Rostam Mirlashari, Prince of Baluchi Music

A delightful meeting point between Baluchi, Persian, Kurdish, Afghan and Swedish music traditions; Golbang creates musical magic, giving the audience the opportunity to treat themselves to one of the loveliest voices ever in a groovy interplay for peace and love.

Golbang is a modern and limitless world music band with an entirely unique sound. The band name is Persian for “the song of the nightingale”, and the eight members have, among others, Persian, Baluchi, Kurdish, Afghan and Swedish roots. An important part of the Golbang magic is the distinct sounds from different cultures -that are present in all their songs – as well as their improvisational ability.

In many ways, Golbang is a reflection of the nine members of the group, and each song can be performed in at least eight different ways. The variety of rhythms that the band uses can transform into completely new shapes, depending on who is listening and who is interpreting.

The band was originally founded in 1994 and after 2000; it was revamped with professionally trained folk musicians from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. By then, they had already started experimenting with combining Scandinavian folk melodies with African rhythms and Middle Eastern influences.

“Incredibly beautiful, incredibly warming” are the words, Claes Olson uses to describe the Golbang record “Morid” on the music site Simba. The most powerful piece is the one that has inspired the name of the album: “Morid”. From the poetic search to the encounter between East and West (in this case, folk tones from Dalarna), a universal love goes hand in hand with a rarely experienced emotional strength. To best describe Golbang’s progressive world music, colorful is just the beginning. While it is true that the numbers with the most Eastern influence are the most ardent, their interpretation of the Swedish folk song ‘Allt under himmelens fäste’ is also stunningly beautiful.

Sofia Lilly Jönsson talks about music in SvD and writes the following: “The Golbang world pop music found its home in the Swedish world of folk music (…). [The record] has the explicit purpose of creating music for comfort and joy. But in contrast to the calm music for those who grieve, it is impossible to sit still when listening to ‘Gallawêja’, and oh how beautifully Rostam Mirlashari sings in ’Sabzast’.”

The music magazine Lira describes the Golbang live concert: “Rostam Mirlashari still has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, and it fits as perfectly in peacefully quiet melodies as in more intense pieces.”

Today, Golbang is one of the most popular world music ensembles in Scandinavia. They have four records and have performed on most of the largest Scandinavian music stages as well as several international ones. The band has received a lot of positive attention in the media. For example, DN writes: “Throughout the Golbang record ‘Setareh’, the seasons change seamlessly and you cannot decide which one is the most beautiful. The singer Rostam Mirlashari must have one of Sweden’s most beautiful and seductive voices.”

Lotta Johansson, producer at Musikens hus in Rättvik, states that “Rostam must have one of the best voices in Sweden! It’s clear, sensuous, moving and it tells experiences beyond words.”

Lotta Johansson continues her presentation of the record “Morid”: “I do not know of another group with such a musical width, this is what world music sounds like when musicians from different cultures find each other and truly interact. The music is traditionally Persian, symphonically Western, popular and folky – it is ingenious, nuanced, modern and still recognizable.”

This is world-class world music not to be missed!

Photo:Martin Baretta

Latecomers may not be admitted

Sunday July 28, 2019