Somewhere, huddled in a darkened corner of Club 400, you will find Infusion reporters trying to hide themselves from the beautiful people. Next to them you will find a DJ booth from which you can hear some wicked, funky tunes. The person responsible for those tunes is Lebanarmenisianese DJ, Jean B.

He, against his better judgement, is talking to Infusion …

So - Barkhoyan? Lebanese? Armenian? Give us a quick family history.
A: Father ( Lebanese-Armenian ) Mother ( Lebanese ) mix it up = Me (Lebarmenianese )

Beirut in the 70s / early 80s was a hot-spot. What are your childhood memories like? Happy? Confused?
A: HOT SPOT INDEED Born during the war, always running away moving places. Music was my only escape but it was happy as I got the chance to live the 70’s and 80’s music!

Where does the love of music come into your life? What was it that first inspired you to get on the decks?
A: My father is a guitar player, he used to play for me to sleep or to stop crying. At home we had an old turntable with a tape recording attached to it so whenever a record was on I use to put my hand, start scratching and not know what I was doing. But I was told by my parents that I use to love the sound of it…so sorry for The Beatles collection, Dad :D

Any childhood musical heroes that have stayed with you all this time?
A: U2, Depeche Mode, Madonna, Rolling Stones … Beatles …

You started playing on radio quite early. Talk us through your early radio days: what sorts of show would you play - what kind of music were you dropping at the time ...
A: I use to skip school and go to the radio ( Switch FM ) to watch the DJ’s spinning. After a year or two I had the chance to have my own radio show. That time it was all about Eurodance ( Ice MC, 2 brothers on the 4th floor ... ) so it was dance music 24/7 for me and few years later I joined MixFM, Lebanon’s #1 Dance Music Station.

aka Big Daddy -J? Really?!! How big are you. exactly? (anything less than 300lbs and we're rejecting that name!)
A: BIG DADDY-J it wasn’t about the lbs hahaha :D I had to choose between a few nick names to go on air with a jingle or wait another 6 month to have my jingles recorded in the UK.

If you had to choose between playing on radio and playing live, which would you choose?
A: I choose playing live. When I started on the radio it was a competition between the radios and the DJs, it was about who mixed better, who played the latest songs and the shows were live, as though you were in the club, and in those days I didn’t have the chance to play in clubs yet. Years later the radio shows started to be prepared before going on air and at the same time I started playing in clubs. It changed the way I played and the way I saw myself as a DJ…therefore I quit the radio shows to be live with the crowd.

What brought about the move to Dubai? Is this still considered a land of opportunity in people's eyes?
A: The opportunity was given to me to DJ at Oxygen Club where I worked for a year and a half before making the move to The 400 Club as its resident DJ, where I have been for the past two and a half years and am still at currently. Moving to Dubai was a step I took to challenge myself, a new city, new people and a different taste in music...I reinvented myself and went by my real name JEAN B. Dubai has so many cultures and such a mixture of people so it’s like playing for the world in one night with some celebrities mixed in with it. Any fast growing city is a great opportunity, depending on what you’re doing, and this is what Dubai is for me and for many other people, even after all the crisis.

You've played with some pretty big DJs in your time ... what are the highlights?
A: Some you take tips and tricks from and some you’ll get a touch of their experience who have been around the world. Some of them would surprise you as to why they’re big, and sometimes its only because of their production, but for me, in the end, it is about mixing all of it together into something to improve myself and maybe make a production collaboration with in the future.

Is there any DJ out there you would most love to work with? Either playing live together or a production collaboration.
A: The Swedish House Mafia

We hear that you also played with Niki Bellucci. Interesting ... what did you play? (*ahem*) :-)
A: Well we … mixed it … censored. Sorry :D

What next in the world of Jean B? Any plans for original productions to be recorded and released? Any long-term goals?
A: Production and releases are on the way. A record label and one day being a club owner are my long-term goals.

With an impeccable sense of melody and timing (both musical and comedic) you can catch JEAN B down at Club400. Go check him out.