Tag: Afghanistan

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Nasim Khushnawaz – Songs From The Pearl of Khorasan

Worlds Within Worlds in an Australian record label releasing music from Iran, Afghanistan and India.  This album features rubab (or rebab) player Nasim Khushnawaz.  From the label’s Bandcamp site:

“As a master of the Afghan rubab, Nasim Kushnawaz hails from one of the most important musical lineages in Afghanistan. The son of Herati rubab maestro Ustad Rahim Khuhsnawaz, Nasim resides in exile in Iran, wherein he continues a four-generation tradition of performing exemplary Afghan, Khorasani and Herati playing techniques. Listeners will easily notice his keen ear for tempo and feeling as he sets up unexpected twists and turns throughout his music, making each segment more emotive and unpredictable than the last.”

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Farhot – Nowroz 1401

Farhot is a musician based in Germany who also happens to run the rather incredible Kabul Fire record label.  This release is in honor of the Persian New Year (Nowroz) 1401.  From his Bandcamp site:

“In celebration of the Persianate new year usually taking place on March 21st Afghan-German producer artist Farhot announces his follow up project “Nowroz 1401” which translates into “New Year 1401” – the number marking the year according to the solar calendar which is used in countries like Afghanistan and Iran. While Nowroz is being celebrated in several additional regions like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan or Kirgizstan and partly also in Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Georgia and Turkey – this 3-Track EP pays tribute to Afghan contemporary artists like singer-songwriter Calid, London based Elaha Saroor and rapper Khan all while referencing the golden era of Afghan psychedelic pop most prominently represented by Ahmad Zahir samples – and with that marking this special release as a contribution to preserving Afghan culture and tradition while Afghanistan’s recent brutal occupation by the Taliban continue to threaten and erase Afghan artistic tradition. Further “Nowroz 1401” was born out of the urgent feeling to uphold and celebrate an essential tradition of Persianate cultures so that the following generations of diaspora children don’t lose access to their cultural heritage while not being able to live or visit their countries of origin, where such holidays are institutionalized and therefore experienced as a community festivity.”

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Music

Badieh – Badieh

This is quite a pairing.  Badieh consist of Spaniard Michel Gasco, who plays oud and rebab, pairs with Iranian musician Mohammed Miragharzadeh on tar and setar.

From Badieh’s Bandcamp site:

“Worlds Within Worlds is proud to announce the release of Badieh’s self-titled debut album – a collection of mystifying folk pieces from the Greater Khorasan region of Iran and Afghanistan.

A collaboration between two masters of their craft, Badieh is the project of Michel Gasco and Mohammad Miraghazadeh. A step past Gasco’s previous Orontes project, these delicate reinterpretations of traditional Khorasani folk track takes his instrumentation to new heights. Each strum is crafted to perfection, perfectly complemented by Miraghazdeh’s expertise in Persian classical music. Those with a keen ear may hear similarities between Badieh’s music and the sounds of Mohammad Rahim Khushnawaz, Sima Bina and Ensemble Kaboul.”

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Naujawanan Baidar – Khedmat Be Khalq

N.R. Safi is the leader of the band psychedelic rock/drone band The Myrrors, yet this side project goes off on into a rather personal trajectory for him.  This particular release combines the drone and rock he’s mastered, but it’s also layered with tapes from Afghanistan, where his roots are.  Imagine Throbbing Gristle and Amon Düül II jamming in the outskirts of Kabul with local musicians, and maybe you’d get close to the vibe this album is giving.