Review: Calid - NOWROZ 1405 (Kabul Fire Records)

Afghan singer and guitarist Calid presents 'NOWROZ 1405', an EP standing at the intersection of memory, exile, and rediscovery, released on Kabul Fire to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

This EP is a collection of reinterpretations of songs that emerged from one of the most culturally rich periods in Afghan history, before decades of war fractured its artistic continuity. These songs were never just entertainment; they were emotional documents of their time. Through stripped-down arrangements and an intimate vocal approach, Khalid reconstructs these works not as replicas, but as living memories. Each song carries themes of love shaped by impermanence, love interrupted by migration, war, distance, and time. This EP is not nostalgic. It is an act of presence.

1. Deeshab (Originally performed by Ustad Sarban) “Deeshab ba khuda khumar bodam” — Last night, by God, I was intoxicated. This song exists in the fragile space between reality and imagination. The intoxication Sarban speaks of is not from wine, but from love itself, an altered state where the beloved becomes both real and unreachable. Sarban, one of the most profound voices of Afghan classical music, lived his final years in obscurity and poverty, a fate tragically common for artists whose work once defined an era. His voice carried a depth that could not be replicated, only remembered. In this reinterpretation, Khalid approaches the song as a quiet confession rather than a declaration. The intoxication becomes internal, almost whispered, a private surrender to longing, where the beloved exists not in front of him, but within him. Love here is not possession. It is dissolution.

2. Pekhwanai Mina (Originally performed by Naghma & Mangal) “Pekhwanai Mina” speaks from the ruins of a love that still breathes. Naghma and Mangal, one of Afghanistan’s most iconic musical duos, embodied the emotional chemistry their songs described. Their voices did not simply sing to each other, they belonged to each other. This song reflects on a love that exists only in memory. It is not dramatic or tragic. It is quiet. Mature. Inevitable. Khalid’s interpretation removes the ornamental layers and leaves only the emotional skeleton. What remains is not heartbreak, but recognition, that love does not disappear. It transforms into something invisible but permanent. A presence that no longer speaks, but never leaves.

3. Baran (Originally performed by Ustad Biltoon) “Baran” was born during a time of war, when love had to survive alongside uncertainty. The rain in this song is both literal and symbolic. Outside, the world is unstable. Inside, the singer prepares a space, the dalaan, the heart of the home. In rural Afghan life, the dalaan was not just a dining room, but a place of gathering, protection, and intimacy. By inviting his beloved inside, he is offering more than shelter from rain. He is offering refuge from the world itself. Khalid’s interpretation emphasizes this fragility. The dalaan becomes a metaphor for emotional safety, a space built not with walls, but with devotion. Outside, everything collapses. Inside, love persists.

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://calid.bandcamp.com/album/nowroz-1405

Artists: Calid

Release: NOWROZ 1405

Release Date: 20th March, 2026

Label: Kabul Fire Records)

Cat. No. TBC

Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Farhot - RAQS (105-118BPM)(Kabul Fire Records)

From Afganistan to Hamburg, DJ Farhot has found 'RAQS' to share on the dancefloor.

It seems a lifetime ago, 20 years in fact, that I firsts spotted the name DJ Farhot on the production/engineer credits on Nneka's album 'Victim Of Truth'.  That was on CD, the album was re-issued a couple of years ago as a double LP, and the power of her vocals still stands up today.

And not only has Farhot had a hand in most of here subsequent albums, he runs his own label Kabul Fire Records, he's half of 'Die Achse' (with Bazzazian) along with production credits for Giggs, Kano, Talib Kweli, LOC and many more along with his own Kabul Fire Vol. 1 & 2.

Hip-hop meets Batov Middle-Eastern vibes on this 5 track EP as 'MARS' set that 'RAQS': which translates as the Dari word for "dance"; in Arabic, three root letters, ra, qa, sa = to dance.

In true underground hip-hop fashion, you'll find samples from Egypt, Lebanon, Somalia and further a far as these tracks take on a synth, psych Wedding dance celebration for the Flute Gang, particularly 'Ya Saghira' which has a very sharp ending.

For Afgan-Hamburg House, 'Hooyoo' (with Siriusmo) is the most WOMAD friendly - especially as it's the longest track with sing-a-long chants, a funky guitar lick, a wicked organ and a bit of dub echo; what more do you want?

'Yana' (with Daniel Kimaz, the flautist on The Mighty Mocambos' album 'A Higher Frequency' that was released last month, see review HERE) and 'Al Quds' (with Bazzazian) which both have a touch of Stones Throw 'golden era' about them as if Daedelus was transported to North Africa.

 

The vinyl is super limited so get your feet off the ground and onto your likely suspect record shops quick before they run out.

BUY LINK: https://idol-io.ffm.to/raqs105118bpm

Artist:  Farhot

Title: RAQS EP

Release date: 25th July, 2025

Label : Kabul Fire Records

Catalog Number : TBC

Format: Digital / Bandcamp