I am a poor bass player (^^;)
I belong to Abczeni of progressive rock band or other bands (^o^)/

Rafart is the Electronic Rock project of Chapman Stick performer Francisco Rafart. Support my music at:
Venmo: @Francisco-Rafart
Bandcamp: https://rafart.bandcamp.com/

RAFART project

Rafart is my Electronic Prog-Rock solo project, where I combine Prog-Rock and EDM sounds to create a unique musical style. In this project, the Chapman Stick, my voice, and an array of synths and controllers are my tools of expression. The project has taken different formats such as trio, duo, and solo performance, and it incorporates different session musicians that always bring unique sounds and styles.

The Rafart project is a fluid concept rooted in prog-rock and EDM. As such, instrumentations and styles change regularly. The only element of continuity in this project is the Chapman Stick and me.

About Francisco Rafart

My musical beginnings were as a metal guitarist and a contemporary classical composer, writing ensemble, solo and orchestral pieces that won awards and were performed in Chile and Argentina. During my composition studies, I picked up the Chapman Stick in late 2005. From there, I started a Space Rock band named Space Oregano with my long-time collaborator Pato Nuño. This exploration into Space rock, Prog, and EDM, was the pillar of what the Rafart project would later become.

In 2012, with the help of several session musicians and producers I made my first two albums in a trio format (drums, guitar, stick): ¨The Handbook of the Acid Rider (Mylodon Records, 2013)¨ and ¨The Dark Night of the Soul (Independent, 2014)¨. The Handbook has a few of the songs made by Pato Nuño and me during the Space Oregano years. Though both these are prog-rock albums, I took a lot of elements from electronic styles.

The Berklee experience

During 2014-15, I attended the Music Technology Innovation Master at Berklee College of Music, to learn to produce music myself. Here I incorporated electronic music in a much more straight forward way. The EP Get in The Grid (2014) was my first venture into a fully Electronic Rock format, with the Stick still as the main instrument. At Berklee I had the chance to have a trio band to perform my songs with guitarist Felipe Saalfed and drummer/film composer Bernardo Castro. The last Rafart band performance was in Valencia, Spain on July 2015.

My life in the US

After graduating from Berklee in Valencia, Spain, I moved to the United States to continue my musical development and deepen my understanding of Music Technology. Here, I worked with the MIDI controller manufacturer company Livid Instruments in Austin TX. Shortly after I moved to Boston, MA.

After a silence of several years, I'm released my fourth EP "Dasein" in an Electronic Prog-Rock style. It preserves the instrumental approach from my previous musical stages but incorporates songs, lyrics, and the collaboration of Pat Nuño and Felipe Saalfeld as session musicians.

During 2020-2021 I worked on an audiovisual live performance called "The Great Refusal", a project that was funded by a Live Arts Boston grant by the Boston Foundation. This project opened the door for me to explore the use of machines, projection mapping along my instrument and voice in a live setup.

Currently (2022) I'm working on recording and producing the songs of the Great Refusal and on a new live performance set.

Performances

I have played and composed music for different events, festivals and conferences. These include Volumens 2014 (Valencia, Spain), Calakmul fest 2015 (Campeche, Mexico), MIT's EmTech 2014 (Valencia, Spain) , TEDx Berklee Valencia and the Ist and II International Stick Encounters 2006/7 (Santiago, Chile). I have collaborated with several musicians of different styles such as guitarists Benjamin Lechuga (Delta) and Fernando Daza (Octopus), drummer Pablo Martinez (All tomorrows), ecuadorian bagpipper Nico Schipper, house DJ kTunes, trance DJ The Source and singers Aman Wahdwa and Ramya Sivaramakrishnan.

Composer&Producer. Music theory&bass Teacher. 
Chapman stick player. Experienced of Social feeds and web content.

2015 Graduated from Middlesex University of London for a BA in Modern Music (Final degree classification: First Class Honours).

Several studio sessions, live Shows and a long experience as composer.
Mike Varney (producer of Artists as Mike Stern, Stuart Hamm, Steve Morse, Tony Levin, Liquid Tension Experiment, Mike Portnoy, Kansas and many many others..) praised the work made in Evil Wings band.

Chapman stick seminaries: 
2002 Neuchatel – Switzerland 
2003 San José California - USA 
2004 and 2006 Zaandam – Holland.
Chapman stick enhances the natural skill of composing.

Discography:

"Deep Spaces - Discovering Yourself". 
The symphony blends the classical music tradition with electronic modern concepts and contemporary classic music.
As in the classic tradition the symphony is composed by four movements. They're explained by an  imaginary voyage through the Deep Spaces. 
The deeper spaces are inside yourself: REMASTERED version out on March, 20 !!
Now on BandCamp http://bit.ly/BCDeepSpaces

"No itulo veR" EP
Jazz was merged with disco rhythms, orchestral arrangements and pop harmonies/vocal lines in addition to the electric tones of Chapman stick.
All that conceived in a prog vision.
Trumpet by Luca Calabrese.
Vocals by Caterina Sangineto.
Paintings and colors realized by Paolo Valsecchi.
Photos realized by Chiara Arrigoni.
Color your life:
Amazon  http://bit.ly/AMNoituloveR
iTunes    http://bit.ly/iTNoItuloVer
for Asia area on KKBOX  http://bit.ly/KKNoituloveR

Phantom Lord band “Shadeless Mountain” demo
Phantom Lord band “Behind the Sky” demo
Evil Wings band “Evil Wings” CD
Evil Wings band “Bright Leaf” CD
Evil Wings band “Colors of the New World” CD

El Colectivo de Stickistas de Chile tiene como objetivo reunir en un sólo lugar una muestra del trabajo realizado por los músicos chilenos que interpretan el Chapman Stick, de esta forma se pretende colaborar con la difusión y generar un espacio en donde se puedan apreciar las diferentes tendencias musicales que puede abarcar este instrumento.

The Chilean Stickist Collective soundcloud page puts together, in one platform, music created by Chilean Stick players. This instance has the purpose of creating a space where music fans can appreciate the different styles in which this instrument can be approached, as well as promoting the work of Chilean Chapman Stick players.

koyabo is following