Moral paranoia results in creative disaster!

One of the things that annoys a DVD collector is a rating logo on the cover. Not discretely on the back, but rather on the front! Like the UK logos and even worse the Australian logos. Now the German government has apparently decided to break the record by introducing the biggest and ugliest logo that has ever been! And by that having their industry practically kissing their Limited Edition-export goodbye! Talk about ruining a collectible, which such items really are. Often even numbered. Imagine buying an original Reuben with a big ass ugly logo on it saying “Warning: Nudity!” I remember IRI censoring the images in children’s books back in Iran, when I was a child. Hand-painting veils on for instance the fairy godmother in the popular Japanese edition of Pinocchio! Might sound funny but it was really tragic. Never could I imagine a Western society turning so morally panicked that it loses perspective and respect towards art and culture! Its shameless really. Look at the new ATB album displayed above, the Limited Edition is graced with such a disgrace just because it happens to include a music-video DVD! Now that’s one Limited Edition I personally wont buy, thats for sure! They haven’t even considered hiring a creative team to at least making it blend in the design. A sign of pure ignorance and arrogance!

Have your photo on an album cover

I have many times in my reviews urged artists and companies to use the talent and creativity of their fans in the design of their products. Instead of letting unengaged professionals throwing together unengaging artworks with neither meaning nor appeal, use some of the excellent fanart out there. Or arrange contests in which you provide high resolution images and an overall concept for artistic fans out there to develop and present. This way you interact with your fans on a whole different level, you let them help to produce the product which they are supposed to pay for! That will make them a part of the project and therefor also a protector of the art. They will feel responsible towards the creation and act accordingly. The owners of the Iran-based Hermes Records who are famous for their bohemian style and avantgarde approach to Iranian music have taken a step in such constructive direction. Hopefully more will follow their steps!

“Photo Contest for an upcoming release

1000 Acacias (Hooshyar Khayam) - Piano Solo
Hermes Records in conjunction with the photographic site AKSbazi.com are launching a photographic contest for the cover of the upcoming release 1000 Acacias (Piano Solo by Hooshyar Khayam).
To enter the competition you will need to register on AKSbazi.com’s homepage and look for 1000 Acacias under ‘upcoming projects’.
Submissions must conform to AKSbazi.com’s required size format which is set at max 1000 pixels width or height and not larger than 500KB. In addition a high resolution copy of the work must be available by the winning artist for printing purposes.
The contest will be open to submissions from Ordibehesht 16,1388 (06/05/09) and will close on Tir 31, 1388 (22/07/09). The winner will be announced on Mordad 3,1388 (25/07/09).
“Please note that the contest may not produce a winner”

In the event of a winner being selected, the product will be produced on minimum 2000 copies, distributed both nationally and internationally with full credits to the photographer.
A small token of appreciation will be delivered to the winner on behalf of Hermes and AKSbazi.com.

Tips:
- Should you wish to see previous album covers produced by Hermes records, click here.
- The photos do not necessarily need to contain Acacias! Participants are free to have even their abstract approach to the album name and its music.
- In order to listen to excerpts of the music from the album click on the samples below”

http://www.hermesrecords.com/

A simple case of cause and effect

I have previously stated in this blog, I have decided not to review Mansour’s new album and I gave my reason and my opinion in a nutshell. Yet I receive numerous emails from listeners asking me to write this review in order to convey their disappointment. My friends, its neither my intention nor ambition to do something I have already done! Years ago! Yet gets neglected by both you as a consumer and the artist as a producer. What you should be aware of is that what you happen to hear today on this album is a direct result of your own actions! As I wrote in my review on “Ghashange”:

“… my suggestion to you, my dear reader, is that to buy this album ONLY if you truly enjoy the featured material and prefer what Mansour delivers today to what he delivered pre-Divoone! Because by buying the album you cast a vote and show that THIS is what you want and what you get in the next album is another leap towards the direction he is heading right now! But if you don’t then you will CONFRONT, send a message and make the artist think again and realize that perhaps this is not what the majority of his fans want from him! He should and CAN deliver material that are light-years superior to these! Don’t get blinded by love, encourage your artist in the RIGHT direction!!”

