After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, millions left the country and many settled in Los Angeles. Among them were musicians and industry professionals who had helped shape Iran’s pre‑revolution entertainment world. Out of that displacement emerged a distinct Persian‑language pop culture in Southern California that blended nostalgia, ambition and transnational influences.

Discotchari has now assembled a focused snapshot of that era. Released exclusively on vinyl, Tehrangeles Vice: Iranian Diaspora Pop 1983–1993 is a 12‑track compilation that anthologizes recordings made between 1983 and 1993. The title fuses “Tehran” and “Los Angeles,” while the “Vice” reference nods to the glossy, synth‑soaked aesthetics popularized by the TV series Miami Vice — an influence visible in some of the compilation’s production and visuals.

The curators describe the collection as an attempt to capture the bold, sometimes risky creative energy of Tehrangeles media — a cultural movement that pushed back against Iranian state orthodoxy and reshaped expatriate sensibilities abroad.

Available now from Discotchari and on Bandcamp, the release features 12 remastered tracks, full lyrics with translations, reproductions of each song’s original cassette artwork and a booklet of album notes exceeding 20 pages by Dr. Farzaneh Hemmasi, associate professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Toronto.

You can preorder or purchase the record directly from the label’s store:
Discotchari — Tehrangeles Vice.

How the Compilation Came Together

Co‑creator Zachary Asdourian says the project began after he and a partner moved to North Glendale, a neighborhood known for its Persian and Armenian businesses. A nearby shop called Pacific Video — usually shuttered and easy to overlook — ultimately became the source of a deep archival rabbit hole.

Inside the store they found shelves filled with Persian films, TV shows and stacks of cassette tapes and CDs. Among the discoveries was a CD copy of Fataneh’s Gol Va Atash; one cut, “Mola Mamad Jan,” with its breakbeat drum machines and bright synthesizers, signaled that there was a whole scene waiting to be explored.

Months of research followed. The compilers sifted through hundreds of candidate tracks and traced the labels, producers and musicians behind them. What began as casual digging became a committed archival effort, resulting in a curated twelve‑song sequence intended to convey the scene’s stylistic breadth and historical complexity.

The compilation is both a celebration and a recovery: a way to document artists and recordings that circulated largely outside mainstream channels, preserved in cassettes, local shops and the memories of immigrant communities. For listeners and researchers alike, Tehrangeles Vice offers a compact, carefully annotated portal into a vibrant chapter of Persian pop history.

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