Farya Faraji & World Musicians

I have launched an official site where the methodology behind my (and my colleagues' work) is explained thoroughly:

www.faryafarajiofficial.com/

If you are subscribed to this channel for the informational and educational value it contains, please consider sharing this link on social media. I will begin building an archive of articles on the site where the creative process behind many of the songs will be explained from their ethnomusicological point of view.

For example, I currently have an article on Belisarius, how it reflects the living traditions of Aegean bagpipe music, the research behind it, its ethnomusicological roots, etc.

Because inaccurate descriptions of the channel’s methodology often circulate online and are increasingly amplified by AI search tools, I wanted to create a permanent, authoritative reference point where the research process, collaborations, and ethnomusicological foundations behind the work are clearly documented.

Sharing it will be immensely appreciated, thank you.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,396

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

Reminder that many of the songs you can't find on this channel have been moved to my second channel, Farya Faraji's Boiling Hub: youtube.com/@FaryaFarajisBoilingHub

It's where I reupload old projects from pre-2022 that were made for a variety of other projects like indie video games or documentaries, before this channel grew into its ethnomusicological mission.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1,067

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

"Why is your Epic music not that epic sounding? It sounds weak compared to most orchestral battle music on YouTube."

This is a frequent enough comment so I'll answer it here, because it perfectly illustrates the distinction between vibes-based music from modern media, and cultural traditions, the latter of which is where my channel operates.

The people asking this question operate with the pop-culture definition of "epic music", aka: "cinematic epic Two Steps From Hell orchestral Hans Zimmer.exe," and they assume the "epic music" I post is supposed to be that, an assumption derived from the popular understanding of what "epic music" means.

Yet that is the specific kind of music I *don't* make: cinematic epic music. Because this channel is about promoting the traditional music of the world's various cultures, staying true to their authentic sonority.

Epic music, in the context of ethnomusicology and anthropology means: the music of cultures associated with their epic narrative traditions. Stories of warriors, adventures, myths, cycles of kings and heroes; those are referred to as the "epics" of cultures. When sung with their music, you get "epic music." The Iliad, Akritic songs, heroic folk ballads... these are what Epic Music as a term originally describes.

So people find music I post titled "epic," and assume "ah, so this music is about sounding cinematic and epic first and foremost." And when it doesn't sound like "orchestral Warhammer battle music playlist," they assume it's a failure to achieve "epicness." If the culture in question does have a naturally powerful sound, they assume it's because we specifically wanted to create an "epic cinematic track," and that this must be the entire point of the channel's music: to create mass-audience appeal cinematic bangers with historical/ethnic vibes.

In simpler terms: the associations of cinematic orchestral compositions that "epic music" carries in pop culture are so strong, that people routinely override the epic music of different cultures with said associations. So that even when the work done here is dealing in old traditions and maintaining their authenticity, you'll still find the average Internet forum and AI search engine describing this channel as "innovative epic cinematic soundscapes." A description that misconstrues a project that presents traditional sounds linked to epic repertoires through research and collaboration, and worse yet, credits me personally for the sounds heard in the songs, when all I did was collect them from existing traditions.

The Epic Byzantine series presents modern Greek traditional music rooted in Byzantine musicological parametres and folklore (Akritic songs, island ballads, etc), staying true to each region's music by working with musicians of those cultures.

The Epic Celtic series presents music and texts from the various epic poetry traditions of Amerghin, Ulster cycles, etc, staying true to each region's music by working with musicians of those cultures.

etc, etc.

Epic music may primarily mean "powerful orchestra music" in Internet speak, but while both usages exist, this channel operates with the older one, which refers to age-old traditions of narrative transmission through music. Understanding this distinction between epic music vs epic music is but another step towards combating the vibe-ification of cultures.

kk thxx for reading xoxo byee

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 3,297

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

An unfortunately obvious post I have to make:

My channel's stance is that all cultures are worth promoting. And I don't make exceptions, no matter how bad the actions of a state associated with that culture can be.

Some people, depending on their geopolitical alignment, will continuously perform the hoo and ha of righteous indignation whenever I post music from a certain culture, and they will say "how dare you! this culture does/did bad things!"

Some Armenians will keep saying this whenever I post Turkish music, some Jews will keep saying this whenever I post Medieval Christian music, some Arabs will keep saying this whenever I post Jewish music, etc.

I reject this attitude, because at the heart of it is this necessary condition: that a culture, and the political actions of people from that culture, are to be considered one and the same, and not separated. But I refuse to accept this attitude.

Turkish bağlama music is not the Armenian genocide, Russian folk ballads are not the Ukraine war, America's bluegrass isn't the Iraq invasion, Canada's dance music is not the genocide of natives, and Sufi music isn't the slaughter of people in the name of Islamic theocracy.

As an Iranian, I know more than enough what it's like for people to collapse all nuance and distinction within your civilisation, and conflate it with the actions of the polity tied to it. I know more than enough what it's like for people to treat some love song from your culture as something that is noble to boycott because the current government of your country does horrifying things.