You see, it didn’t really require me being Nostradamus to foresee today’s reality! This is a profit-driven industry after all, so you do the math. A simple case of cause and effect. Push the ball in one direction, whether intentionally or not, and it will roll that way! What the LA industry has become today is the direct result of what you have chosen to support. As simple as that, so think about it! If you want something other than what you happen to get today, then start to source- and course-correct! It’s never too late.

Karroubi liaisoning with undergrounders

Pragmatic IRI politicians have always employed young musicians in order to appeal to the younger voters. It wasn’t long ago that Mahshar aka DJ Maryam preformed in support of Hashemi Rafsanjani’s candidacy, a concert which was later denied by both parties even though documented on both ads and tape! In current election the candidate Mehdi Karroubi, a former revolutionary hardliner who conveniently joined reformists in Khatami’s rise to illusionary power after 2nd Khordad, recently staged a rather controversial publicity stunt! According to “Etemaad” he arranged a meeting with none other than some of our more flamboyant undergrounders such as Alishmas, Ashkin and Amir Masoud who all happen to be longtime Sasi Mankan collaborators! Karroubi declared his paramount support for youth who need to look and act differently in the society and the addressed youth in return announced their endorsement of the new patron of underground art. I can almost hear a campaign song for Karroubi ending with ” … Sasi Mankan Porodakshen!”!lol

In audience with a God

A picture tells a thousand words they say, then how about several pictures?lol These are a selected few from the more than four hundred photos I happened to snap the other day at the Jean Michel Jarre concert! Man what an amazing show he delivered! As expected. It was an orgy in sound, light and colour! If you happen to have the slightest interest in electronic music and would like to experience a pioneer and living legend LIVE then this is your chance. Might even turn out to be the last time, considering his age (even though the man is fit as a highschool kid)! Its worth every penny, a taste of history. If you do decide to go make sure to get a good seat. My friend and I sat near the stage and it was really an intimate communication. We also had the chance to go near the stage to take a close look at the legendary equipment. Items such as the Laser Harp, MOOG liberation and the Theremin were there, in close range! Simply a priceless experience!

Gorgeous tour T-shirt depicting vivid lights and colours in the shape of the man’s profile!

Sirvan: I refuse to work with Sadeghi!

Sirvan has in a controversial interview with “Etemaade Melli” criticized the recent undergrounders who’ve gone legal for not being able to even repeat themselves in their legal debuts, let alone to reinvent! The results are beyond critique, Sirvan says, only Mohsen Chavoshi managed to deliver something different. However he has failed in updating to something which suits him better than his established sound, Sirvan claims, since a change just for the sake of the change alone isn’t enough. Chavoshi failed to meet the consumers’ demands, Sirvan explains. We have no longer musicians entering our industry he says, most newcomers just work with computers and the musicians we have available are left from 7-8 years ago. Sirvan says that he is still hopeful about the future of the industry, if he wasn’t he would have given up singing and just attend to producing. He says that after all the experience in the industry these few years he has reached the conclusion that a song has to enjoy at least one of the following two features, if its to make itself heard. One is vulgar or explicit lyrics, the other is an extremely different music. I have tried the second approach in my recent album, he says, people of all kinds are able to compare my music with today’s international music. Sirvan admits that he has been tempted to attend to illegal production during the past years, in the absence of copyright laws and a supporting mass-media. However its not worth to ruin the legal status for a couple of months faster release, he argues. Sirvan explains that his debut was mainly acknowledged by musicians while the general public didn’t really realize what it delivered. It was first after my similar arrangements for other artists that my name was noticed. He also says that many of the artists who initially criticized his music for not being compatible with Iranian musicality and mentality later came to approach him for same kind of arrangements for own songs. Offers which I refused, explains Sirvan, they didn’t believe in me when it meant something to me. The only person who believed in my work was Behrooz Saffarian, whom I today consider as the only arranger of POP music in Iran. Our musicians make the mistake to compare themselves with LA-musicians rather than with international artists. They haven’t even heard anything other than LA-POP and my professional policy is that if a singer’s ambition is to hire me to have his song arranged like a 3rd class LA-production then thats what I will deliver for him, he says to “Hamshahrie Javaan”. But I personally regard the latter when it comes to myself and believe that there is nothing international artists can do that I cant! In regards to having left TRANCE behind in favor of HOUSE Sirvan explains that what is considered TRANCE in Iran is not TRANCE per definition, but rather TECHNO which died a decade ago! Thats why it is doomed to fail if resurrected the way its done by Iranians, he explains. I always produce songs for others in genres apart from my own so that they cant be related to me, Sirvan adds, thats why I have never regretted not singing the songs myself. Finally Sirvan explains the reason why he refused to work with Sadeghi again, despite the huge success of “Vaysaa Donyaa” and the early reports and later unexplained rejection about such collaboration being repeated on Sadeghi’s new album. He wasn’t completely fair and acted ungenerous when in came to giving me my share of the credits for the success of the song (meaning in media and not on the album cover)! It was after all the strongest feature on the album. I never acted on the claim of those who suggested that it was mainly due to my arrangement that this song became huge, while Sadeghi reacted negatively by taking all the credits for himself!I don’t work with such characters, Sirvan concludes.

