed Iranian Musician on Being Newly Banned From U.S. | date= 30 January 2017 | accessdate = 2 February 2017 | magazine = Rolling Stone | author = Richard Gehr }} Kooshanejad sought asylum in the UK due to the reaction to the film in Iran.{{cite news|last1=McElroy|first1=Damien|last2=Allen|first2=Benjamin|title=Iran rock band seeks asylum in Britain|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6010875/Iran-rock-band-seeks-asylum-in-Britain.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 August 2009}}{{cite news|last1=Backer|first1=Stina|title=Iranian stars who shone at Cannes ask Britain for asylum|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/iranian-stars-who-shone-at-cannes-ask-britain-for-asylum-1769188.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=8 August 2009}}
Kooshanejad released the album GUUD in 2015. The video for "I Feel That" was directed by digital artist Hirad Sab.{{cite news|last1=Liu|first1=Juliet|title=Enter Ash Koosha's Extra-Dimensional Virtual Reality in the Video For "I Feel That"|url=http://www.thefader.com/2015/07/08/ash-koosha-i-feel-that-video|work=The FADER|date=8 July 2015}} The album has received positive feedback and support from music critics such as Pitchfork.{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/17588-ash-koosha-harbour/|title=Listen to "Harbour" by Ash Koosha|accessdate=27 July 2020|website=Pitchfork.com}} The album holds a rating of 4.4/5 on Discogs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Ash-Koosha-Guud/release/8122155|title=Ash Koosha – Guud|website=Discogs.com|date=12 February 2016 |accessdate=27 July 2020}}
He released his second album I AKA I on London label Ninja Tune, which holds a rating of 4/5 on AllMusic{{cite news |last1=Simpson, Paul |title=I AKA I - Ash Koosha AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-aka-i-mw0002913178 |access-date=29 January 2021 |work=AllMusic |date=15 April 2016}} and 79 on Metacritic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/i-aka-i/ash-koosha|title=I AKA I by Ash Koosha|accessdate=27 July 2020|website=Metacritic.com}}
I AKA I was accompanied by CGI videos created by Hirad Sab and was premiered on Adult Swim.{{Cite web|url=https://www.adultswim.com/videos/music-videos|title=Watch Music Videos and Clips for Free from Adult Swim|website=Adultswim.com|accessdate=27 July 2020}}
In 2015, he introduced the concept for the world's first virtual reality album and has developed multi-sensory experiences for songs such as Snow, OTE, Stained and Eluded since.{{Cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2016/03/02/ash-koosha-interview-ninja-tune-virtual-reality/|title=Ash Koosha is pushing electronic music into a virtual reality|website=Factmag.com|date=2 March 2016|accessdate=27 July 2020}}
He has performed using a virtual reality headset for the first time at the London Institute of Contemporary Art, in collaboration with TheWaveVR.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/ash-koosha-live-uk-debut-brood-ma-ling |title=Ash Koosha Live UK Debut + Brood Ma & LING | Institute of Contemporary Arts |access-date=23 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202011041/https://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/ash-koosha-live-uk-debut-brood-ma-ling |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}
In 2018, he introduced a virtual singer named "YONA" which uses text-to-speech processed through an associated software to create human-sounding singing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2018/08/24/ash-koosha-yona-return-0-interview-new-video|title=Ash Koosha explains why robots won't kill us all|website=Thefader.com|accessdate=27 July 2020}}
In 2019, he founded Auxuman Inc., a technology company building virtual musicians using artificial intelligence.
In 2021, he founded Oorbit inc., a cloud computing company that makes infrastructure for the metaverse.
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable" |
| |Year
!|Title |
|---|
| 2015
|GUUD
|
| 2016
|I AKA I
|
| 2017
|CHIMERA EP
|
| 2018
|AKTUAL
|
| 2018
|Unnamed
|
| 2018
|Return 0
|
| 2018
|A OK
|
| 2018
|STAMINA
|
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" |
| |Year
!|Title |
|---|
| 2016
|"Biutiful"
|
| 2016
|"Faint"
|
| 2018
|"Aroha"
|
Filmography
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Title ! colspan="5" | Functioned as |
|---|
| director
! Screenwriter ! Producer ! Composer ! Actor |
| 2009
| No One Knows About Persian Cats (Feature) | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |
| 2015
| Fermata (Feature) | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2017
| Another News Story (Feature/Documentary) | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kooshanejad, Ashkan}}
Category:Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Category:Iranian singer-songwriters
Category:Musicians from Tehran
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)