SONG OF THE DAY Mehrpouya – Dar Dele Shab

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Nearly two years ago I was captured by the bewitching sounds of Mehrpouya (or Mehrpoya, Mehrpooya, Mehrpuya, Mehr Pooya – according to transcripts of the Persian مهرپویا) and every so often I love to share his magic

Abbas Mehrpooya was born in Tehran in 1927 and spent his life expressing his artistic inclinations through poetry, acting and as a multi-instrumental musician – mastering the guitar, sitar, santur and organ. Introducing the sounds of the sitar to the popular music of Iran, he was known to utilise old traditions into new sounds and often used instruments such as bones or pots for percussion! His talents didn’t stop there, however, and he was also composed and performed music and songs for the Iranian cinema. One of which was the 1952 film series Battle with Satan and The Love Thief!

It’s hard to track down dates and histories of his discography, partly because many of the track listings are not documented in English! So, all I can tell you about Dar Dele Shab is that it was recorded and released sometime between 1960 and the late 1970’s! A large window, I appreciate, but if anyone can tell me more?

These dates coincide with a very special era in Iran when a large community of pop stars began to emerge. For a short space of very sacred time this music flourished, before vanishing into oblivion. Great labels like Spain’s Vampi Soul have reissued some of these sounds on their 28-track offering called, Rangarang – Pre​-​Revolutionary Iranian Pop., but there must be so much more out there to discover?

In the write-up that accompanied Vampi Soul’s record, they described what was happening with the music at the time and explained how:

“These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summonsed to the revolutionary court and forced to sign a declaration promising to abandon their careers and never perform again. By the time an exilic music industry had been established in Los Angeles, where many musicians settled after fleeing the chaotic disarray of post-revolutionary war-torn Iran, the beats and melodies of the monarchist era had given way to the synthesizers of the 1980s and Iranian pop music would never be the same again…”

It’s pretty cool to hear the old and new mingling together in this music. This pioneering movement brought soulful pop, jazzy grooves and funky tricks to the Iranian table, allowing old traditions to be expressed through young composers and their fresh offerings. You’d struggle to find a more funky example than Mehrpouya’s Ghabileh-ye Leyli, and when it comes to something a bit more jazzy, Dokhtare Shab will take you there!!  It’s a truly mind-opening sound! Dar Dele Shab is a truly beautiful tune and I love how the melody curls in and unfurls around Mehrpouya’s rich tone. I’m totally hooked! Enjoy!