Note: thanks to Ahmad.

Don’t get passionate beyond reason

We are a great nation with a great passion which sometimes causes a lapse of reason! It blinds us and results in unreasonable actions followed ironically by surprised reactions! Its socio-political manifestation happened 30 years ago with irreversible repercussions and its cultural simulations happen in our music industry basically on daily basis. Blind support of things without the required awareness and relevance, not to mention the total rejection of every kind of post-action responsibility! I get e-mails from people asking me how to vote for Arash (who accompanies Azerbajan’s AySel) in the EUROVISION. People who are neither Europe-based nor even intend to watch the show! They are not interested in a fair judgment, to hear all contestants in context of the contest and then fairly choose which to support based on performance. But rather to support based on nationality! On the sole premise of Arash being an Iranian! Personal relevance rather than contextual, in other words. Passion over reason. My suggestion to you, my dear friends, is to be aware of such actions’ repercussions. Your unconditional support and service might end up being “doostie khaale kherse” in the long run! Resulting in a destructive “khaabe khargooshi” confidence and comfort. Just to tie to a couple of moral fables!lol But seriously, it might be a total disservice. Watch the show or at least see the clips of contestants online before you place your votes. The semi-finals and the final are on resepectively 12, 14 and 15 May. May the best artists win!

For instance if I allowed myself to act on my passion for posterior perfection I would be voting for miss AySel ’til my fingers bled!lol But I’m leashing my instincts for a greater good and trust me, its not the easiest thing to do! ;)

New Release: Siavash - “Seven”

Siavash’s “Seven” is finally released! After almost seven years in the making and an ongoing underground hype! One could think that the title is based on the years its been in the making (it might even be marketed as such in media), but it had “Seven” as the working title even back then. Siavash Shams’ was the first full-fledged Western style heartthrob and POPSTAR to be introduced to the Iranian market back in 84. He enjoyed the same fame and popularity that the boy bands of the 90’s would come to enjoy! The guy had the talent and the looks, however having Alireza Amirghassemi and Farokh Ahi behind the concept and album ensured the success. The debut “Dokhtar Irooni” and its mellow and extended Ahi-POP songs is still today listenable and enjoyable. The last ten years the Iranian industry has been a hotbed and competitive arena for young good-looking Iranian male singers, these were more-or-less absent by the time Siavash appeared and ruled! However a decade ago a young sound-alike appeared inside Iran, in the aftermath of 2nd Khordad and the legalization of the domestic POP, a man by the name of Shadmehr Aghili who soon came to shake off the sound-alike label when the original source of emulation went off the map! Siavash did a very independent attempt to comeback with the album “Sedaa” seven years ago, however neither the album nor the marketing was strong enough to succeed. I don’t think that you can easily source a copy of the album these days, since you couldn’t seven years ago! Anyways, good to have “Siavashe Sahne” (in the Iranian fashion of dubbing artists he got that after the release of his album “Sahne”, however many came to think that it was his surname!lol) back!

