Introduction

Mehrdad Ranjbar, aka LANDlessMusix, is a composer, arranger, podcast producer, instructor and singer. When he immigrated to Canada, He experienced a significant milestone in his life. A long-forgotten emotion was rekindled again. He came to the realization that he had to produce and release the works that he had been longing to create.

He started his graduate studies in his favourite field of Music Technology & Digital Media at the University of Toronto in 2021, and for his final project, he felt the need to pursue and manifest his long-held dream due to the events that happened to him during those days. This was the ideal time for him to complete the serious production of the compositions that he had throughout the years recorded by his skilled close musician friends. Although he always desired to prepare these compositions for them, it was never feasible. Because of this, he is extremely appreciative of the chances and circumstances made possible by the University of Toronto and its faculty.

On July 1, 2023, he released Way to Home, an ambient electronic music genre, as his debut single. This piece is available on all music streaming platforms. His first official EP, The Fifth Element, will be released in 2023. This EP has four songs in a variety of genres, including ambient and chillout, pop, and orchestral music with a cinematic theme.

Early Life & Beginnings

Mehrdad was born in 1985 in Kerman. Because of the war, his parents moved to Turkey for six years. He then went back to Iran to begin his studies there. He frequently travelled to Norway with his parents and attended middle school in his second and third years, and in 1998 – 1999, the first indications of music in his life appeared.

First, they had music lessons at school, and Mehrdad chose the piano as his favourite instrument. And secondly, because of a television commercial that featured a person using a laptop to create dance music, followed by his buddies dancing around him.

When Mehrdad acquired his first PC in Iran a year later, he kept this vision in the back of his mind and looked for a program that would allow him to make music on the computer rather than purchasing any video games. Finding something without even knowing its name is quite difficult. In a five-story shopping mall, he searched for every single store before one of them finally pointed him towards a programme named Dance ejay 1.

This application and its later iterations progressively paved the way for Mehrdad, who believed that music was more essential than entertainment. As a result, he became familiar with the programmes that demanded music education. It was FL-Studio 3 that encouraged Mehrdad to begin playing the keyboard.

As he developed, music began to play a more significant role in his life. Despite having studied physics and mathematics in high school, he ultimately opted to alter his field of study and pursue music in college, despite his family’s disapproval.

Musical Influences

Childhood life in Turkey had an impact on Mehrdad’s subconscious from a musical point of view. One and perhaps the only Turkish singer and musician whose character and music Mehrdad has been fascinated by since childhood is Barış Manço to the extent that he listened to his cassette tapes for several years after returning to Iran. And now, his music can be seen on his Liked Songs list on Spotify.

One of the most favoured Iranian vocalists is Naser Abdollahi. His voice, live performances, and immortal melodies have influenced Mehrdad.

The wide range of musical genres that Mehrdad enjoys listening to. He enjoys listening to different nations. Persian folklore music, Indian, Arabic and Turkish tunes. African, Native, Epic sounds, Rock music, electronic music in various subgenres and Film music. All these are sources of inspiration for him, and he goes on an adventurous journey in the other dimensions.

The interesting thing to note is that when he was studying in the third grade of high school, he received Buddha Bar I to V collections, and in those albums, there were pieces that polished Mehrdad’s soul until one day. He made a definite decision to study music at the university

Education & Training

At Applied Science & Technology University in Tehran, he earned an associate’s degree in Worldwide Music and a master’s degree in Instrumentalist of Iranian Musical Instruments. He worked as an instructor of music applications in prominent music institutions in Tehran and other cities both while he was a student and after receiving his degree from the university. Additionally, he earned a coaching degree from the Technical and Vocational Training Organization by attending technical and professional courses.

Over the years of his teaching in Electronic Music and Sound Technology, the lack of educational resources in the Persian language had always been a challenge for newcomers. Meanwhile, the current conditions due to Covid-19 had a noticeable impact on the way of education. So he decided to prepare a virtual environment where everyone who loves to gain skills and hone their experiences regarding Music Technology and Sound Production could reach their goals quickly, efficiently, and affordably.

A Brief of Mehrdad’s CV

Education

  • University of Toronto Masters in Music Technology and Digital Media (2021- 2023)
  • University of Applied Science & Technology Bachelor in the field of Instrumentalist of Iranian Musical Instrument (2011-2014)
  • University of Applied Science & Technology Associated Degree in Worldwide Music (2005-2008)
  • Diploma in Mathematics & Physics (2004)

Accomplishment & Certifications

  • Cubase Pro 8 Certificate from Steinberg’s Certified Training Center (Dec 2015)
  • Member of the House Of Music (Association for Iranian Musicians – Sound Recorders Club)
  • Sound Recording Certificate from Iranian House Of Music (Nov 2015)

Certifications by Technical and Vocational Training Organization:

  • General Pedagogy Certificate (Oct 2016)
  • Mixing & Mastering Certificate (Oct 2016)
  • Live Sound Recording Certificate (Nov 2017)
  • ICDL Certificate (July 2018)
  • Electronic Music Producer Certificate (Jan 2019)

Working Experiences

In Canada

In Iran

  • Cooperating with different music institutes as a Music Instructor:
  • Official Instructor at State Technical and Vocational Training Organization
  • Navaye Shahrashoob Music Institute (2014-2019)
  • Millennium Art Academy (2015-2021)
  • Khosh Honar Music Institute (2017-2022)
  • Tehran Music Institute (2013-2015)
  • Farajian Music Institute (2015-2016)
  • Music Society of Baneh City (2009-2013)
  • Working as a private Instructor (2012-Present)

Productions and Awards

  • Letter of Appreciation (A letter of appreciation from Guild Union Association of Employers State Technical and Vocational Training Institutes for hard-working and honourable Cooperation with the Office of Skill Assessment and Professional Qualifications – 2020)

  • Audiobooks (Have received an award and was nominated for my Audio Book in the 2’nd Festival of Production of Audiobooks – 2016)

  • The Owner of the first Spiritual Persian Podcast, which is named (Inja Zamin Ast)
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