From the Alphaxone Bandcamp site: “A continuation of fractured atmospheres, slow-moving tension, and submerged emotional weight. This chapter dives deeper into erosion, distance, and the quiet violence of time.” Iranian artists could use a hand at the moment, as do all good souls suffering in their war-torn homes.
Iran
Various Artists – Post Orientalism Music: Memorial for the Victims of Iran’s Black January Vol. 1
There is currently a tragic situation unfolding in Iran. Several artists, including Krister Hansén, Mean Flow, RDKPL, Itaru Ouwan, Ehsan Saboohi, ZÖJ, Mohammad Amin Akbarpour, Sina Majd, and Mahtab Miandehi, have collaborated on tracks to raise awareness about what is happening there. Respect to our friends at Post-Oriental Music for releasing Continue Reading
Saba Alizadeh – Nafir (Clamour)
From Saba Alizadeh’s Bandcamp site: “With “Nafir (Clamour)”, Tehran-based composer, kamancheh virtuoso and electronic musician Saba Alizadeh releases a strong artistic statement: a heavy emotional new piece and touching video which depict metaphorically life in Iran after 5 months of uprising. “In the dark times Will there also be singing? Continue Reading
MOREGO – Middle Eastern Dub
Our friend MOREGO’s latest album is a dub masterpiece, combining the better aspects of Lee Perry and Muslimgauze while retaining his own unique flavor.
Various Artists – Vampisoul: Rangarang
From the Bandcamp site of the consistently solid record label Vampisoul: “”Rangarang” is a compilation of forgotten jewels from pre-revolutionary Iran. These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summonsed Continue Reading
Amirhossein Nazemzade , Ehsan Shayanfard – Mourners Project
Here are two new names from the improvisational music scene in Tehran, Iran, worth keeping an eye on – Amirhossein Nazemzade and Ehsan Shayanfard. From their Bandcamp site: “Winter 2025 On a melancholic evening in a house in central Tehran, we performed an hour and fifteen minutes of improvisation with Continue Reading
Saba Alizadeh – I May Never See You Again
Saba Alizadeh is a sound artist, instrumentalist, and composer based in Tehran. In light of the ongoing bombings there, I pray for his safety and for all those suffering from violence around the world. Saba is a virtuoso on the kamancheh, a traditional Persian spike fiddle. The only person I have had Continue Reading
Laibach – Alamut
This is the Laibach I grew up loving, taking a very different and radical direction in each new album. The industrial music lounge act was growing irritating, but it might have been because the band needed time to come up with brilliant ideas after dipping into the sonic well way Continue Reading
Hossein Alizadeh (حسین علیزاده) – Classical Music From Iran – Great Masters of the Setar
I will be traveling back to the United States for about 15 days, so I will not be posting much either today or tomorrow. I leave you with a video of the magnificent setar master Hossein Alizadeh from Iran to keep your spirits up. It’s helped mine, for sure.
Shahin Souri – Liminal Space
Respect to Midira Records for publishing this work by Tehran-based composer Shahin Souri. It is a most elegant take on ambient music. There should be a better term for this, as the genre’s name is so badly abused these days, and this seems to transcend it.