http://musicboxla.com/siavashseven.html

My knight in shining armour

I’m cursed! Well, not really but what a dramatic way to start a blog, right? Yes, I am a reader/writer who can not read/write when traveling in a moving vehicle. Because I’ll suffer from severe motion sickness! Considering the fact that I tend to get inspired any moment, especially when I’m out there moving and meeting new people, and wanna somehow capture the thoughts and words that cross my mind, not being able to take notes on paper is a bugger. Well was so until a while ago, then I suddenly found my knight in shining armour! My Olympus digital recorder. Its as basic and simple a recorder can be, but what a savior this thin lean machine happens to be for the thinker and creator in me. Its always in my pocket, ready to be picked out and used to record that missing piece of a poem, a melody which I suddenly begin to hum or my daily shopping list. Just to mention a few. Its simply a trooper! Don’t get me wrong though, I still love to sit and assemble my thoughts and ideas in my notebook, sketchbook or just a piece of paper. To be honest the sensation of it is a practical part of creation and can not be replaced by digital means. However its a smart and smooth complement which aids you in the moment of need. I highly recommend them, if you have a similar physical problem or just want an easy way to capture your intellectual outputs!

By the way the hand holding my recorder is not mine! Well, neither is that particular recorder to be correct!lol But rather Liam Neeson’s, in the motion picture “Taken”. An obvious product-placement! i wonder if I get something for my recommendation!lol

Yeganeh: I only wanted Sirvan!

Amir Yeganeh who just recently released his debut album “Bi To Tanhaam” says that being a huge Sirvan fan he specifically wanted him to arrange the album. Having tried to write songs ever since childhood Amir wanted to have a couple of his own creations released as singles/videos and based on the response decide the artistic direction of the album. However decided to release a complete album instead and accepted Sirvan’s suggestion to include other artists’ creations in order to ensure the variety. Meanwhile his video clip was leaked by its director and caused a minor complication with Ershaad, leading to the release being postponed. Something which Amir says has affected the freshness of his album. Amir says that except for Sirvan’s music he is also a fan of our classic music and in his own privacy attempts to traditional singing. In terms of Western artists, he is a fan of Bryan Adams ad Enrique Iglesias. He sees an urgent need for an MTV-style television in Iran which shows music videos only and promotes the domestic music while informing the viewers about new songs and releases. Amir’s formula for an always successful music is (unlike mine and many’s) to preserve genre and flavor of the music while trying to keep working with the same creative team over and over again. Reinvention means erosion to him. He sees the strength of his own music in the consistency of its production quality. Yeganeh also urges people not to download illegally even if he doesn’t want to discourage his own fans. When a fan calls from abroad a day after the release and says “I just downloaded your entire album and loved it!”, what can I really say? asks Amir.

And finally, Amir Yeganeh is perhaps the only active artist that I have heard being outspoken about the fact that in the Iranian culture music and musicianship is still considered unsuitable as a mean for making a living. That most talented children are encouraged to learn music as a hobby, but very few are encouraged to pursue it as a profession. Amir Yeganeh is sorry that his degree is industrial management leads to something other than his passion. I salute Amir for his sincerity!

Portrait of a Reviewer

Lovelies coming out lamely

Keri Hilson’s debut “In a Perfect World …” and Ciara’s “Fantasy Ride” album, are two albums that I have been waiting for. Two albums that I have been anticipating, imagining great designs and artworks for. Yet both have seriously disappointed!

http://bia2.com/review/kerihils.jpg

We have heard Keri Hilson’s beautiful voice and seen her lovely face and figure gracing Timbaland’s different projects, yet when she comes out with her own debut the album is filled with not a single outstanding song. Not to mention a decent artwork! When this cover image leaked together with the album and surfaced the Internet it looked just like a bootleg job. Rushed and inconsistent! If you are a downloader of underground Iranian music you recognize the whole fashion from the images that often promote the tracks. Sadly this tasteless montage showed itself to be the official artwork. What can I say, this album is no perfect album …!

