Music is imprinted into Persian culture pre-dating Islam by more than 1400 years. By the time of its arrival in Iran in the 7th century, Persians had already developed the core of the theoretical framework of music of Middle Eastern origin still valid to this day. The 12th Century represented a point of departure as Sufism penetrated Persian culture and poetry became intertwined with music.
By surveying avant-garde music in Iran, Unexplained Sounds Group has made their first incursion outside “western culture” into a highly fertile ground. Not surprisingly, this journey has been handsomely rewarded. The sample consists of 19 tracks of high quality where we found a wide range of unique voices and compositional styles resulting in a mature body of work. Upon listening to these remarkable artists you are left wondering if there is a better cultural fit than Iran for experimental music to develop outside the west.
Review by Elias Vivas