SORAsound

Mehran

mehran masoud as kids BI was born long before you in a small town in Iran. Growing up, I always felt different. In a good way, of course.

At age 13, my parents sent me to a boarding school in Tehran, called Alborz. Like all “Alborzis,” I remain proud of my education then. Needless to say, I will never send SORA to a boarding school, even if he continues not to kiss and hug me as much as I want him to.

When I finished my high school at age 17, I was awarded a full scholarship to study international relations at L’institut universitaire de hautes etudes internationales in Geneva, Switzerland.

On my flight to Geneva, I knew I was leaving Iran for good ….

So what happens when you send a young, (girl) deprived Iranian boy from humble beginnings to Geneva? He goes boogying. I discovered a great disco, called club 58 and became their youngest honorary member. Serious. I normally was one of the first to arrive there on Friday and Saturday nights, in my pretty bell bottom suit pants. I danced all night to many songs, of course including the Village People and soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever. I was always a few steps behind the rhythm. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun. Think of it as your vta being off a bit; you could still enjoy your music.

Two years later, in 1979, I left Geneva to go to Denton, Texas (University of North Texas). Not exactly the cultural mecca of America then (or now), and certainly not the best place for an Iranian champ to live then. But Denton had a great subculture and a great music scene. After a while, I fit right in.

I did most my schooling in America and have the following degrees:

  • M.B.A. (emphasis on organizations and strategy)
  • M.A. international management
  • M.S. computer science (emphasis artificial intelligence)
  • B.S. computer science
  • B.A. French

Since childhood, I have loved cultures and enjoyed people from the yonder, accents and their food. I speak a few languages and have lived and/or worked in over 20 countries. While living in Tokyo, I became seriously involved in analog audio as a hobbyist.

I started SORAsound in may 2003 based on a request from Hisayoshi Nakatsuka of ZYX, Inc. to distribute his ZYX cartridges in North America. SORAsound gave me the opportunity to put in practice some of my management consulting experience. But more importantly, SORAsound addressed two significant needs in my life: the love of meeting new and interesting people like you; and sharing the joys life can bring us, including music.