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Artist
Armik
12+ albums
Flamencoinstrumentalguitaracoustic guitarlatin
about
Armik, a prolific Iranian-Armenian flamenco guitarist and composer of bravura, guitar works enjoys great popularity around the world. As a guitarist, he is one of the most adulated virtuosos of the Nuevo Flamenco genre, having attained this stature by virtue of his commanding presence among Billboard Magazine’s Top Ten New Age Artists of 2004, 2005 and 2006. His recordings emphasize the prodigious technique that he constantly hones. Armik was born in Iran of Armenian descent. When he was just seven years old, he pawned his watch for a classical guitar, which he hid and practiced on in the basement. Formal music lessons followed and Armik completed a rigid instructional regimen in just two years. At 12, he was a professional recording artist. While his early career focused mostly on jazz, Armik discovered the beauty and passion of Flamenco while visiting and studying in Spain during the 1970s when he saw the legendary Paco de Lucia perform. Driven by a fire for the tradition that has defined his musical life ever since, the young musician immediately switched from his Jazz guitar for an in-depth journey to the heart of Spanish music. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue this new direction, playing with other artists live and in the studio. By 1994 he released his solo debut album RAIN DANCER, a critical and commercial success that he followed with 1995's GYPSY FLAME. At this point, Armik's reputation as a performer and student of flamenco was such that expert Spanish luthier
