Electronic Persia: The Album That Blurred the Line Between Folk and Futurism

Dariush Dolat-Shahi’s Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar fused Persian tradition with synthesized experimentation, crafting a sound both timeless and otherworldly. Long overlooked, his visionary work has resurfaced on vinyl — briefly.

Dariush Dolat-Shahi’s Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar, just reissued by Dead-Cert Records on vinyl in extremely limited quantities, is a rare album that merges Persian classical instrumentation with experimental electronic techniques. Originally released in 1985 by Folkways Records, it features the tar and sehtar, two traditional Persian string instruments, layered with modular synthesis, tape manipulation and field recordings. The result is a hypnotic, otherworldly fusion where plucked melodies drift through synthetic pulses, processed textures and the ambient sounds of birds and storms.

Dolat-Shahi recorded much of this material while studying at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, where he had access to early modular synthesis tools. Unlike purely academic electronic compositions of the time, his music remains deeply tied to Persian musical traditions, giving it a sense of fluidity and organic movement despite the contrast between acoustic and electronic elements. Synth tones often mimic or extend the voice of the tar and sehtar, sometimes blending seamlessly and at other times creating jarring contrasts that push the music into new territory.

Long overlooked, the album was reissued by Dead-Cert Records, a brilliant label co-founded by Andy Votel of Finders Keepers. Dead-Cert specializes in unearthing obscure and experimental recordings with an emphasis on electronic pioneers and outsider music. Their catalog includes reissues of forgotten innovators like Ruth White and Tom Dissevelt, connecting archival preservation and left-field musical discovery.