3teen🔜5teen ...........hunting fishing 🎣 piging 🐷

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain…. B.M.

If there's an artist that is slowly but surely getting attention by the international scene, surely that would be Raphael. Born in Savona from Nigerian father and Italian mother, he starts his musical path still as a teenager, by setting up the Eazy Skankers reggae band in 2002.Trough the years the ensemble collects important appearances on festivals like Rototom Sunsplash and Arezzo Wave, hundreds of live shows and two totally self-produced albums : “To the Foundation” recorded in 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica, at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio and “Changes” (2011) recorded and mixed by Madaski, leader and producer of the veteran Italian band Africa Unite. And with its front man, Bunna, Raphael shares the “Double Trouble” project since 2010, a tribute to Bob Marley with the songwriter Zibba's guitar as the only instrument, which would lead the trio to step on many clubs and festivals stages all over Italy. In the same period Raphael begins to perform in showcase style, often supported by Genoa's sound Groove Yard, and starts his collaboration with the Modena based label Bizzarri Records, with whom he delivers his first solo EP “My name is Raphael” in 2012. The solo activity continues with the release of many singles for several italian and international labels (some pressed on vinyl like “Good Old Vibes” by UK's Peckings Records), a jingle for the italian broadcaster “Radio 105”, and culminate with his debut solo album “Mind Vs Heart”, produced by the Vienna based label Irievibrations Records, issued on October 2013. Featuring Jamaican singer Skarramucci and Tiwony from Guadeloupe, the album is the result of Raphael cooperation with producers like Syrix, Reggaesta, Nite Lite, Leo Bizzarri, Andrea Bottaro from Eazy Skankers, who had played on several tracks. The video of the first excerpt “Soundblaster” has today reached more than 300.000 views and the album had received good feedback from both critics and audience. In 2014 the Mind Vs Heart tour takes off : more than 150 gigs in 15 different countries in Europe and South America, sometimes in showcase, often backed by bands like Eazy Skankers, the Austrian Fireman Crew, and Belgian Asham Band. In this 2015 Raphael surely didn't stop : He's in the “Better Run Riddim” line up, produced by Dub Inc among names like Kymany Marley and Morgan Heritage, he's featured in the latest Africa Unite's album and he delivered “Here comes the Soundblaster” mixtape in combo with the German sound Sentinel. The summer tour is fully planned and will take Raphael all over Europe, with some prestigious opening acts like the one to Manu Chao, in front of 40.000 people in Monza, Italy, or to Jimmy Cliff. 

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