Mahdyar Aghajani
Encyclopedia
Mahdyar Aghajani is a musician
, record producer
and film composer born and raised in Tehran
, Iran
. He brought up the standard of Iranian underground music
, using Persian traditional instruments (such as oud
, santoor
, daf
, tombak, ney
, kamancheh
and qanoon
) in electronic
and hip hop
music.
In 2006 Hichkas
released the first Iranian hip hop album Jangale Asfalt (The Asphalt Jungle). Mahdyar Aghajani, musician and producer of this album, integrated hip hop and Iranian traditional music in a creative way. Mahdyar's production on Jangale Asfalt has nonetheless set a new benchmark in the evolution of rap-e-Fars, with tracks like ‘Vatan Parast’ (‘The Patriot’) serving as the perfect fusion of soaring Middle Eastern harmonies and pounding urban protest music.
After an interview with Nasim-E-Haraz magazine regarding the release of his first main stream album in 2006 with Hichkas
, Mahdyar faced pressured from the Iranian government. This was the most influential collaboration between Hichkas
and Mahdyar and music they produced together was listened throughout Europe and Iran, so much so the government noticed the artists as a threat to the culture of Iran
and had his named listed as a threat; despite use of traditional Iranian instruments and strong nationalistic lyrics.
This pressure resulted in Mahdyar leaving his family behind at tender age of 20 and fled to Berlin
then to Paris
where he currently resides
. Because he didn't leave the country by will, a place of his own was a luxury Mahdyar did not enjoy short while after his departure from Iran
.
Although Iranian directors reportedly tend to hire older, long-established composers for their films, young Mahdyar Aghajani captivates Bahman Ghobadi
with his fresh approach to music: "Mahdyar breaks everything and puts it back together in an experimental way. I tried to make music with the 'best composer' in Iran... But Mahdyar is so tajrobi. My music is like that--experimental."
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and film composer born and raised in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He brought up the standard of Iranian underground music
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
, using Persian traditional instruments (such as oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, santoor
Santoor
The santoor is an ancient stringed musical instrument, native to Kashmir and Iran. It is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer often made of walnut, with seventy two strings. The special-shaped mallets are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers...
, daf
Daf
A daf is a frame drum used as a musical instrument in popular and classical music. The term daf is used in Iran / Kurdistan for a large drum that has a series of four interlinked rings in the frame. Daf is mostly used in Middle East, Iran, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and ...
, tombak, ney
Ney
The ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found...
, kamancheh
Kamancheh
The kamānche or kamāncha is a Persian bowed string instrument related to the bowed rebab, the historical ancestor of the kamancheh and also to the bowed lira of the Byzantine Empire, ancestor of the European violin family. The strings are played with a variable-tension bow: the word "kamancheh"...
and qanoon
Kanun (Instrument)
The Qanun is a string instrument found in the 10th century in Farab in Turkestan...
) in electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
music.
In 2006 Hichkas
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
released the first Iranian hip hop album Jangale Asfalt (The Asphalt Jungle). Mahdyar Aghajani, musician and producer of this album, integrated hip hop and Iranian traditional music in a creative way. Mahdyar's production on Jangale Asfalt has nonetheless set a new benchmark in the evolution of rap-e-Fars, with tracks like ‘Vatan Parast’ (‘The Patriot’) serving as the perfect fusion of soaring Middle Eastern harmonies and pounding urban protest music.
After an interview with Nasim-E-Haraz magazine regarding the release of his first main stream album in 2006 with Hichkas
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
, Mahdyar faced pressured from the Iranian government. This was the most influential collaboration between Hichkas
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
and Mahdyar and music they produced together was listened throughout Europe and Iran, so much so the government noticed the artists as a threat to the culture of Iran
Culture of Iran
To best understand Iran, Afghanistan, their related societies and their people, one must first attempt to acquire an understanding of their culture. It is in the study of this area where the Persian identity optimally expresses itself...
and had his named listed as a threat; despite use of traditional Iranian instruments and strong nationalistic lyrics.
