Tehrangeles is the Los Angeles-based diaspora Persian pop built by the Iranian community after the revolution: bright, synth-and-dance-beat 1980s-style production carrying Persian-language vocals and Persian melody. It preserved the hedonistic pop forbidden at home, in the freedom of exile, and much of it is light, danceable pop.

The name 'Tehrangeles' fuses 'Tehran' and 'Los Angeles' and refers to the large Iranian émigré community in west LA. Singers and producers who had lost their livelihoods gathered there and delivered music to the worldwide Iranian diaspora via satellite broadcasts, cassettes and CDs.

Enjoy the mismatch of cheap, cheerful 1980s Western dance-pop synths with Persian-language vocals and Persian melody. Beneath the upbeat rhythms sit both the celebration and the homesickness of an exile community.

Andy's 'Hava Hava' is a classic example of the upbeat Tehrangeles dance-pop sound.

Even though satellite reception was illegal back home, many Iranian households quietly installed dishes to catch the Persian-language pop beamed out of Los Angeles.