Tehran rocks, but only under ground

[Swede]

But along with the mandatory Marshall amplifier and out-sized drum kit, his group, Angband, also boasts a couple of goatskin percussion instruments that have been a familiar part of Persian music for centuries.

In a country where western music is banned, Dean is part of Iran's booming underground scene -- making rock, Iranian style.

"We are trying not to get far from our roots, by using Persian percussion," Dean said, pointing out the daf -- a traditional hand-held drum which looks like a super-sized tambourine with metal chains on one side of the skin that add a scratchy, shimmering sound.

But as Iranian as Angband wants to be, it has had to look further afield to get its music released, signing with a German label, Pure Steel Records.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/14/us-iran-rock-idUSTRE78D3L520110914

[Warpy]

1. Web radio stations in Europe and one in Lebanon

that specialize in weird music have played some of this stuff and it's not bad at all, really quite accessible. I'll be interested in getting this CD.

They're not the first Islamic rockers, either. An Algerian named Rachid Taha has been a real trailblazer there and would likely be one of the world's top rockers if his primary recording language wasn't Arabic, although he's also done things in French and Spanish.

Look him up on You Tube. His "Rock the Casbah," done in Algerian Arabic, is nothing short of hilarious and pure genius.