Lamb, Bowie, Eno, Four Tet, Tori Amos, Bjork, Radiohead, Firenze, Velvet Underground, David Sylvian, Debussy, Morricone, Hawkwind, Can, The Stranglers, Tricky, Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, Miles Davis, Kate Bush, Tortoise, Portishead, Steve Reich, shimmering lights, music boxes, swelling strings, carousel tunes, lust for life, life, sounds and rhythm from daily noises ...
"Between them, adopted South Londoners singer/writer Raf Mantelli, electronic percussionist Dids and bassist Richard Smith have a rich avant-garde musical past, and it shows here on these four seductive, winding pieces of jazzy vocal electronica. Like Björk on her intimate 'Vespertine' album, these songs feel like they're playing inside your head – and once there they won't leave."
“Her sweet, honey-soaked vocals drizzle sensuality and emotion. With the innocence of a child and the warmth of a mother, Raf is the sort of vocalist who could sing the script to a slasher movie and make it sound delicately sumptuous.... the music itself is somewhere between Boards Of Canada’s ambience, Aphex Twin’s glitchiness and the pop sensibilities of early Bjork. Stuttering drums, fluid basslines and Raf’s angelic purr mark this as dreamy but never dull, showing Raf And O as a talent to watch out for.”
Scott Ramage (THE SKINNY)
"imagine strolling through a sun-swept computer generated garden with a beautiful digital pixie you’ll be half way to grasping what this sounds like. "
RAF AND O
have been described as: blending exotic and electronic sounds with vocals exuding a disarming sensual and intriguing fragility. An intricate forest of digital glitches & beats, slow bass movements, synth landscapes and smouldering vocals, create a blissed out sonic picture in which the deep and exotic songs grow.
Florentine artistry guides the intensely captivating songwriting, keyboards and vocalings of Raf Mantelli, which entwine with Dids’ s innovative electronic percussion and Richard Smith’s voluptuous bass lines to startling effect. Ever since his time with illustrious John Cale and legendary Nico + the Faction, Dids has always set to experiment with the sounds he creates, bringing these parameters to texturise the fluid yet precise framework of Raf’s songs and synths textures, whilst Richard’s bass glides across their harmonic spectrum -– together Raf and O generate a beautiful brand of esoteric pop.
HISTORY
Adopted by the South London experimental music scene, Raf Mantelli met and collaborated with Richard Smith, former musician with Ted Hawkins. In the latter 90’s they founded Eye-sis (the 4 piece underground group with a unique sound creating a cult following, influencing bands on the London scene and hailed by Charlie Gillett.
As the millennium fireworks faded, Raf and Rich met with Dids, at Goldsmiths Uni – Dids gave Raf a seven inch of Gagarin, his solo incarnation as glitch electronica artist, so she gave him a demo of her songs. There was no doubt that she had found the perfect alchemy to complement her newly written material and he felt the same.
After the death of Nico, Dids, a.k.a Graham Dowdall, furthered his musical journey with numerous collaborations before creating Gagarin, releasing records on Geo and starting to work with Pere Ubu. Raf and Richard’s long collaboration was to be extended further when she mentioned the idea of a new band with Dids – Raf and O was born.
Earlier gigs saw the addition of another South London musician, Nick Doyne Ditmas; later Raf and O consolidated into the current trio.
PERFORMANCE
Captivating audiences with each performance, Raf and O play exclusively live, using pads, synths, bass guitar, samples and vocals. They have gigged many London venues including, Glitz at Madame JoJo, Betsey Trotwood, Barfly, Water Rats,The Adelaide, Corsica Arts Club, Purple Turtle, Old Queen's Head and the legendary Klinker. They have played with/supported Kraut rockers Faust, Alabama 3, Rothko and Robert Logan, bright new spark of the electronica scene.
Firm believers in the power of music, all Raf and O members are also currently active in the community, running music workshops in a variety of settings around the UK.
Knowing that you like our music I thought I'd let you know that we have uploaded 4 new songs in our player, feel free to come listen... They are from our second CD which is now released and should be available in fine record stores close to you
Good to meet you last night - I said I'd be your "friend" but was unsurprised to find that I already am. I like what I've heard here so far (got to rush out now but will be back for a more thorough listen later).
this works are actually recorded in the nice tourist town Dresden where Jan lived for 4 years and on several places in germany/thuringia and denmark/sjaeland +++ Jan recorded all with an old 4-track, one old minidisc-recorder, two old guitars and some old pedals and a brand new notebook+++Enrico Wuttke aka Flim helped him out with some Fieldrecordings and beautiful Piano Pieces+++ new tracks are growing every day on his minidisc-walkman he records woods, highways/autobahnen, shopping centers, farms, children rooms, camping sites, rehearsel rooms and roofgardens ...etc and himself and his friends and familys+++ since spring 2007 he lives on a farm in thuringia, germany+++to be continued +++
hey RAF and O! it was my pleasure to see/hear you play at the Adelaide, the atmosphere was great! I hope the CD is sorted out logistically now O_O all the best creatively! and thank you for checking out my friend's link - i mentioned to him about Rich's fasination; he was v appreciative. will link you myspace to his :) thanks tc
