An Iranian contemporary folk music group; reflecting the diversity of Iranian culture and its sonic features.
"Rastak," in Farsi, means a newly born plant that grows at the bottom of a tree. Sometimes it grows taller and stronger than the main tree itself. So, it can be interpreted as a plant with its roots in the ground, containing all the essential elements of life, when it is fully grown. We, the Rastak music group, like the "Rastak" natural process, have borrowed the background of our music from the roots of our history and culture. We have been using ethnic-based themes with our specific arrangement to connect with a more extensive range of the audience worldwide for years.
Rastak is one of the most well-known bands in Iranian contemporary folk music, which was formed as an experimental music group in 1997. The group seeks to collect, record, and interpret Iranian folk music for a global audience. Rastak incorporates language, culture, and history, merging traditional instruments and forms with contemporary rhythms. Rastak has been trying to combine well-known tunes with less well-known ones to shorten the generational gap and create a geographical bridge in the music of Iran.
It has been more than two decades past Rastak's music career. We all have grown up together. Initially, the band consisted of four people, including the players and the vocalists. Gradually, we grew up both in quality and quantity. Since the beginning of our journey, we have been collaborating with great musicians from different cultures resulting in mutual gratefulness and mercy. Rastak has been touched with an ethnomusicological approach, as most members are university graduates majoring in music.
Rastak has graced the stages of prestigious international festivals and concerts, serving as true ambassadors of Iranian folk music. With their unique fusion of traditional melodies and contemporary interpretations, they captivate audiences worldwide, sharing the rich and vibrant heritage of Iran.As a prominent name in the world music scene, Rastak has performed at renowned festivals and iconic venues in countries such as England, Austria, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Georgia, Belgium, Oman, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
Their music has resonated on global stages, including the Stockholm Culture Festival, The Spirit of Tengri, Santiago a Mil International Festival, BOZAR Festival, Dhaka International Folk Fest, Weengushk International Film Festival, Rainforest World Music Festival, and many more.
Whether performing at major festivals or intimate cultural gatherings, Rastak continues to celebrate the universal language of music, connecting hearts and transcending borders.
Rastak Music Group has always been dedicated to preserving and sharing the authentic essence of Iranian folk music. From the start, our mission has been to explore Iran’s rich cultural heritage by tracing melodies to their original sources. We’ve traveled extensively across the country—from remote villages to bustling towns—engaging with local communities, master musicians, and storytellers to discover the genuine and unaltered melodies and stories that define Iran’s diverse traditions.
Our passion for world music and cultural preservation inspired us to document these journeys. Through these travels, we captured the vibrant history, customs, and artistic expressions of Iran’s many regions on camera, resulting in three captivating documentaries. These films offer a rare window into the origins of Iranian folk music and the cultural stories that influence our art, making them a unique resource for anyone passionate about world music, cultural history, and the timeless connection between music and storytelling.
Iran has long been a melting pot for different cultures, each maintaining its own rich heritage alongside the country's ancient culture. A prime example of this diversity is the wide range of folk music and traditional heritage. "All My Homeland People" is Rastak's second album released in 2010, aiming to revive these tunes. Rastak aspires to play a part in preserving folk songs and showcasing the deep roots and rich history of Iranian culture to the world This documentary delves into the various ethnicities and their music, featuring interviews with folk musicians and masters to provide a comprehensive overview of this rich and intricate musical tradition. Iranian folk music is an integral part of the world's musical heritage, and the hope is that this music will help share its beauty and richness with a wider audience.
Rastak's 3rd album, "Sornay-e Nowruz," includes 6 audio and video tracks from Bushehr, Fars, Mazandaran, Kermanshah, Baluchestan, Azerbaijan, Gilan, and Kurdistan. In this documentary, we explore different ethnicities through their music. We also interviewed many folk musicians and masters to overview this rich and complex music comprehensively. In memory of Abolhasan Khoshroo, Parvin Bahmani, and Farhad Gorginpoor.
Rastak Music Group has always been dedicated to preserving and sharing the authentic essence of Iranian folk music. From the start, our mission has been to explore Iran’s rich cultural heritage by tracing melodies to their original sources. We’ve traveled extensively across the country—from remote villages to bustling towns—engaging with local communities, master musicians, and storytellers to discover the genuine and unaltered melodies and stories that define Iran’s diverse traditions.
