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Inar Music is an independent music label and creative platform founded and managed by Rani Stetie, composer, producer, author, and multidisciplinary artist. Established in Montreal in 1993, Inar Music reflects a creative journey rooted in decades of musical exploration, recording, and independent production dating back to 1987.

Rani’s relationship with music began early in Beirut during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He first started piano lessons under the guidance of Zvart Sarkissian, though the lessons were interrupted due to the civil unrest affecting Lebanon at the time.

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Despite this, music remained constantly present. At home, classical music filled the atmosphere, while outside, the sounds of the 1980s opened doors to pop, electronic music, synth culture, dance rhythms, sound experimentation, radio, mixtapes, and emerging production styles.

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Alongside the popular sounds of the era, Rani was exposed from an early age to an extensive collection of classical music assembled by his father. With more than 2,000 vinyl records representing composers, orchestras, and musical traditions from around the world, the family home became an informal music library where listening was an everyday experience. From symphonic works and concertos to opera, chamber music, film scores, and international recordings, this early exposure helped develop a deep appreciation for melody, orchestration, harmony, and musical storytelling.

Oriental music was also present through radio, television, films, and popular standards of the region, including artists such as Fairuz. Rather than identifying with a single genre, Rani became fascinated by the way different musical traditions could evoke emotion, atmosphere, and imagery. Classical, oriental, pop, jazz, electronic, and world music

 

all became part of a growing musical vocabulary. For Rani, style was never the defining element; the sound itself was. Whether expressed through a symphony orchestra, a jazz ensemble, an oriental arrangement, or a simple pop melody, what mattered most was emotion, atmosphere, and the ability of music to connect with the listener. The ear, ultimately, became the final judge.

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As a teenager, Rani developed a fascination with rhythm, melody, atmosphere, recording, and sound textures. From creating mixtapes for friends at school to participating in plays, carnivals, DJ activities, and early creative recordings, music gradually became both a passion and a form of expression.

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Leaving Lebanon at a young age, Rani’s artistic journey continued through France and surrounding European countries including Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy during his early years of studies and exploration. Exposure to different cultures, sounds, languages, artistic movements, and musical traditions expanded his creative vision and deepened his interest in production, arrangement, recording techniques, and sonic identity.

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Later, London (UK) became another important chapter in his musical development during the vibrant club and electronic music era of the 1990s. There, Rani explored studio environments, built connections within major recording studios and labels, discovered underground club culture, promotional circuits, white label releases, independent distribution, and evolving approaches to dance and electronic music production.

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At the same time, his musical interests extended far beyond electronic music. During his years in London, Rani regularly visited the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, where he was exposed to accomplished musicians and live performances that deepened his appreciation for jazz, improvisation, musicianship, and the rich tradition of jazz standards. These experiences broadened his understanding of musical structure and reinforced an openness to diverse genres and artistic influences that would continue throughout his career.

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Eventually making Montreal his home away from home, Rani continued developing an eclectic and versatile approach to composition, arrangement, recording, mixing, and sound mastering. His musical interests continued to expand through regular visits to House of Jazz and other live music venues, further enriching his appreciation of jazz, world music, popular music traditions, and live performance culture.

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Beyond albums and traditional songwriting, Rani's work has also explored station identification signals, radio imaging, audio branding, promotional themes, jingles, production libraries, and production music. The challenge of communicating an identity, emotion, or message within only a few seconds further expanded his understanding of arrangement, melody, sound design, and listener engagement.

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Throughout the years, he also contributed to numerous music and production projects in various capacities, including composition, arrangement, programming, production assistance, creative development, and studio collaboration. As is often the case in the music industry, some of these contributions were credited while others remained behind the scenes. Regardless of recognition, each experience contributed to his understanding of the creative process and further enriched his approach to music production and sound creation.

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While music remained a lifelong passion, Rani’s own public performances were relatively limited, often taking place informally among friends and fellow musicians. His focus remained primarily on writing, composing, producing, recording, and exploring music from a creator’s perspective rather than pursuing a traditional performing career.

Working across French and English came naturally through experience and environment, while Arabic songwriting and vocal structure required a different artistic discipline and approach, which he continued to refine and develop throughout the years.

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During the early 2000s, Rani also briefly operated Vega Entertainment as part of independent creative and production activities before continuing to focus primarily on Inar Music and his evolving catalogue of artistic work.

Built around artistic freedom and independent creation, Inar Music has since developed a catalogue spanning multiple genres, languages, and atmospheres, including pop, electronic, jazz, oriental, lounge, cinematic, instrumental, multilingual, world, and experimental productions.

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More than a traditional label, Inar Music serves as both a creative space and an archive of compositions, recordings, concepts, collaborations, books, productions, and artistic experimentation accumulated across the years.

 

Today, Rani continues to approach music with the same curiosity that first inspired him as a young listener in Beirut: a belief that great music transcends categories. Whether drawing inspiration from classical masters, jazz standards, oriental traditions, electronic textures, cinematic storytelling, radio production, audio branding, or contemporary songwriting, his creative philosophy remains centered on emotion, atmosphere, melody, and authenticity. Genres may differ, languages may change, but the objective remains the same: to create meaningful musical experiences that resonate with the listener.

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This website presents a selected overview of the musical universe, catalogue, creative projects, and artistic journey of Rani Stetie and Inar Music.