Bei Ru

Baruir Panossian,^[1][2] better known by his stage name Bei Ru, is an Armenian-American music producer and composer, known for his blending of Middle Eastern rhythms with drums, electronic sounds, and live instrumentation.^[3]

Bei Ru is most well known for his well-received album Little Armenia (L.A.) an album created by using almost entirely Armenian samples of music. His sophomore album, Saturday Night at The Magic Lamp, blends electronica, Middle Eastern influences, live instrumentation, funk and hip-hop.^[4] He recently scored three songs for the film A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, an Iranian vampire western produced by Elijah Wood and distributed by Vice Films.^[5][6]

Early life

Panossian was born to Armenian immigrants from Lebanon in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, participating in Armenian cultural events and often traveling to his historic homeland which greatly influenced the development of his sound.^[7] Panossian often cites hearing the old Armenian records his parents would play growing up as a main influence in his music.^[2] Additionally, his childhood greatly impacted his development as a musician as he classical piano instruction for ten years in his youth. Starting in his early teens, Panossian became increasingly interested in hip hop and decided to pursue a career in DJing.^[1] At the age of 15, he saved up money from his job at a dry cleaners and bought his first set of musical equipment.^[8]

Career

In 2008, Bei Ru burst onto the Los Angeles hip hop scene with his self-released album "Beirut Gangster" in which he remixed Jay-Z's "American Gangster" with middle eastern influences and hip hop beats which prompted his first write-up in a music magazine by The Source.

References