Mahdyar Aghajani (; born 22 January 1989) is a musician, record producer and composer born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He raised the standard of Iranian underground music, using Persian traditional instruments (such as oud, santoor, daf, tombak, ney, kamancheh and qanoon) in electronic and hip hop music. Career In 2005 Hichkas released the first Iranian hip hop album Jangale Asfalt (The Asphalt Jungle). Mahdyar Aghajani, musician and producer of this album, integrated hip hop and Iranian traditional music in a creative way. Mahdyar's production on Jangale Asfalt has nonetheless set a new benchmark in the evolution of Persian rap, with tracks like "Vatan Parast" ("The Patriot") serving as the fusion of Iranian/Middle Eastern harmonies and pounding urban protest music. After an interview with Nasim-E-Haraz magazine regarding the release of his first mainstream album in 2006 with Hichkas, Mahdyar faced pressured from the Iranian government. This was the most influential collaboration between Hichkas and Mahdyar and music they produced together was listened throughout Europe and Iran, so much so the government noticed the artists as a threat to the culture of Iran and had his name listed as a threat, despite use of traditional Iranian instruments and strong nationalistic lyrics. In 2009 Mahdyar composed the original soundtrack for the film No One Knows About Persian Cats. The film criticizes Iranian government policies regarding underground music. No One Knows About Persian Cats success at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival got part of the crew of the film in trouble with Iranian authorities. The pressure resulted in Mahdyar leaving his family behind at the age of 20 and he fled to Berlin then to Paris where he currently resides. He is busy with the production for couple of albums including Hichkas's forthcoming album and his own debut album Soundtracks Feature films 2009: No One Knows About Persian Cats 2014: Rosewater 2014: Desert Dancer Short films 2008: The Official Prince of Persia 2010: Demandez au Vent Documentaries 2010: Cultures of Resistance 2011: Chroniques d'un Iran Interdit 2015: K2 and the Invisible Footmen 2016: Cast from the Storm 2017: Burkinabè Rising Solo Albums 2018: Seized Singles 2011: Weasels and Warcries 2011: New Bloom 2013: Bang 2016: Gomrok 2017: Money Money Production credits 2006 Hichkas – The Asphalt Jungle 01. "Moghaddame" 02. "Dide o Del (feat. Reveal, Amin Fooladi and Bidad)" 03. "Ekhtelaf" 04. "Man Vaystadam" 05. "Introduction" 06. "Ghanoon" 07. "Vatan Parast (feat. Reveal