DJ Maryam: Persian Techno Band Inside Iran!

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DJ Maryam: Persian Techno Band Inside Iran!

Postby CR » Sun Dec 18, 2005 9:52 am

DJ Maryam (Mahshar)
Persian Techno Band Inside Iran!


DJ Maryam and Earth's Children
DJ Maryam (Mahshar) and Earth's Children (Her Band)
(Mahshar va Farzandane Zamin)


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DJ Maryam and her band

DJ Maryam (Mahshar) and Her Band
Persian Techno inside Iran!
Fast Beat Persian Dance Techno .......


Top Hit Songs: Matarsak, Dokhtare Shahe Pariyoon (Ye Ye Ye)

DJ Maryam: Read the Second Interview with BBC (Persian)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story ... shar.shtml

DJ Maryam: Listen to Live Audio of Interview & Songs with BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/media/audi ... 029_dj.ram

DJ Maryam: Read the First Interview with BBC and Listen to new songs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/arts/story ... ryam.shtml

DJ Maryam: Listen and Buy CD
http://www.musicboxla.com/djmadjma.html

DJ Maryam Site
http://www.mahsharmusic.com

DJ Maryam: PNS Article (English)
Tehran Rocks to Forbidden Beat of 'D.J. Maryam'
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_a ... f2f2dd83e0

With most female singing prohibited by the Islamic state, frustrated young Iranians are tuning in to a mysterious voice that to them symbolizes freedom.

TEHRAN--Late at night in a taxi, the driver must smell my whiskey breath, for he plays the CD of a female singer.

Female singing, like drinking alcohol, is banned in Iran. Women can only sing for other women, with a special license from the Ministry of Culture and Guidance. They can sing in choirs or accompany other male singers in groups, but the lone female voice is considered too provocative. The fundamentalist stance: A woman's voice, like her hair, needs to be hidden from men because it is too much of a turn-on.

From my breath, the cabbie knows my politics. If you drink, you must be anti-regime. Political lines are drawn simply in this Islamic republic: the laxness of your Hejab, the lipstick you choose to wear and the kind of fun you like to have defines your politics.

The banning of female singing, of course, does not mean that men and women do not listen to female singers. There are ways to get around every social stricture. A thriving Iranian music industry based in Los Angeles churns out the latest pop music, which is widely disseminated here through satellite TV and radio, as well as black market CDs and tapes.

The voice coming from the taxi's radio is distinctive: techno-computerized, heavily auto-reverbed but somehow still youthfully sweet. This synthesized vocal effect -- the young, gel-haired cabbie informs me it was first used by Cher -- is extremely popular among Iranians. I think this is because the distorted voice sounds like a computerized avaaz (a traditional form of singing where the voice trembles deliberately), which is appealing to the Iranian ear.

"This is D.J. Maryam," the driver says. I ask, "A new import from L.A?" "No," he answers, "she is from Tehran. They caught her singing at a party, took her away and pulled all her teeth out. They have been holding her since."

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DJ Maryam's Move!

From that day on, every taxi I take seems to be playing D.J. Maryam, called "D.J." because of her use of computerized mixing. The stories about her arrest and disappearance become increasingly horrid. Some say they have cut off her tongue. Others say that her father is rich, but no amount of money can free her.

There is hardly a car full of youths from which you cannot hear the strange, sad and computerized voice of this young woman. Everyone from my conservative landlady to my devout housekeeper and the students in my class talk about what a great injustice this poor young woman has endured. One woman I know, who is very religious and works hard to support her entire family, told me that nowhere in the Koran is there a stricture against female singing. Her anger is revealing. She tells me, "Why do they not worry about the economy rather than what people listen to?" Because, I tell her, it is easier to stop people from doing something than it is to fix the economy.

Finally, in October, D.J. Maryam, trying to clear her name and put an end to rumors, gave an interview with BBC Farsi radio.

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DJ Maryam and her band

She told BBC that she is in fact an 18-year-old "moloodi" (religious/mystic music) singer who only performs for women. She complained that her music had been recorded and disseminated without her permission, and that rumors of her arrest were unfounded. Although she sings and dances to techno-pop, she says, she is a devout Muslim who would never perform in front of a mixed audience. She likes this genre of music because it has movement in it, and that is what is needed for progress.

At a party with some twenty-somethings, D.J. Maryam's music is playing again. I tell them about the BBC interview. Without hesitation, all claim that D.J. Maryam had been forced to talk the way she did. "This music does not come from the heart of a Hezbollahi (here loosely defined as all fundamentalist supporters of the theocracy). Another young woman says, "She is one of us -- just listen to her."

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DJ Maryam and her favorite Ancient Persian Statue
She holds the statue in her concerts!

In her interview, the woman says that D.J. Maryam is not her real name. When asked what her real name is, she betrays a desire and need to maintain the enigma surrounding her. "My name is Mahshar, daughter of the sun and the earth and sister of water and air," she says.

Whatever her identity, this young singer has become a pop idol in a nation where 50 percent of the population is under 25 years old. The forbidden voice of a woman singing to a techno-beat embodies both their frustration with the repressive regime and their desire for change. The lone voice of a woman, having been banned, has become a powerful weapon of opposition and resistance. Tehran rocks to the forbidden beat of D.J. Maryam.

PNS contributor Shahla Azizi is a Western-educated Iranian American who lives in Tehran with her two children. Her name has been changed.


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Last edited by CR on Sun Dec 18, 2005 10:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby CR » Sun Dec 18, 2005 10:05 am

DJ Maryam and Earth's Children
More pics


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DJ Maryam with her favorite Neutral (Not male or female) statue
The Persian Ostureh of Elam Statue, which she holds in concerts!


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A day you haven't learned a new, is a day lost!
User avatar
CR
Captain
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Posts: 1191
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2005 10:57 am
Location: Between Morocco & USA


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