Rabiz

Rabiz (in Armenian Ռաբիս or Ռաբիզ and in Russian рабис) is a youth-oriented pop genre of Armenian popular music with elements of Armenian folk music. Rabiz singers are with few exceptions male. Rabiz is characterized by catchy beats and dance type music and its subjects tackle mostly love and partying (known as kef), but also talk about love of family or the Armenian motherland. More recently rabiz songs have witnessed heavy instrumentation and arrangements and electronic dance music elements. According to many sources the term Rabiz stems from Russian phrase "рабочее исскуство" (raboche'e iskustvo) used during Soviet times, literally meaning "labour's art". However there are some who believe that the word comes from Turkish or Arabic roots. The word "rab" means creator or god, while Arabic name "aziz", which is used by many Armenians as meaning "darling" could perhaps be considered another root, thus referring to the genre performers as dear creators.Though large group of singers and their listeners refer to rabiz as a music genre, the term is also used widely to refer to a certain type of fashion and lifestyle. The Armenian language has also been affected by rabiz culture with a new vernacular developed as a sub-language. Criticized by many music critics, it has great similarities to Middle Eastern arabesque music. Main artists of the genre include Aram Asatryan, Tatoul Avoyan (known by the mononym Tatoul) and Hayko Ghevondyan (known as Spitakci Hayko or more commonly by the mononym Hayko). Popular amongst youth in Armenia, rabiz has more recently spread throughout the Armenian diaspora particularly in California where it is known as "LosAngelnots" (in Armenian Լոսանջելնոց). Many of the performers of the genre are now greatly popular with Armenian diaspora listeners as well.