Mehrpouya - Soul Raga

Our review
Customer reviews
Press release

4...according to our Phil on Thu 22 Apr, 2010.

We did score some copies of the Iron Man 7" by Soreng Santi but they all went on pre order. Soz folks. We still have a handful (as I type) of this Persian funk classic Soul raga by Mehr Poiya which is a weird mix of 70's Blaxploitation funk and 60's Middle Eastern psyche. It's one of those records that you've probably not heard before but if you listen to it you'll think you've heard it before. You know the types? Anyway this is a fun and lively tune and the sort of thing which pretty much anyway with ears will like. It's the musical equivalent of a U in cinema ratings.... if you know what I mean. He looks like a total ladies man on the cover as well and I'm pretty sure he's hairier than Robin Williams.

Stupendously rare Persian psych funk gem by Mehrpouya, celebrating the launch of ‘Pomegranates’,
the latest release on Finders Keepers picture sleeve and block type-centric Compacta Series.

Like many other countries, the 60s and 70s were a time
of tumult in Iran, bringing growth (via petrodollars) and
freedom (under the banner of socioeconomic development)
while exacerbating inequalities within the country.

The music and voices that blossomed during those
decades exemplify the turbulence and excitement of
the age. It is worth recognizing these ‘left out’ and ‘lost’
artists individually and as a group in the global happenings
of 60s / 70s psych, rock and folk, while exploring their
influence and relevance to the present day. Is it possible
that there is a genus of delectable sounds and fetching
images that almost exclusively reside in the elbowroom of
memory and nostalgic ‘yesteryear’ storytelling? Little
consideration has been given to the correlation of these
sounds and stories within the universal psychedelic
phenomena, parallel to the shared stylistics of British and
American players, and the radical politicking of their Turkish
and Korean counterpart