hooshyar khayam/bamdad afshar: raaz

30M Records is a platform for a new generation of Persian musicians who are connecting provinces and cosmopolitan capitals, Iran and the world outside, tradition and contemporaneity, through their music. The label, created by German music industry veteran and Persia enthusiast, Matthias Koch aims at showcasing emerging Iranian talent to an international audience. "I believe in exchange and communication as a way to bring people closer together. Clear up misunderstandings, if you want. Music, to my mind, can be one of the most powerful tools in this regard." With a focus on musicians who are reviving the country's musical heritage by incorporating centuries old instrumentation and style in modern-day interpretations, production techniques and compositions, 30M Records bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary Iranian music. 30M shines a light on this new and yet overlooked scene of modern Iranian musicians who continue to draw on their past to create avant-garde music. "I believe that modern Iranian music which slowly starts to embrace the traditional musical heritage of the country, is probably one of the coolest music developments to happen in a while," muses Koch. 30M Records will be launched with its first album, Raaz ("Secret"). The project, a collaborative endeavor by musicians Hooshyar Khayam and Bamdad Afshar, aims to shed light on the few remaining artists and keepers of Iranian folk music tradition by incorporating the ancient Baluchi rhythms from the country's south within a mixed-medium frame of electronics, prepared piano, strings and vocal recordings.