Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Folk
The most appealing and melodious traditional
music is heard among ethnic minorities, such
as the Turkmen in northern Iran. Azaris favour
a unique style of music, often based around a
love song, whereas Kurds have a distinctively
rhythmic music based mainly around the lute
and their own versions of epic songs, called
Perhaps not surprisingly, the lyrics of most tradi-
tional music revolve around Islam, though some are
based on love or celebrate ancient military victor-
ies.
bards
.
Folk music employs most of the instruments mentioned above, with regional variations;
along the Persian Gulf a type of bagpipe called the
demam
is popular. The music of Sistan
va Baluchestan is understandably similar to that of Pakistan and typically uses instruments
such as the
tamboorak
(similar to the Pakistani
tambura,
a type of harmonium).
Pop & Rock
Iranian pop music has re-emerged under the watchful eye of the Iranian authorities. Many
of the most popular Iranian musicians fled after the Islamic Revolution, including '70s su-
perstar Googosh. They now perform abroad. While their music is largely created in Los
Angeles, these and more modern 'Tehrangeles pop' artists are widely available on bootleg
copies in Iran.
Nine-piece Arian was the first mixed-gender band to get official approval after the re-
volution. Their debut album,
Gole Aftabgardoon
(The Sunflower), was released in 2000
and soon they were playing to crowds of more than 50,000. Other favourite artists include
Benyamin Bahadori, Moin, Omid and current favourites Mohsen Yeganeh and Barobax.
Iran's rock and rap scene is mainly underground but a steadily growing number of
bands and musicians are finding a Persian way to rock. Groups such as O-Hum set the
scene with 'Persian rock', a mix of familiar and Iranian instruments and the poetic lyrics
of Hafez and Rumi. The result is like '90s grunge rock with an Iranian flavour; download
free tracks at
www.iranian.com
.
Other popular rock acts include Barad, Meera, Hyper-
nova, Niyaz and Mohsen Namjoo.
To hear Iranian music listen to free tracks available on
www.iranian.com/music.html
or
www.theiranianradio.com
.
To buy Persian music, and make sure your money goes to the
artists, check out
www.cdbaby.com
.