This pressure resulted in Mahdyar leaving his family behind at tender age of 20 and fled to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
then to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he currently resides
. Because he didn't leave the country by will, a place of his own was a luxury Mahdyar did not enjoy short while after his departure from Iran
.
Although Iranian directors reportedly tend to hire older, long-established composers for their films, young Mahdyar Aghajani captivates Bahman Ghobadi
Bahman Ghobadi
Bahman Ghobadi is an Iranian film director of Kurdish ethnicity. He was born on February 1, 1969 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province. Ghobadi belongs to the so called "new wave" of Iranian cinema.-Biography:...
with his fresh approach to music: "Mahdyar breaks everything and puts it back together in an experimental way. I tried to make music with the 'best composer' in Iran... But Mahdyar is so tajrobi. My music is like that--experimental."
Feature films
- 2009: No One Knows about Persian CatsNo One Knows About Persian CatsNo One Knows About Persian Cats is a 2009 Iranian film directed by Bahman Ghobadi produced by Wild Bunch. Originally titled Kasi az Gorbehaye Irani Khabar Nadareh, in the film's native language, Persian, this film first took on the name of Nobody Knows About The Persian Cats before finally being...
, Directed by Bahman GhobadiBahman GhobadiBahman Ghobadi is an Iranian film director of Kurdish ethnicity. He was born on February 1, 1969 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province. Ghobadi belongs to the so called "new wave" of Iranian cinema.-Biography:...
- BBC "This is music from a brave and extraordinary musical movement"
- 2010: Cultures of resistance, Directed by Iara LeeIara LeeIara Lee is a Korean Brazilian film producer and director based in New York City. She is better known as the director of the documentaries Synthetic Pleasures and Modulations, as well as for her involvement with the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla", in which at least nine pro-Palestinian activists were...
- 2011: Chroniques d'un Iran interdit, Directed by Manon Loizeau, Produced for ArteArteArte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
- 2010: Cultures of resistance, Directed by Iara Lee
Short films
- 2009: The Prince of Persia, Directed by Daniel JewelDaniel JewelDaniel Jewel is a London based film producer and director. A graduate of Bristol University and Oxford University he has worked with British film directors such as Stephen Poliakoff, Charles Sturridge and Brian Gilbert. In 2006 he produced the play Allegiance at the Edinburgh Festival, which...
, Produced for Current TVCurrent TVCurrent TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC.... - 2010: Ask the Wind, Directed by Batin Ghobadi
Musicals
- 2010: Le Plongeon, Directed by Humberto Velez, Produced for Centre PompidouCentre Georges PompidouCentre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
Singles
Compilation albums
2005
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- "Komak (feat. YasYasYaser Bakhtiari is an Iranian rapper.-Childhood and youth:Yas first began to listen to rap music at the age of 16, when his father would return from business trips in Germany and bring him the latest Tupac Shakur CDs and other hip hop music. After the sudden death of his father, Yas was forced to...
)"
- Taham
- "Ghamnaameh (feat. Kaveh Ramezanzadeh)"
- Felakat
- "Ye Bare Dige (feat. SalomeSalome (rapper)Salome , is a woman rap artist from Iran. She is known for being Iran's first female rapper, and today is one of very few...
