Disquiet in Tehran (Siavash Amini)

Siavash Amini is an experimental composer living in Tehran, trying to live his life and hone his craft amid United States bombings and government crackdowns. Amazingly, he is still creating. August 28th will see release of his collaboration with the American theorist and poet Eugene Thacker, Songs for Sad Poets Vol. III (Hallow Ground). He’ll also soon drop a solo record, Beneath the Pine on Lawrence English's Room 40 label.

In this conversation, we talk about the war, Siavash's daily life, and what he'd like to ask of people on the left in the United States and Israel. We also dive into his two albums and his text-based composition techniques. For the full unedited conversation, become a member at mackhagood.com.

Finally, please consider joining Siavash's Patreon page. It's the best way that you can support a great artist going through the unimaginable.

Cited Media:

Music:

Mazen Kerbaj - Starry Night (2006)

Albums:

Siavash Amini & Eugene Thacker - Songs for Sad Poets, Vol. 1 & 2 (2022)

Siavash Amini & Eugene Thacker - Songs for Sad Poets, Vol. 3 (2025)

Siavash Amini - There Beneath the Pine (UNRELEASED)

Literature:

Sadegh Hedayat - Three Drops of Blood (1932)

Sadegh Hedayat - Buried Alive (1930)

Theorists/Writers:

Eugene Thacker - In the Dust of This Planet (2011)

Matt Finney

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
3:49 Daily Life in Tehran
7:58 Western Indifference
11:56 Art Under Fire
13:26 New Records
21:28 There Beneath the Pine
23:54 Persian Music Influence
26:47 Collaborating with Eugene Thacker
28:48 Songs for Sad Poets Origins
32:57 UTAU Vocals Technique
40:11 Nation States & Dialogue
47:36 Still Making Music

To read the full transcript click here.

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