‘Black Dreams’, released on 2nd July through Snorkel Records, is the final chapter of Raaja’s three record storyline. It’s honest, at times reflective, an album recorded through times of despair and of great love that forced Raaja to reflect on his past and, ultimately, find his groove in the present over ten tracks.
Across two tracks, impatient rhythms and repetitive forms look out from the metropolis towards the savannah where organic progressions and dry percussion take the lead, imprinting a romantic memory of a primal intuition in the shadow of a setting sun.
Raaja Bones has been quietly presiding over his control panel and synthesizers, crafting balmy funk that conjures up images of Miami Beach and late-night cocktail-lounges.
From his studio retreat in the heart of the Norwegian forest, Raaja Bones astral projects to adistant paradise, glancing the frosty tips of Norwegian fir trees on his way to exotic locations.
It must have been a late, light summer night in 2003 that I first found myself standing, mesmerised, in my older brother’s bedroom, listening to some of the most exotic and beautiful music I had ever heard. Its origins were still a mystery, all I knew at that point was that as someone who had grown up on bands like a-ha, Röyksopp, Air, and Bent, this sounded like the perfect amalgam.
Thanks to Murray Scott and all the lovely people over at 1BTN.fm radio for inviting us to do a one hour sunkissed mix for them. So turn on, tune in and snuggle up!
With his debut album “Sleepwalks”, Raaja explores a subconscious world. With his instruments and machines acting as extensions of himself, he recounts dreams through sound. And like most dreams, those willing to ride the waves of strangeness, will find many rewards
