Khruangbin list their favourite tracks from pre-revolution Iran
The music of Iran is far too often overlooked by the musical mainstream, especially within the Western world. Perhaps this should come as no real surprise, given that artists within the Middle East have been under strict control since the revolution of 1979. Sanctions and stage bans were imposed on musical artists, with Western music explicitly forbidden in the nation. Prior to the revolution, however, the country had fostered one of the most vibrant and beautiful music scenes in Asia, a fact that is not lost upon the trio behind Khruangbin.
Formed in the cultural hub of Houston, Texas, Khruangbin are often noted for their deeply eclectic sound. From their inception in 2010, the trio – composed of Laura Lee Ochoa, Mark Speer, and DJ Johnson – have incorporated everything from dub reggae, to soul and psychedelia. It should come as no real surprise, therefore, that the group owe a great deal to the mind-bending sounds of mid-century psychedelic rock, the greatest examples of which were being produced by artists in the Middle East and Africa.
As is tradition for any band worth their salt, the trio have their roots in crate digging, scouring the record stores of the world in search of disparate, fascinating and forgotten sounds. It was through this process that the band became infatuated with the music of Iran, particularly from the 1970s. During this period in Iran, Western rock and pop music had firmly made an impact on the cultural fabric of the world, so artists like Googoosh incorporated elements of Western pop with distinctly Iranian sound.
For the short period of time in which Iranian artists were able to express themselves freely, people like Googoosh created some utterly groundbreaking music. As Laura Lee explained to Vinyl Factory, “People like Googoosh, they are legends. Googoosh is huge.”
Adding, “I asked my friend’s mum who is from Iran, ‘Is she the Madonna of Iran?’ and she’s like, ‘No, she’s the Michael Jackson’.”
It was not just Googoosh, though; the cultural fabric of Iran was awash with incredible and innovative artists from the pre-revolution era. While much of it was influenced by exports from the UK and America, Iranian artists managed to imbue their output with a distinctive quality that was firmly Iranian. “When you actually look up the lyrics of these songs, they’re so sad,” Lee shared. “Romantically sad. The Iranians prided themselves on being depressingly romantic. It’s super poetic.”
Tragically, the vibrant music scene of 1970s Iran was cut short by the revolution, which saw the Islamic Republic of Iran rise to power in place of the Pahlavi dynasty. The years that followed saw the complete desolation of the Iranian music scene, with stars like Googoosh placed under performance bans and forced to live out their lives, suppressing their clear musical talent. In fact, Googoosh would not return to the stage until the 2000s, when she was allowed to travel to Canada.
Despite its short-lived quality, the music of pre-revolution Iran remains as vibrant and beautiful in the modern day as it was back in the 1970s. Its timeless quality has certainly not been lost on Khruangbin, who were kind enough to share some of their best-loved tracks from the cultural explosion of 1970s Iran, which we have helpfully put together in a playlist for you.