)"
- 7Khat
- "Masti-o-Rasti"
2006
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- The Asphalt Jungle (iTunes)
- 01. "Moghaddame"
- 02. "Dide o Del (feat. RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
, Amin Fooladi and Bidad)" - 03. "Ekhtelaf"
- 04. "Man Vaystadam"
- 06. "Ghanoon"
- 07. "Vatan Parast (feat. RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
and Amin Fooladi)" - 08. "Oun Manam"
- 09. "Bar Paa"
- 10. "Zendan (featuring RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
)" - 11. "Dide o Del (Remix) (feat. RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
, Amin Fooladi and Bidad)"
- RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
- "Prince of Persia"
- "Migan Quf (feat. Hichkas)"
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- "Har Tor Shode Migam (feat. Enzo)"
- "Manam Hamintor"
- Saaye
- "Donya Tanhayam (feat. Bidad)"
2007
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- "Pa Bar Ja (feat. Bidad)"
- "Refaghat Tatile"
- "Bazam Kalan (feat. Pishro)"
- "Khiaboonia"
- "Saghi (feat. Bidad)"
- Namayande
- "Hezari (feat. Quf and Eshragh)"
- "Sar Bala (feat. Pishro)"
- RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
- "Kill 'em with a Pen (feat. 7Khat)"
- Pishro - Jahaname Saket
- 05. "Boro Jolo (feat. Hichkas)"
- 7Khat
- "Maaye Bede (faet. Hichkas and Makhmase)" (co-produced by 7Khat)
- Farinaz
- "Be Naame Zan"
2009
- Bahman GhobadiBahman GhobadiBahman Ghobadi is an Iranian film director of Kurdish ethnicity. He was born on February 1, 1969 in Baneh, Kurdistan Province. Ghobadi belongs to the so called "new wave" of Iranian cinema.-Biography:...
- No One Knows About Persian Cats
- 12. "Jouwani"
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- "Vagheytar az Mostanad"
- Arsham
- "Bardar Ghalbamo (feat. FredFred KhoshtinatFarbod Khoshtinat , better known by his pseudonym Fred, is an Iranian director, editor, cinematographer, artist, writer, composer, producer, musician and singer.-Early life and education:Farbod Khoshtinat was born in Tehran, Iran....
)"
2010
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- "Ye Rooze Khoob Miad"
- Only few month after the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests this title was released. The title was heavily hinting towards the unrest within the country; both the lyrics and a section where 'live' recordings of the protesters was reassuring such assumptions. So much so that it was amongst few songs mentioned on Mir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein MousaviMir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
's (the opposition leader) official website.
- This song has become an instant hit, often blasting from cars on Tehran's busy streets in capital city TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. It was the first song that instead of inviting people for further resistance, reassured its listeners that the result of the political unrest and street protests will come to a good end, even if it takes long time.
- "Basse Moftbari (feat. Bidad)"
- Fadaei
- "Iran Iran"
2011
- HichkasHichkasSoroush Lashkary better known by his stage name Hichkas is an Iranian rapper based in Tehran....
- The Tour of Duty EP
- 01. "Anjām Vazife"
- 03. "Mā Az Ounāshim"
- Quf - The Tour of Duty EP
- 05. "Shak (feat. Fadaei)"
- Fadaei - The Tour of Duty EP
- 04. "Vāstā Lāshi"
- RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
- The Tour of Duty EP
- 02. "021LDN"
- Quf - Zir o Bam e Zirzamin (iTunes)
- 01. "Sobhe Masnavi"
- 02. "Balatar 1"
- 03. "Tariki"
- 04. "Hadaf (feat. Bidad)"
- 05. "I.R.A.N. (feat. 7Khat)"
- 06. "Hesse Gharib"
- 07. "Khavar Miane (feat. LowkeyLowkeyKareem Dennis is a musician and political activist of English and Iraqi descent, better known by his stage name Lowkey. He first became known through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18, before taking a hiatus from the music business...
)" - 08. "Fazaye Sard"
- 09. "Marjan (feat. RevealReveal (rapper)Mehrak Golestan is a British musician of Iranian descent.Reveal was founder of Poisonous Poets, a notable London based hip-hop group.He is the son of BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan....
)" - 10. "Miane Ghamhayam (feat. Fadaei)
- 11. "Balatar 2"
- 12. "Shabe Khazan"
- Fadaei
- "Saze Ma"
- "Ye Eshghe Noghreyi"
- "Maghz"