After a decade of work in Iran's (and later Paris') underground music scenes, Tehran-born producer and musician Mahdyar is preparing to release his debut album Seized (due 2018).
Mahdyar left Iran in 2009 after a film he worked on that criticised the Iranian government attracted the attention of Iran's Ministry Of Culture who arrested and blacklisted key members of the scene. The film, for which Mahdyar scored the soundtrack, led to the Iranian government pressuring and attacking some of the film's crew and their family.
That, seemingly, has only fired up Mahdyar's drive to create more, pouring his efforts into his music and ultimately leading him down the path to creating his debut album. "Vow", which you can listen to below, is one of the key tracks from the album and gives you a good idea of the way Mahdyar blends traditional Middle Eastern influences with hip-hop and other electronic sounds.
