Mahdyar Aghajani
Mahdyar Aghajani is a musician, record producer and composer born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He raised the standard of Iranian underground music, using Persian traditional instruments in electronic and hip hop music.
Career
In 2006 Hichkas released the first Iranian hip hop album Jangale Asfalt . Mahdyar Aghajani, musician and producer of this album, integrated hip hop and Iranian traditional music in a creative way. Mahdyar's production on Jangale Asfalt has nonetheless set a new benchmark in the evolution of Persian rap, with tracks like "Vatan Parast" serving as the fusion of Iranian/Middle Eastern harmonies and pounding urban protest music.After an interview with Nasim-E-Haraz magazine regarding the release of his first mainstream album in 2006 with Hichkas, Mahdyar faced pressured from the Iranian government. This was the most influential collaboration between Hichkas and Mahdyar and music they produced together was listened throughout Europe and Iran, so much so the government noticed the artists as a threat to the culture of Iran and had his name listed as a threat, despite use of traditional Iranian instruments and strong nationalistic lyrics.
In 2009 Mahdyar composed the original soundtrack for the film No One Knows About Persian Cats. The film criticizes Iranian government policies regarding underground music. No One Knows About Persian Cats success at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival got part of the crew of the film in trouble with Iranian authorities. The pressure resulted in Mahdyar leaving his family behind at the age of 20 and he fled to Berlin then to Paris where he currently resides. He is busy with the production for couple of albums including Hichkas's forthcoming album and his own debut album
Soundtracks
Feature films
- 2009: No One Knows About Persian Cats
- 2014: Rosewater
- 2014: ''Desert Dancer''
Short films
- 2008: The Official Prince of Persia
- 2010: ''Demandez au Vent''
Documentaries
- 2010: Cultures of Resistance
- 2011: Chroniques d'un Iran Interdit
- 2015: K2 and the Invisible Footmen
- 2016: Cast from the Storm
- 2017: ''Burkinabè Rising''
Solo
Albums
- 2018: ''Seized''
Singles
- 2011: Weasels and Warcries
- 2011: New Bloom
- 2013: Bang
- 2016: Gomrok
- 2017: ''Money Money''
Production credits
2006
- Hichkas – ''The Asphalt Jungle''
2008
- Hichkas
2009
- Bahman Ghobadi – ''No One Knows About Persian Cats''
2010
2011
- The Tour of Duty EP
- Quf – ''Zir o Bam e Zirzamin''
2012
- Hichkas - Young N Foolish
- Fadaei - Adl EP
2013
2018
- Mahdyar Aghajani - ''Seized''
2020
2021
- Fadaei - Koli
- Fadaei - Bilit
- Fadaei - Fatehe
- Fadaei - Sarnegooni
- Shapur - Ghasem kojayi
- Fadaei - Az Karaj Ta Langerud
2022
- Fadaei - Hagh
- Shapur - Marg Bar Kolle Nezam
- Fadaei - Taskhir
- Fadaei - Meshki
- Shapur - Kerkere
2023
- Fadaei - Yadegari
- Fadaei - Achmaz
- Shapur - Miam Pishet
- Shapur - Faramooshi
- Shapur - Alaki
- Fadaei - Tehran
- Shapur - Dalghak
2024
- Shapur - Sagpedar
- Shapur - Fact
- Shapur - Batel
- Fadaei - Bolandtar
- Shapur - Darvish
- Fadaei - Balast
- Shapur - Kamin
- Fadaei - Ashegh
- Fadaei - Ma Yademoon Nemire
2025
- Shapur - Kavir
- Shapur - Sefid
- Fadaei - Mamoolan
- Fadaei - Khodafez