Our passion for world music and cultural preservation inspired us to document these journeys. Through these travels, we captured the vibrant history, customs, and artistic expressions of Iran’s many regions on camera, resulting in three captivating documentaries. These films offer a rare window into the origins of Iranian folk music and the cultural stories that influence our art, making them a unique resource for anyone passionate about world music, cultural history, and the timeless connection between music and storytelling.
Iran has long been a melting pot for different cultures, each maintaining its own rich heritage alongside the country's ancient culture. A prime example of this diversity is the wide range of folk music and traditional heritage. "All My Homeland People" is Rastak's second album released in 2010, aiming to revive these tunes. Rastak aspires to play a part in preserving folk songs and showcasing the deep roots and rich history of Iranian culture to the world This documentary delves into the various ethnicities and their music, featuring interviews with folk musicians and masters to provide a comprehensive overview of this rich and intricate musical tradition. Iranian folk music is an integral part of the world's musical heritage, and the hope is that this music will help share its beauty and richness with a wider audience.
Rastak's 3rd album, "Sornay-e Nowruz," includes 6 audio and video tracks from Bushehr, Fars, Mazandaran, Kermanshah, Baluchestan, Azerbaijan, Gilan, and Kurdistan. In this documentary, we explore different ethnicities through their music. We also interviewed many folk musicians and masters to overview this rich and complex music comprehensively. In memory of Abolhasan Khoshroo, Parvin Bahmani, and Farhad Gorginpoor.
For the past two decades Rastak's experimental music works of art, its deep research and fieldwork has focused on the sonic features of Iranian folklore and its diverse multicultural ethnic groups resulting in different compositions like movie soundtrack, theatre text music, six music albums and eight single tracks.
Album: Essentials
Author: Neil van der Linden
Songlines Magazine December 2023 issue (#193)
We often associate Iranian music with long, melancholy pieces. But Persian culture is rich in folkloric music as well, rooted in local traditions, in which dance is an essential ingredient.
In the current official image and turmoil of the country, dance is often being overlooked. However, it is clearly present in the many local music styles that Rastak studied, resulting in this compilation of sorts - almost all of the tracks are newly arranged and recorded versions of songs they've previously recorded. Not without reason one of the group's previous albums was named Dance with Rastak. To create a crowd of dancing Iranians, put this album on the sound system. And others will join.
The tracks are their own remakings of music from all over Iran, this time from Kerman to South-Azerbaijan, and from Gilan to Shiraz, with here and there surprising arrangements. Take for instance the chord changes halfway through the track'Raana'. The signature track, 'Baroon', based on a famous tune from Lorestan, is in triple and quadruple metres, but has some of those complex rhythms that urge any listener to get on the floor. At the same time, these rhythms may puzzle a relative outsider about where to put their feet, but after they've got the skills, a massive communal party frenzy will have begun.
Yet, even in some of the jolliest tracks on Essentials there is always that touch of longing for the 'something else' that we know from the more classical Iranian poetry and music as well. But there are enough reasons on this album to try to dance the night, and the day, away.
Album: Tales of Earth and Sun
Author: Simon Broughton
Songlines Magazine July 2025 issue (#209)
The Iranian group Rastak have been going for over 25 years, although in recent years they’ve relocated from Iran to Istanbul. They say their aim is to “interpret Iranian folk music for a global audience” and with a seven-piece ensemble including plucked tar, setar, electric oud and qanun, bowed kamancheh and percussion it’s a compelling sound world. The six tracks on this album come from different regions of Iran plus one from Afghanistan, which shares the Farsi language. It opens with ‘Havar Havar’ which combines several melodies from the south of the country on the Persian Gulf. They do a similar thing with ‘Dora Dora’ featuring melodies from Lorestan, with some nice kamancheh solos, an instrument particularly featured in the region. They describe ‘Aman Hey Aman’ as a “narrative of their artistic journey from past to present”, featuring Kurdish tunes, the plucked tanbur and driving frame drum. ‘Halo Halo’ is a tribute to the people of Balochistan in the east. The Afghan track is the popular ‘Zim Zim’ by Ahmad Zahir, the ‘Afghan Elvis’. Their final song ‘Azadi’ (Freedom) is also rooted in Kurdish music with a strong rhythmic thrust and evokes other recent songs in Iran and Afghanistan – like Shervin Hajipour’s ‘Baraye’, written after the death of Mahsa Amini, and Elaha Soroor’s ‘Naan, Kar, Azadi’ (Bread, Work, Freedom) – calling for women’s rights.
