Iran - #53

In the 1960s and 70s, long-haired hippies and mods in the Imperial State of Iran cranked out psychedelic Rock and roll using fuzzed-out guitars and traditional sitars. Then in 1979, the Islamic Revolution swept away the old order. Western influences were outlawed and destroyed and tensions with the West created a climate of cultural isolation for decades. But in recent years, pre-revolutionary recordings have been unearthed. And thanks to the digital revolution, a group of underground artists in Tehran and in diaspora have taken contemporary Iranian music out of isolation onto the global stage.