Well it’s Iranian rare groove, a Persian psych rock/ folk and funk compilation from 60’s and 70’s. Perhaps what’s so exciting about this release is the lack of access we’ve previously had to this kind of material, so it feels like Finders Keepers have really uncovered something special, something quite different. There are influences from neighboring countries like Egyptian sounding keys, Indian/Pakistani sitar and at times a real similarity with Turkish pop, however there are also influences from the West, such as this curious hybridized funk pop vibe that many of the tunes seem to possess. We’re talking these low key funk grooves with orchestral Persian strings and extremely passionate vocals, with the occasional low key psychedelic flourishes such as a strange treated guitar sound. This music was created prior to the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, during a period of intense modernization in Iran thanks to the influx of petrol dollars, and judging from the material here it was a period of intense creativity.
These 16 tracks are really quite diverse, everything from earnest folk tunes to power funk tunes with screeching horns and bongos. In fact pretty much every piece here seems to have some sort of confluence of styles, yet whether they’re driving instrumental funk, heartfelt pop odes to love or even some kind of indefinable piece that exists somewhere in the middle, there’s a certain energy and creative feel to the music. There’s some really crazy and totally left-field material here too, such as Mehrpouya’s ‘Soul Raga,’ a pure Indian funk track with sitar, tabla, flute and a banging drum kit. Otherwise the other real standout is Zia, again on the funk tip, who on two tracks here creates material that blends almost James Brown/ Fela style Afro Funk with bizarre cheeky scat and driving jazz horns. It’s really out of this world and makes this collection worth tracking down for these pieces alone. Even though these artists are pretty much unknowns to us in the West this is a really unique and diverse collection of music that will not only drop your jaw due to some audacious combinations of sounds, but challenge your notions of what Persian music can be.
Bob Baker Fish