http://bia2.com/review/ciarfant.jpg

I’ve mentioned Ciara’s upcoming album in this blog before, and the fact that its been postponed an entire year. But finally the album looks like getting to see the light of day tomorrow. With an awful cover! Not chica herself but rather the artwork. And the shocking part is that the postponing has been due to this very artwork taking a whole year to finish! Unbelievably true. The limited edition features a red variation of the same cover. It is supposed to be comic book inspired and some kind of mini graphic novel is to accompany the book. If the art featured on the cover reflects whats to be inside, then truly what a waste of time on no talent!

New Release: Black Cats - “Dimbology”

The new Black Cats album is out, called comic-scientifically in a typical BC-jargon “Dimbology” (The science of Dambal-Dimbol, I guess) with a whole new line-up! It looks like the younger the members get the harder Shahbal has to keep them together for more albums! Kamran and Hooman-fronted edition released two albums, barely! The Kamyar-fronted edition released only one before the guy went solo as predicted! It should be mentioned though, as a fan of the Pyruz-fronted edition I see a lot of influences in today’s underground music. Take acts like Sasi Mankan for instance, if you listen closely you hear so many references to the style of Black Cats’ rap-flavored bilingual songs from the 90’s!

http://musicboxla.com/blcadi.html

New Release: Sirvan Khosravi - “Saate 9″

By now you must have heard the samples on his official website. Sirvan Khosravi releases the follow up to the reported commercial failure, but ironically incredibly popular debut album (which makes the equation add up in illegal downloading!). During these past years Sirvan has created and produced for other domestic artists, making a living according to himself, while his fans have eagerly been waiting for the new direction of his own music. Since he two years ago announced that he would abandon TRANCE for something new. Sirvan has recently said in the press that he hardly listens to Iranian music and that his musical favorites are Elton John and Eros Ramazotti. The new album has been in the making since 2004! There is an incredibly innovative and colorful presentation for the new album on his website, sadly the artwork of the album is far from this piece! Sirvan’s younger brother Zanyar who goes under the stage-name Xaniar (X is phonetically read Z, like Xanadu) and had a creative role in his brother’s debut is back with an equally creative part in the current album. Xaniar has recently aspired to a solo career and some of his songs and videos have been distributed online without legal permit, mainly via his brothers website.

New Release: Benyamin - “88″

Benyamin Bahadori’s follow up to the best-selling “85″ is finally released after years of postponing due to him reportedly having felt pressure and wanting to digest the overnight success. The new album is accordingly named after its release year, namely “88″. The album’s track listing is longer than average, but many titles are not full-length tracks but rather demos of songs that might or might not be developed into full-lengths at a later stage. Benyamin realizes that people’s taste has changed in these past three years, but so has his he claims. He acknowledges the competitive market and feels excited to join the crowded industry once again, with another potent album to challenge both legal and illegal productions. Benyamin has plans for domestic and international concerts in 1388. Finally some random facts about Banyamin according to the interview in “Chelcheragh”: He considers himself an intellectual and a huge fan of LOST the television series, who sees many similarities between the character “Sawyer” and his own personality. Benyamin also claims that Hamid Askari has cleverly imitated his musical style, but taken his vocal style from somewhere else (implying Shadmehr).

Ershaad’s new music festival

Ershaad announced that it will be kicking off a new music festival this year. “Moghaavemat (Resistance)” is the revolutionary title of it, probably to match “Fajr”, and will be an annual event.

Another creator has left us!

After the tragic departure of Parviz Maghsadi just recently, yesterday the Iranian music history experienced another loss. The veteran poet/songwriter Bijan Taraghi passed away at the age of 80, coincidentally on the day that was supposed to be Parviz Maghsadi’s birthday! In his more than half-a-decade long career Taraghi collaborated with many icons of both poetry and music, including pioneers such as Nima Youshij and Parviz Yahaghi! May God rest his creative soul.