Rostam Batmanglij
Encyclopedia
Rostam Batmanglij is a producer and multi-instrumentalist of New York
-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend
and co-founder of electro-soul group Discovery
.
while his father is a publisher. His parents are both Iranian
and arrived in D.C. ahead of the 1979 Iranian Revolution
.
, where he majored in music. They started the group in their senior year. The name of the group comes from the movie of the same name that Ezra Koenig and his friends made over summer vacations. (http://vimeo.com/28464) They self-produced their first album after graduation while concurrently working full-time jobs. Batmanglij primarily plays multiple instruments in the band but also acts as a lyricist, co-writing the song "Diplomat's Son" on Contra
. Bandmate Ezra Koenig has described himself and Batmanglij as "the two main songwriters in the band."
Batmanglij began recording with Ra Ra Riot
vocalist Wes Miles in a project which was to become the electro-funk group Discovery
. They released their debut album LP on July 7, 2009 on XL Recordings. The album features guest vocal contributions from Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig
and Dirty Projectors
' Angel Deradoorian
.
In 2010 Converse released "All Summer", written by Batmanglij and featuring himself along with Kid Cudi
and Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast
.
Rostam also releases solo work under the name Boys Like Us. He also works as a producer under the name ROSTAM, and has produced the track "The Trick" on the Das Racist
album, Relax
.
and talked about his homosexuality in the magazine Out
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
and co-founder of electro-soul group Discovery
Discovery (band)
Discovery is the American indie rock, electronic, funk recording project of Rostam Batmanglij, the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend, and Wesley Miles, the vocalist from Ra Ra Riot, friends who began recording together in the summer of 2005.-History:...
.
Background
Batmanglij grew up in Washington D.C. His mother is the distinguished Persian cookbook author Najmieh BatmanglijNajmieh Batmanglij
Najmieh Batmanglij is an Iranian-American chef and food writer.Hailed as “the guru of Persian cuisine” by The Washington Post, Najmieh Batmanglij has spent the past 30 years cooking, traveling, and adapting authentic Persian recipes to tastes and techniques in the West...
while his father is a publisher. His parents are both Iranian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and arrived in D.C. ahead of the 1979 Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.
Musical career
Batmanglij met the members of Vampire Weekend while attending Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he majored in music. They started the group in their senior year. The name of the group comes from the movie of the same name that Ezra Koenig and his friends made over summer vacations. (http://vimeo.com/28464) They self-produced their first album after graduation while concurrently working full-time jobs. Batmanglij primarily plays multiple instruments in the band but also acts as a lyricist, co-writing the song "Diplomat's Son" on Contra
Contra (album)
Contra is the second album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released in January 2010 on XL Recordings. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200...
. Bandmate Ezra Koenig has described himself and Batmanglij as "the two main songwriters in the band."
Batmanglij began recording with Ra Ra Riot
Ra Ra Riot
Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band from Syracuse, New York, consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, cellist Alexandra Lawn , violinist Rebecca Zeller, and drummer Kenny Bernard.-History:...
vocalist Wes Miles in a project which was to become the electro-funk group Discovery
Discovery (band)
Discovery is the American indie rock, electronic, funk recording project of Rostam Batmanglij, the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend, and Wesley Miles, the vocalist from Ra Ra Riot, friends who began recording together in the summer of 2005.-History:...
. They released their debut album LP on July 7, 2009 on XL Recordings. The album features guest vocal contributions from Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig
Ezra Koenig
Ezra Koenig is the lead singer and one of the guitarists of New York-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend.-Background:...
and Dirty Projectors
Dirty Projectors
The Dirty Projectors aka David Longstreth includes Amber Coffman , Angel Deradoorian , Brian McOmber , Nat Baldwin , and Haley Dekle during live performances...
' Angel Deradoorian
Angel Deradoorian
Angel Deradoorian is a Brooklyn-based musician best known for her work with Dirty Projectors. Deradoorian's debut EP, Mind Raft, was released under her surname on May 5, 2009 by Lovepump United Records. Her last name is of Armenian heritage...
.
In 2010 Converse released "All Summer", written by Batmanglij and featuring himself along with Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
and Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast
Best Coast
Best Coast is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, and is often categorized under the subgenres of garage rock, surf pop, and lo-fi. The band currently consists of Bethany Cosentino, who writes all of the band's songs and fronts the group, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, ...
.
Rostam also releases solo work under the name Boys Like Us. He also works as a producer under the name ROSTAM, and has produced the track "The Trick" on the Das Racist
Das Racist
Das Racist is an alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, New York City, composed of MCs Himanshu Suri , and Victor Vazquez and hype man Ashok Kondabolu...
album, Relax
Relax (Das Racist album)
Relax is the first commercially released album by New York hip-hop group Das Racist, following the success of their first two mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man. The album was released on September 13, 2011. The first single, "Michael Jackson", was released via iTunes on August 2, with a...
.
Personal life
Batmanglij is openly gayOuting
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
and talked about his homosexuality in the magazine Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
.