Rafatel – B2 – Boyanza Records
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Boyanza are thrilled to present the latest musical offering from label head Rafatel, who returns to the fore with 6 pulsating tracks that embody his transcending, hypnotic and emotively intuitive take on dance music.
Rafatel has always been one for surfing the slipstreams that occupy the varying spaces between genres, be it through his DJ sets or via his productions. Effortlessly grazing in and around interconnected musical worlds, his approach has always been one of graceful exploration, with a keen eye for what leaning into the future may hold. A much-revered cornerstone of his hometown of Mexico City, Rafatel has nurtured his craft via curious ears and a deft hand in the studio, allowing his style and sound to multiply and evolve with each passing year. His DJing career provided the bedrock for his universe to be formulated, one where Disco, Acid, House, Balearic, and all and sundry persist as interlocking facets of a truly all-encompassing sound. His helming of the Boyanza imprint and pop-up rave alongside this, has turned many heads, with the label’s enthralling mixture of styles displaying a sense of purpose and passion with each new release and party.
In April 25’, Rafatel performed at the Cercle Odyssey, a unique touring immersive show that brings together art, performance, and music. ‘Cercle Odyssey: First Act’ is a recording of that performance, where he showed the world a collection of unreleased tracks that demonstrated his expressive and eclectic style. ‘A1’ sees in the show, where a slow-burning series of deep-set harmonics and skipping percussive elements set the scene, before evolving into the core progression of hypnotic melodies and bold, purposeful rhythms. ‘A2’ keeps the energies going right from the off, with the sounds of the morning chorus alongside the emerging basslines and rhythms helping to foster an involving narrative. The choral swells are set alongside chiming notes that help to create an emotive and joyful atmosphere, delving deep into the dancefloor to draw from its energy. ‘B1’ fills the room with its joyous, break-filled energy, where the poly-harmonics and emotional chord lines add a certain kind of flavour to proceedings – a rise up in the euphoria, where hands rise up into the air.
‘B2’ furthers the playful feels with an uplifting array of sounds and motifs, contained primarily within its intoxicating, multi-layered harmonies and arpeggios. Colourful, bountiful and ever so enlightening, this is a track to be played out amongst the clouds, within the deep blue sky. ‘C1’ shifts stylistically into a more swinging groove, where emphatic chord sequences and soul-satisfying vocal samples pivot around a mightily profound rhythm and bass section. ‘C2’ sees out the experience in some style, where the curated energies of the past half hour are bottled and released out via softly speaking and enveloping masses of sound, with glossy chords and breezy notes are laid out above a succinctly evolving percussive section – a sound to dream about on the walk home, and an experience that will linger long in the memory.
Release date: June 26th, 2025.