Stuck in Traffic is olliray’s first album. The story begins in 2017 with the release of BoxRox, a small electronic idea that became the spark for everything that followed. Over the next two years the music grew slowly and naturally in a small flat in South London. Most of the songs began as simple synth sketches that later opened into fuller pieces with piano, guitar and voice.

The title came from a real moment in late 2018. Olliray was waiting for his dad to arrive for lunch. His dad was stuck in traffic and the delay gave him an unexpected pocket of time. In that quiet stretch he recorded all the vocals for the title track in one take. When his dad finally arrived he played him the music and asked what he should call it. His dad smiled and gave the answer that became the name of the whole album.

Stuck in Traffic holds the feeling of that early period. Raw, instinctive and made by ear. A blend of electronic textures and intimate melodies shaped between 2017 and late 2018, and released in January 2019.

For fans of synthwave, retrowave and 80s inspired electronic music.

How Hard I Try

#DBMHA

Stuck In Traffic HN Mix

Love

Surrey Canal Road feat. James Mollison (Fiyahdred Remix) – Footshooter - Tru Thoughts
Woza Mntana (Remix) - China Charmeleon & Jabulile Majola - Stay True Sounds
Afrika My Afrika feat. Mpho.Wav (Original Mix) - Citizen Deep, Atmos Blaq, Mpho.Wav, Kenza – Platoon
Mount Zion (Jonathan Kaspar Remix) - Culoe De Song - Madorasindahouse Records
Methodd – Xylophonica - Wisdom Teeth
Woodshedding - Tuff Sherm –  Unknown To The Unknown & Hot Haus Recs
Ghara - O.utlier - Appian Sounds
What You Saw (ft. MA.MOYO & Mahon) (Anja Ngozi Remix) – Footshooter - Tru Thoughts
Icey - Nadeem Din-Gabisi – Moshi Moshi 
Mina Nawe (feat. Atmos Blaq & Fatso 98)- Atmos Blaq, Fatso 98, Baby S.O.N - L.O.V.E.
Spacious Choir – Tea White - Stay True Sounds
Voices Of Life (Original Mix) – Bensy - Madorasindahouse Records
Phantom of the Paradise - Die Vögel – Tulpa Ovi Records 
Me Gusta (Original Mix) - Meloko, Konvex (FR), Baron (FR), Selim Sivade, AZZUR – AZZUR
Sweet Karma (Original Mix) – Hermanez – Souksonic
Float - Storm Mollison - Unknown To The Unknown & Hot Haus Recs
Crawling - Mia Lily – Shall Not Fade 
Sslip - K-LONE- Incensio
Folding feat. Allysha Joy (Marla Kether Remix) – Footshooter - Tru Thoughts
Undo (Your Body) - LEON VYNEHALL – Ooze Inc 
Cruel Love feat. Beau Nox - LEON VYNEHALL– Ooze Inc
x-plor 7 – Sam Goku – Permanent Vacation
WUH – Benyayer – Sound Records 
Looking at your pager (Solomun Remix) – KH – Ministry of Sound 
Babystar – Momoko & Herbert – Strut 


AAJA NOVEMBER 2025

Mage - Aaja Channel 1 - 28 11 25

Lorcan - Aaja Channel 1 - 28 11 25

Dr Shemp - Aaja Channel 2 - 28 11 25

Surton - Aaja Channel 2 - 28 11 25

Vinil Ancestral - Aaja Channel 2 - 28 11 25

olliray makes emotive, cinematic music that sits between intimate piano ballads and modern electronic soundscapes. A singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from London, he blends live piano and guitar with textured production to create songs that feel close and expansive at the same time.

Alongside his original work, he records stripped-back piano and guitar covers of songs he loves. These late-night performances sit naturally beside his own writing, shaped by the same focus on atmosphere, storytelling and emotional detail.

He had a short spell of violin lessons when he was younger; everything else on piano, guitar and production is self-taught. That instinctive path runs through his music; he writes, plays and shapes his songs by ear, chasing what feels honest rather than what follows the rulebook.

His debut single BoxRox and first album Stuck in Traffic captured a raw, lyric-driven phase where he produced and sang everything himself. Between followed, pushing further into experimental electronic textures. He then released Piano for Yoga, a live, meditative piano recording created in a single continuous flow for a yoga video soundtrack.

In 2024 he returned to his roots with Lost Romance, an album built from songs written 18 years earlier and revisited with a more reflective, nostalgic perspective. It moves between gentle piano pieces and fuller arrangements, tying his early ideas to the sound he has grown into now.

He is currently working on new music that continues to blur the lines between acoustic songwriting and electronic production, always searching for the balance between warmth, space and emotional weight.

For a first listen, start with Stuck in Traffic or How Long if you want reflective, cinematic songwriting, then explore the Covers Playlist to hear his take on songs by artists he loves. Fans of Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Nick Mulvey, Coldplay and M83 may feel at home in his world.

Explore the Covers playlist, then dive into the Originals.

You can also find my music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube through the profile links below.

Rifka spent his formative years in Bristol, where he was raised on the array of music from the underground scene, heard at free parties and clubs. Since relocating to London in the late noughties, he has taken the different influences over the years and developed his own style. Finding interest in any genre, Rifka weaves different textures, tempos and styles within his sets, with a focus on minimal and afro.

Aaja is a multi-purpose community radio station, event space and bar. Situated along Deptford High Street, the local cultural hub hosts an eclectic mix of radio hosts, DJs and events. Open since 2018, Aaja has provided a space that has nurtured and aided the growth of creative minds and groups within South-East London and beyond.
‘A unique hi-spec sound installation that’s non-intrusive, but heavy for the heads’ 

‘An authentic melting pot, dedicated to music and culture’

www.aajamusic.com

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