Therefore, even after tens of thousands of my people were mass-slaughtered in January by the orders of an Islamic theocracy, I will continue to show the beauty of Islamic music, because I refuse to collapse the actions of Iran's regime with the 12th century Sufi poetry of Yunus Emre, as if both being linked by the vague category of "Islam" somehow makes them one and the same. Even when America drops bombs on my country, accepting children's deaths as collateral damage, I will not stop singing American folk songs, because I refuse to collapse all of American culture into Trump's decisions.

As much as my heart wants to when I am hurting, I do not give in to the temptation of demonising all Muslims, or all Americans, because some, even many of them, harm my loved ones. I do not give in to the temptation of demonising their entire culture, and declaring all of it my enemy. I refuse to act like there's no distinction between America's bombs falling on innocent Iranians, and Joan Baez's guitar resonating in American folk, or that Alevi devotional songs to the Imam Ali deserve my hatred, just because the same Imam Ali is invoked by the Islamic Republic that slaughters my people.

I practice what I preach even when it concerns my, and my people's suffering. So when I post Azerbaijani music, when I post Hindu music, when I post Russian music... Armenians, Muslim Indian victims of radical Hinduism and Ukrainians don't have any special moral authority to lecture me, and perform the "shame on you, this is insensitive" dance when I post music associated with the groups that harmed them.

There are those who consider not hating the entire culture of the people who harmed them as betrayal. And when I don't do that; when I don't reject Russian culture, when I don't reject American culture, when I don't hate Arabic culture, they call me anti-Ukraine, an American imperialist, a traitor to Iranian victims of Arab conquest, etc, etc.

But I don't work on this channel for those people. I make it for those who understand this simple truth: when we demonise entire cultures due to the actions of political entities tied to it, we engage in one of the darkest instincts of humanity. An instinct that wallows in such bitterness and anger, that it becomes hateful... of music. Hateful of old ballads, hateful of notes, hateful of strings and poetry and sounds, and decides to view them as no different than bullets and bombs.

This channel is built on the notion that all cultures deserve appreciation. And yes, this also includes cultures tied to politically hated countries, like America and Russia.

And I will never stand down when it comes to this principle. I want to bring all cultures together using music. I can't do that if I treat some people and their music as tainted untouchables.

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 11,673

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

Just discovered this gem of a channel called My Life With Early Music, hosted by Ersnt Stolz, a professional musician and Dutch music teacher. He has loads of quality, historically informed renditions of historical music, especially from the European early modern repertoire, so be sure to check him out:

1 month ago | [YT] | 332

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

About Iran’s current protests:

Many are asking when I will release a song to show support for my compatriots in Iran. I am working on one.

Unlike other channels, I do not use AI or digital software. I put the revenue of this channel into paying real musicians. I make sure to work with Iranians living in Iran; this way, I can financially support them in the current collapsing economy.

However, since yesterday, the Islamic Republic has cut off the Internet in an attempt to defuse the mass uprising. An entire nation of 92 million people is now cut off from outside communication. How my colleagues, my family, and my loved ones are, I do not currently know. Many have died being shot down by the authorities. Countless are arrested and tortured as I write this.

More to the point: I cannot receive my colleagues' instrumental and vocal recordings, as they have no Internet to send them to me. This is what is slowing down the progress of the song, and as a sign of respect, I will not replace them, even if it means delaying the release of the song.

PS: For the pieces of trash who actively wish for the regime to stay in power "because it opposes Western imperialism..." Do unsubscribe, and help the channel filter out the filth. Because you are directly supporting a regime that violates human rights, one that has engaged in the torture, repression, and killing of its own people for four decades.

When a people are fighting for basic human rights in the face of one of the most regressive, brutal regimes in modern history, anyone who says "but have you considered how Israel/the US would benefit?!" is effectively saying...

that there is a conditional asterisk on some human rights.

That human rights and dignity are negotiable if they happen to be geopolitically inconvenient. This is not just a bad take. This is direct, open dehumanisation.

I am also opposed to Western imperialism and Israel's war crimes against the Palestinian people, but not to the point of turning a blind eye to another state's human rights abuses. The people who operate with the logic of: "I am against Israel's war crimes, and the Islamic Republic opposes those war crimes, therefore I'll give the Islamic Republic a pass on their totalitarian repression, state-rape, torture and executions..." such people have failed to achieve basic morality. Shockingly, it is possible to oppose Western imperialism, AND oppose the humanitarian crimes of an anti-Western dictatorship.

I believe in the universality of human rights. None are negiotable. But there are some who believe that some populations' basic human rights being abused is an acceptable tradeoff in the right context.

That opinion is morally bankrupt. It is awful. It is disgusting, and there is no place on this channel for people who accept any population's human rights abuses based on geopolitical campism. No one's human rights are negotiable. Not that of Palestinians, not that of Iranians.

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 7,387

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

Cool Christmas Carol from last year, check it out and Merry Christmas y'all

4 months ago | [YT] | 550

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

A song I made two years ago for the Iranian winter solstice celebration of Shab e Yalda, check it out

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 544

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

ravioli ravioli what's in the palatul parlamentului 🇷🇴🇷🇴

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4 months ago | [YT] | 5,214

Farya Faraji & World Musicians

Now that the Christmas season is incoming, if you haven't seen this one, make sure to watch. It's one of the videos/arrangements I'm proudest of on this channel, from my own country 🍁🍁🍁

5 months ago | [YT] | 484