Sky, Pure Wine, and Kalami Style: New Developments in Iranian Music

As every Saturday, today's music program looks at the new works of Iranian artists, singles, albums, and music videos in various styles both domestically and abroad, including works released in official, virtual, and underground markets. This time, we focus on several works by young artists in the independent music scene of Iran. The new song by Peyman Salimi is in English and features vocals by Sara Naeini. In this song, electric guitar and piano are the main elements of the melody, and the use of keyboards in the background and sound design techniques gives the piece a dreamy and 'heavenly' quality. Peyman Salimi learned classical guitar at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence and has lived in this city for many years. Seven years ago, he released his first album titled 'Pardeh' in Italy, which was somewhat successful. Since then, Salimi has released several independent singles and is also active as the vocalist of The Allophones, a group composed of Iranian and Italian members. Sara Naeini, who provides vocals in this piece, is also known by her stage name Saranin. She was active in singing sporadically during the 1980s but left Iran due to artistic restrictions on women and has since released several singles. Her efforts to sing in Iran were the subject of the documentary film 'Not an Illusion' by Tarang Abadian. 'Me Nab' draws from a quatrain by the famous Iranian poet Omar Khayyam. Hossein Rangchi is currently preparing his first album after releasing several singles in the past couple of years. His new song, like his other works, is influenced by folk style, although elements from other styles can also be heard in his music. 'Kalam Band' is a young and independent group operating in Iran that has recently reached audiences beyond the limited scope of independent Iranian music enthusiasts. This piece, like their previous works, is composed by Habib Badiri, the group's vocalist, and arranged by Nima Najafi. The members of Kalam Band consider themselves to have a new and independent style that they call 'Kalami.' However, the music of Kalam Band is clearly influenced by jazz and pop styles.