Raphael: "Playing on the main stage at the Rototom Festival was one of the greatest experiences of my career!"

How did you feel about this first show with the Asham Band from Belgium?
Raphael: "I must say it was a great feeling. We only did a few rehearsals with Asham Band and immediately we had a very good connection. It's very important because when you work with music, you're into something spiritual, something you can't touch, you need chemistry. And we definitely have it with Asham. My booker in Italy is a friend of Mike De Herdt of Music Got Soul. He's the one who was promoting my music in Belgium and put me in contact with the band. I came to Antwerp a few months ago to do a track show, opening for Chezidek. It was a good opportunity to meet the band and do a first rehearsal. I'm sure we're going to do many other shows together." 

In Italy, you also have your own band, with whom you started in the music. Tell us about the band.
Raphael: "The name of the band is Eazy Skankers. I created it with my friend and bass player Andrea Botaro when we were still in high school. Over the years, we played a lot of shows and we took part in several music contests. In 2005, we won the Rototom European Reggae Contest and played on the main stage of this festival, when it was still being held in Italy. We had a lot of good experiences and released a few albums. Our first album was recorded at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica. I'm now pursuing a career as a solo artist, but I'm still close to the band and they're still my official backing band. For example, they are playing three original riddims on my latest solo album 'Mind Vs Heart'. I could never leave and forget the people I played with for such a long time." 

At that time were you playing original music or Jamaican classics? 
Raphael: "We always did original music, our own compositions, our own songs. I think it's important to start young, even writing ugly songs and playing terrible music. That's a way to start and the more you play, the more you keep growing." 

When did you start recording on producer's riddims? 
Raphael: "Starting from 2010, I started doing more things as Raphael and started collaborating with the independent Italian reggae label Bizarri. In 2012, we released an EP called 'My Name Is Raphael'. It is still available as a free download on the website of Bizarri (www.bizarrirecords.com). It was the first introduction to my music as a solo artist. Later I started to get links to international producers. I recorded for Peckings in the UK, Flash Hit Records from France and others." 

And who produced your first album 'Mind Vs Heart'?
Raphael: "It was produced by Irievibrations Records from Austria. Again, we had great vibes and chemistry from the start. I started to voice on a couple of their riddims and they came up with the idea of doing a full album and developing this project properly and together. The album was released both in physical and digital format and was well distributed and promoted all over Europe. It made it possible for me to go outside of the Italian boundaries and play all over Europe." 

What's behind the album title? 
Raphael: "It refers to the daily battle that we all fight within ourselves. Some choices are made by the power of the mind and others by following your heart. In the past, I always followed either my heart or my mind, and I was never really right. Maybe the balance between the two is the right way. The album title refers to the battle to keep both parts balanced." 

The decision of doing music, was that a decision from your heart or your mind?
Raphael: "Definitely from my heart (laughs), I hope it was the right decision. I think if I was listening to my mind I would probably do Italian folk music. If you look at the age demographic, Italy is an old country, so in terms of profit, playing for the elderly is the best choice you can make as a musician. Still I'm grateful to reggae music and the opportunity it gives me to let my voice be heard." 

What are your roots?
Raphael: "I was born in Italy, but have mixed roots. My father is from Nigeria and my mum is Italian. I was raised between the two worlds. I've only been to Africa once, but I really feel my roots close to me, thanks to all the things my father used to tell me about the motherland, his childhood and the things back in the days in Nigeria." 

Would you say your music contains African influences?
Raphael: "My father used to listen to a lot of music: afrobeat, reggae, soul, highlife… But ever since I was a child, I always had a particular feel for reggae music and this is the music I decided to pursue. When I started playing music, I was living with my mother and I have to say that she is the one who was always supporting me. Being a music lover, of course my father likes the things I do too, but he's always taken a more distant approach." 

You wrote a tribute song to a father of the reggae music, who passed away recently. Why did you write this song about John Holt? 
Raphael: "Well he's one of the main reggae artists for me. When he passed away, Irie Vibrations and I had the idea of recording a tribute to him. We didn't just want to record a regular cover song though, so I sang the same chorus as the original and we wrote some verses on the riddim, explaining who John Holt was. I've noticed that times are going ahead and generations are changing. We have to keep the history and the roots of reggae music alive. With the internet, everything is easy to get now, but it's also easy in this environment that things get unseen. So it was a way for me to tell the youths: "We lost this artist and this is what he did!"." 

You have a very rootsy side, but you also have some great rub-a-dub vibes. Is being versatile important to you and would you also consider doing dancehall music? 
Raphael: "It's not good for an artist to stick to only one style. Artistically, I feel the need of going through different styles and flavors. I did some dancehall in the past, but reggae music is more vibrant to me. There might be a dancehall beat here or there, but it isn't my main focus." 

What are the new plans for Raphael, after the mixtape?
Raphael: "Well performing is my main focus at the moment. Maybe I'll start working on a next album soon, but I don't want to do an album just because it's a favorable time for me to release one; I want to keep it natural and take my time."