BEIRUT GROOVE COLLECTIVE
Rami Obeid
aka DJ Stickfiggr · Co-founder, Beirut Groove CollectiveHalf Swedish structure, half Lebanese chaos: a designer and selector who has spent two decades proving the two were never opposites.
I met Rami very randomly in Beirut, on what happened to be a Swedish summer holiday, and the friendship has lasted ever since.
Over the years I have watched him behind the decks, and I have listened to him talk about visual identity, branding, graphic design, websites, and creative advertising with the kind of excitement most people reserve for falling in love. He speaks about Beirut and about Sweden with equal tenderness, two homes, two tempos, and he carries both in everything he makes.
He is also one half of the founding story of the Beirut Groove Collective, the crew that kept funk, soul, disco, rare grooves, and hip-hop alive in Beirut when nobody else would book them. He is truly amazing at what he does, and I want the world to be aware of his work. Start with his portfolio, then keep reading.
Leila
"My story begins in northern Lebanon in the late 1970s. I was born to a Swedish mother and a Lebanese father and grew up between two vastly different cultures, one rooted in structure and the other in chaos. These perspectives shaped how I see the world and continue to influence how I approach my work with curiosity, adaptability, and a deep appreciation for nuance.
My creative journey has taken me across continents, from Lebanon to the USA, UAE, UK, Sweden, and Canada, a path of constant learning and discovery that still continues today."
Rami ObeidSince 2002, Rami has collaborated with design studios, ad agencies, architects, and product designers on work for local and global brands, Red Bull, Samsung, Toyota, and Ooredoo Telecom among them. Independent since 2014, he works with businesses worldwide, building cross-cultural connections and bringing ideas to life.
What sets him apart is that the visual impact always sits on top of strategy. He is a problem-solver who happens to have impeccable taste, not the other way around. See it for yourself at ramihobeid.com.
In 2009, two of Lebanon's pioneer DJs, Ernesto Chahoud and Rami Obeid aka DJ Stickfiggr, founded the Beirut Groove Collective with the support of fellow artists: writer Ramsay Short, VJ artist Nadim Saoma, filmmaker Helena Forsell, and painter and trombonist Tom Young aka Tom Bone. The goal was simple and remains so: to document, promote, and preserve the best in African and African-influenced musical traditions, particularly Black American strains of jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, rare groove, and hip-hop.
At the time, Beirut's offerings in this register were sparse and mostly commercial. There was little appreciation for the rich heritage behind the generic R&B and rap filling the clubs and corporate airwaves. So, with a group of equally dedicated DJs and music connoisseurs, the BGC began doing something new: house-party events in alternative, community-oriented spaces, deliberately echoing the underground funk and soul parties of 1970s America and Africa.
That summer, music journalist and filmmaker Jackson Allers, aka Brother Jackson, joined, and with the fourth member, Ghayyan Al-Amine aka Heavy G, the BGC grew into the Middle East's premiere stop for all things funky, soulful, and alternative. The guest list tells the story:
By 2010 the collective was traveling with its musical philosophy, Ernesto appearing in Paris and the crew linking with kindred movements worldwide, all with the same aim: breaking down cultural and racial barriers while presenting the best in rare African-influenced sound. This is the BGC as I first knew it, from our archive, and the spirit has never changed.
For a deeper dig into Beirut's musical strata, do not miss this gem: Bourj Hammoud Beat, the Armenian diaspora scene of the 1960s and 1970s, on Mixcloud.
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About Antakly Projects
Antakly Projects has been in conversation with artists and creatives from around the world since 2003.
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