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DOLAT-SHAHI, DARIUSH - Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar

Format: LP Label & Cat.Number: Dead-Cert Home Entertainment VCR 003LP Release Year: 2015 Note: re-issue of obscure and much requested first LP from 1985 by this Iranian composer (born 1947 in Tehran) named DARIUSH DOLAT-SHAHI, who performs on the TAR, the traditional Persian lute; on the 5 tracks of this LP he combines computer generated sounds with field recordings from nature (such as frogs, birds, and thunderstorms) with the instrumental sources in an improvised style... " it simply sounds quite unlike anything out there" Price (incl. 19% VAT): €20.00 Warning: Currently we do not have this album in stock! More Info "This post-revolution Iranian album from 1985 is so ahead of its time, so completely off on its own sonically and stylistically - that you'd be forgiven for thinking it were a hoax. In reality it's one of the most sought-after and exceptional records from the Smithsonian Folkways catalogue, here brought back to life in this facsimile edition put together by the Dead Cert imprint. Until now, it's been the preserve of a small handful of collectors who rightly hold it in huge regard and close to their chests. A syncretic traversal of Iranian folk music and modular synth strafing radio-phonic, musique concrète, neo-tanktrik and sound design disciplines, it simply sounds quite unlike anything out there (if you know better, please, please share!) and has had us, and everyone who's heard it, utterly enraptured. OK, there may be some precedents in the work of electronic music pioneer Ilhan Mimaroglu, and it has undoubtedly directly or indirectly inspired music that has come since (Keith Fullerton Whitman's 'Variations For Oud & Synthesizer', for instance), but we're sure you'll agree that the elements have rarely gelled so fluidly, phantastically psychedelic as this, before or since. It's possible to trace that combination of traditional and contemporary styles, mixed with a liberating sense of freedom and abstract expression, to the composer's history; from early enrolment in Shah-sponsored music schools and conservatories he was awarded scholarship for further studies in Holland, and when the revolution arrived in Iran he would permanently leave for the world famous Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in the late '70s, all priming Dariush's tastes and skills for these recordings made during the mid '80s, late at night in the university studios with the permission of Professor Ussachevsky. It's testament to its enduring magic that listening back now for the umpteenth time we're still bewildered and vividly transported as we were the first time, lost to its roil of tangled timbres and etheric dynamism, keeling to the metallic lushness of the strings and rendered mindblown at the synchronised sweeps of modular synth and simulated environs. It's a genuine wonder of the electronic music world, and an utterly essential listen, by anyones standards." [Boomkat] "This release will undoubtedly be met by the same deep breaths that have been shared by the small group of collectors who, over the past few years, have held original copies of this rare Folkways release in such high regard. In simple terms this LP is the kind of record you wished existed while nothing really came close to the mark. Respectfully and subtly combining traditional Persian instrumentation, Modular synth exercises, field recordings and tape manipulation – this debut release from 1985 by Dariush Dolat Shahi bridges multiple cultural and stylistic voids and vindicates the vinyl buying market’s recent disparate interests in bygone Eastern experimental rock music, radio-phonic experiments, musique concrete, sound design, neo-tantric meditational records and other early accidental acidic electro murmurs. For those who enjoyed the recently re-contextualised music of Ilaiyaraaja and Charanjit Singh while holding tight to the legacy of Pierre Schaeffer, Daphne Oram and the recently passed ilhan mimaroglu and harbour penchants for all things drone, teutonic, electronic, demonic and euphoric this record has just changed all your plans for the weekend. A perfect primer for the aforementioned labels and a proud indication of what to expect from this eternally studious camp in 2013." [Finders Keeperse Rec.] "In five original compositions, Iranian-American Dariush Dolat-Shahi blends computer tones and ambient sounds from nature with the Persian stringed setar and tar in his first record with Folkways. Birdsong, frogs, and thunderstorms create a backdrop for the undulating electronic arpeggios and the instruments’ improvisational style. This 1985 release balances the strikingly compatible old and new components, with a focus on rhythm and melody, to form a unique soundscape. Liner notes include information on the original spiritual context of the traditional instruments which inspires the music as well as a brief bio on Dolat-Shahi." [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings - site on the original release]