Raffaele Vasquez, multi-instrumentalist from Salento class ’77, debuts in 2008 with a personal project that sees him struggling with the piano. Music is as spontaneous as its approach to life: curious, eclectic, romantic, elegant. Inspired by the sounds that surround him and guided by his heart, Vasquez courts the keyboard, plays with it, challenges it, pursues it. Involuntarily his style seems to draw on American minimalism (Nyman, Glass) and the Europe of Yann Tiersen. Vasquez plays instinctively through disturbing moods and exploding into airy openings. He does not take himself seriously and therefore alternates his hilarious solo rides with hilarious monologues. To date there are two published discs: Giuliano – Autoprodotto (2008), Nicotina 0.6 – Jazz Daily (2009). Two tracks from his debut album are included as a soundtrack to the film Fine pena mai – Paradiso perduto with Claudio Santamaria and Valentina Cervi. Also in the same period, he signs the backstage music for the film Come tu mi vuoi by Medusa, with Nicolas Vaporidis and Cristiana Capotondi. Among the various projects and collaborations with bands and actors, he signs the original music of: The London prize (2009), L’ultima osteria (2010) – selected at the London Film Festival – Ballerini, at the festivals d’autunno (2010) currently being distributed in America, and in 2010 he won the Eolo Awards with the soundtrack of the show Story of a man and his shadow – Mannaggia’a mort, a show already finalist of the Premio 2008 childhood scenario. His performances always lead him to mix music and staging of a character,” his “, comic and bitter at the same time (he frequents the Zelig Lab as a comedian). In 2013 he is a guest at MEI 2013 and in Sanremo for the Tenco Award 2013. In 2014 he received a Special Jury Prize at the Mia Martini Award 2014.
In 2015 he released “ME” (Workin Label), artistic production in collaboration with Mauro Tre, which earned him the nomination for the Targa Tenco 2016 as the best album of the year.
The collaboration with Record Kicks has already seen him protagonist in various compilations with hit songs (eg: Bacon). Fundamental collaboration with the producer and DJ Guido Nemola with whom he has been exploring for many years different sounds, from house music to nu-free-jazz. He experiments with multi-instrumentalist jazz-funk contaminations on traditional African percussions. He founded the group La Rapa with whom he played around the premises of the Salento coast. Just during one of these performances, on bass, he meets the dj and producer Luca Trevisi with whom he immediately started a close collaboration. Among the latter stands Afrolizer, published by IRMA records for 2018. The trumpet is entrusted to Giorgio Distante.
Stream here.