I was born in Tehran in July 1965 and grew up in Khorramshahr, a city on the Persian Gulf that was destroyed by Iraqi forces in 1981. Living in Khorramshahr introduced me to the diverse music of southern Iran, influenced by Persian, Arabic, and African cultures. In high school, I developed an interest in electronic music and was introduced to the world of Western music during a trip to Great Brita
in in the summer of 1979. Unfortunately, shortly after my return, the Islamic Revolution took place and artistic activities became difficult under the new regime. Despite these challenges, I formed a band called "The Human Beast" in 1981 and began to incorporate the piano into my music. However, the war with Iraq and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism made it impossible to continue making music in Iran. At the age of 16, I moved to the United States to further my education. After graduating from high school in Las Vegas, I attended California State University in Sacramento, where I performed the very first electronic music concert at the college in 1987. After graduation, I returned to Iran in 1991 and focused on composing music for theater, television and film. My second album "Angel of Thoughts" was released in San Francisco in 1994, and my theater music for "The Story of the Fairy" was nominated for "Best Theater Score" at the Fajr International Festival in Tehran in 1995. The idea of forming a band took shape in 2013 when a project called "Peace in the Persian Literature" was launched. Originally consisting of 15 poems by various Persian poets (some dating back a millennium), the project focused on themes of "peace, harmony, comradeship, tolerance, love, joy of life, humanity and respectful coexistence." This initiative eventually led to the formation of BANAFSH (which means "purple" in Persian) on October 27, 2013, and from then on, I embraced the musical tastes (or colors, as we call them in the band) of the talented members of the band and explored the fusion of electronic music with traditional Iranian instruments such as the oud, the kamanche, and various percussion instruments. For years, the classification of BANAFSH's genre remained elusive until a pivotal moment in 2016 when a creative shift occurred. The inclusion of a dynamic array of elements such as acting, visuals, and theatrical lighting, and later the introduction of contemporary dance, led to a distinct direction in our music. The result is a compelling form of "Theater Music," that holds its own in the larger artistic canon and reflects a multidisciplinary approach to creativity. Theater Music is a genre that transcends traditional forms and enriches its artistic expression through an interplay of elements such as structure, mood, and situation. In our performances, music tracks transition seamlessly into monologs, dialogues, and dance, complemented by realistic and surreal visual elements that underscore the show's themes. While the music is central, the entire production is balanced, with all elements working together harmoniously to convey our messages of "peace and love," "justice," and "protest songs" The genre of BANAFSH is unequivocally that of Theater Music.
