People of Ibiza: Bahramji
The Kurdish New Age musican Bahram Pourmand, better known by the artist name Bahramji, was born in 1952 in Kermanshah and has lived a peripatetic life that has seen him travel widely in India and the East. Since settling in Ibiza, Bahramji has become an intrinsic part of the island's northern music scene and a deeply respected elder of Ibiza's year-round community.
‘I have always walked my own path in this life. I grew up as the eldest son in a big and very loving family, simple and traditional, in Kermanshah, and I was always surrounded by musicians, singers and poets. The culture of my homeland is rich and full of mysticism and mythology. In 1977 I moved to India and there I met Osho. My musical career began in an ashram in Pune, greeting great musicians from all over the world. At that time, there was a wave of change-seekers from across the globe gathering in India, seeking to merge music, art and spirituality and I began playing with them. In some ways it was like what is happening in Ibiza now. Music and spirituality are about accessing the divine, about finding that place where joy and clarity and flow exist as one. The instrument that defines my music is the santour, a traditional Persian string instrument – it is said to create the sound of emptiness – and I also play the setar and the ney. When I sing, I often include Rumi’s lyrics, using mystical words that bridge the ages and combining these traditional elements with Western world music. I am grateful for my beautiful childhood culture for allowing me to create from this space of truth and experience.’
