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Raff
Raff: A Scottish/Italian soul singer-songwriter whose beautiful and unique voice brings a fresh sound to the uk urban soul scene.
Poised to release his ep, gotta get it right, Raff has already been getting major support all over the world, but this is definitely not one of those over-night stories. Raff has been perfecting his craft for years, with an ep and album already under his belt, proving that this talent definitely has something to say.
A chance meeting with underground hiphop producer, Yush2k, lead to raffs first foray into the recording world. But until then, the only people who had really heard raff sing were his family: too shy to even call the operator, it wasnt until raff recorded himself singing along to boyzIImens, 4 seasons of loneliness, that he thought, hey, I could maybe do this!. A job as a singing waiter soon brought raff out of his shell, giving him the confidence to really go for his dream - the illusive record contract!
So while singing stevie wonders, as, Yush2k saw something special and asked raff to record his first album and ep, hypnotized - an eclectic mix of street soul, rnb, hiphop beats and jazz. Not only was this raffs first album but his first chance to really express himself, with full writing and executive production credits. Rave reviews from dj mag, metro and straight no chaser followed, with calls from Warner Bros, but raff remained unsigned.
Keen to explore the world of music further, raff also found himself recording for the highly acclaimed Playstation2 series, Grand theft auto (3, vice city, san andreas and liberty city stories). However, his passion for creating his own music drove him on to start work on his follow-up project.
A change of producer found raff working with liam saunders, further establishing raffs own sound - a mix of old skool harmonies, acoustic guitars, live beats and swirly electro sounds. With such a live sound, the new material truly showcases raffs strength - the live performance, where his passion for music becomes clear, proving not only can he write from the soul, but sing from it too. On stage is where raff thrives and his influences can be clearly seen; ranging from the old skool Aretha and stevie, to the nu skool, India arie, erykah badu and Raphael saadiq.
As an artist raff is eager to develop and grow, hoping to, learn from the best in the business. As a result, a series of collaborations with other local unsigned talents have been helping raff to reach wider audiences. A reggae-soaked duet with Glasgows L-marie has been recently getting spins on galaxy fm in Newcastle, and a collaboration with perth mc, shogun, has been earning major support on Radio1xtra, showing raffs versatility and appeal across the board. What is clear, is that raff is here to stay and its only a matter of time before that deal comes his wayspread the word.
Support slots: Marlena Shaw (70s soul diva), Carleen Anderson (The Young Disciples/The Brand New Heavies), Ohmega Watts (US hiphop MC/producer), Lily Allen (UK songstress), Nate James (UK rnb/soul singer)...also appeared alongside Connor Reeves (UK soul singer), Plan B (UK hiphop MC/singer), Terri Walker (UK soul singer), Natalie Williams (UK soul singer)
Raff, as heard on: Radio1xtra(uk), Beat106(Scotland), Cave Radio(LA), galaxy fm(Newcastle), shmuFM (aberdeen), Afternoongroove Radio(Washington), DJCome of Age pod cast(Germany; www.djcoa.libsyn.com) poetic sunshine(danawlinzgroove.com), subcity radio 106.6fm(Glasgow), djdavidcriag.co.uk podcast (aberdeen), www.xtremeformusic.com (london), www.gcast.com/u/soupygato/main (USA), www.jazzsyndicate.co.uk (UK), www.4DaSoul.com (NY), KHPZ Radio Network (LA), www.djvolatile.com (UK)
"(raff) has a voice as smooth as international velvet and the Mediterranean looks to match" metro
"Raff puts Scotland on the mapthis is something with longevity"****DJ Mag
"Raff has the style and stage presence, not to mention the talent, of a true star! " www.urbanscot.com
"Terrific voice, a good ear for production and his heart's in his music. What more do you want?" Brodie Rae Smithers @ The Fly
"A genuine talent, setting the standard for modern soul" DJ Kash @ Subcity Radio