B-Side Guys

Kiavash Kia’s Shirman project exists in the space where language becomes matter, where words accumulate enough density to generate their own gravitational pull. “Planet Orbiter,” the opener from Bipolar Disco E.P, creates a listening experience that feels less like traditional hip-hop and more like linguistic astrophysics—each bar adding mass to an ever-expanding verbal universe that operates according to rules known only to its creator.

The track’s polyrhythmic foundation provides crucial counterpoint to the torrential wordplay that defines Shirman’s approach. Where lesser artists might use complex beats to showcase technical prowess, Kia’s production serves the more sophisticated goal of creating temporal space for language to behave unpredictably. The Milan-based Iranian producer understands that effective alternative hip-hop requires instrumental arrangements that support rather than compete with verbal innovation.

What sets “Planet Orbiter” apart from typical stream-of-consciousness rap is Kia’s commitment to internal logic within apparent chaos. Lines like “Even master minds couldn’t craft a rhyme/in half the time, it takes to create the whole tracks design” establish the track’s central proposition: that creation occurs according to temporal rules that resist conventional measurement. This isn’t random wordplay but systematic exploration of how meaning emerges from accumulated verbal density.

The cosmic imagery throughout—”aurora borealis,” “planet orbiter,” “moving at mach 6 motion”—functions as more than decorative metaphor. These references create consistent cosmological framework where the rapper’s consciousness becomes celestial body capable of bending language around its gravitational field. When Shirman declares “planet orbiter got game what’s your sport preferred?” the question operates simultaneously as boast and philosophical inquiry about how different forms of consciousness organize reality.

Perhaps most effectively, the track captures the particular trance state that occurs when technical facility becomes vehicle for transcendence rather than mere display. The repetitive, hypnotic quality described as the track’s defining characteristic emerges not from monotonous delivery but from linguistic momentum that builds beyond conscious control. This approach reflects deep understanding of how the best alternative hip-hop creates altered states through verbal accumulation rather than simply clever wordplay.

The cultural displacement implicit in an Iranian artist working within hip-hop frameworks while based in Milan adds additional complexity to the track’s exploration of identity and belonging. When Shirman references being “underground like corpses/morphing like Morfius orphan,” the wordplay suggests someone comfortable operating outside conventional cultural categories, creating new forms of expression through creative displacement.

“Planet Orbiter” succeeds because it treats language as raw material for building new realities rather than simply describing existing ones. Through sustained commitment to verbal density and cosmic imagery, Shirman has created something that expands hip-hop’s possibilities while remaining fundamentally grounded in the genre’s tradition of transforming consciousness through rhythmic speech.