Rafiq Bhatia (born 21 August 1987) is an American musician, composer, guitarist, and producer. He is the guitarist and fellow producer of the American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band Son Lux, having been a touring member prior. As a solo artist, he has recorded three solo albums ''Yes it Will'' (2012), ''Strata'' (2012), and ''Breaking English'' (2018). Bhatia has also worked with musicians Olga Bell, Sam Dew,

Dave Douglas David or Dave Douglas may refer to: Entertainment * David Douglas (director) (born 1953), Canadian cinematographer, director and writer * Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz trumpeter * Dave Douglas (drummer) (born 1979), America ...

Marcus Gilmore Marcus Gilmore (born October 10, 1986) is an American drummer. In 2009, '' New York Times'' critic Ben Ratliff included Gilmore in his list of drummers who are "finding new ways to look at the drum set, and at jazz itself", saying, "he created t ...

, Billy Hart, Heems, Helado Negro, Vijay Iyer, Glenn Kotche, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Moses Sumney, and David Virelles.

Career

A first-generation American of East African Indian descent, Bhatia was born in

Hickory, North Carolina Hickory is a city located primarily in Catawba County, with formal boundaries extending into Burke and Caldwell counties. The city lies in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. Hic ...

and grew up in Raleigh. His interest in music began with two inspirations: his grandfather’s reedy, a capella renditions of

Ginans Ginans ( ur, گنان, gu, ગિનાન; derived from sa, ज्ञान ''jñana,'' meaning "knowledge") are devotional hymns or poems recited by Shia Ismaili Muslims. Literally meaning gnosis, ginans are the devotional literature of the ...

, and listening to

gangster rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

on the radio. He began playing guitar in high school. After graduating from Oberlin College with a degree in neuroscience and economics, in 2010 Bhatia moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, where he has remained. The composer-guitarist's first two albums, ''Strata'' and ''Yes It Will'', were described as "transcending real sound in real time with the unexpected," and as "approximating life in the information age … profuse, immersive and immense." In 2014, Bhatia and drummer Ian Chang became members of Son Lux, expanding the former solo project of

Ryan Lott Ryan Lott (born 1979) is an American musician. He founded the band Son Lux which has released five albums and four EPs. The band's most recent album ''Brighter Wounds'' appeared in February 2018, the preceding album ''Remedy'' appeared in May 20 ...

into a trio. They have since been heralded as "the world's most lethal band", and described as "thrilling... an ideal synthesis of contemporary forms". In the past few years, Son Lux has written, recorded, and released the album '' Bones'' and its companion EP ''Stranger Forms'' and have given over 300 performances in North America, Europe, and Asia. Bhatia has recorded with

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and ...

, Sufjan Stevens, Heems, and David Virelles, and on the soundtracks to the films '' The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby'', '' Air'', and '' Afflicted''. He has also recorded with members of the chamber ensembles International Contemporary Ensemble,

JACK Quartet The JACK Quartet is an American string quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. It was founded in 2005 and is based in New York City. The four founding members are violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, violis ...

, and

Alarm Will Sound Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the ''Financial Times' ...

Discography

As Rafiq Bhatia

* ''Strata EP'' (2012) — digital * ''Yes It Will'' (2012) — 12" vinyl, CD, digital * ''Breaking English'' (2018) — 12" vinyl, CD, digital

With Son Lux

* ''

Lanterns A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

'' (2013) — 12" vinyl, CD, digital — Joyful Noise * ''Alternate Worlds'' (2013) — 12" vinyl, digital — Joyful Noise * '' Bones'' (2015) — 12" vinyl, CD, digital — Glassnote * ''Stranger Forms'' (2016) — digital — Glassnote * ''

Brighter Wounds ''Brighter Wounds'' is the fifth studio album by Son Lux. It was released through City Slang on February 9, 2018. Music videos were created for "Slowly", "All Directions", and "The Fool You Need". Critical reception At Metacritic, which assigns ...

'' (2018) — digital — City Slang

With other artists

* '' Sisyphus, Sisyphus'' (2013) — 2x12" vinyl, digital — Joyful Noise/

Asthmatic Kitty Asthmatic Kitty is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by a community of musicians from Holland, Michigan led by Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams. Some were Holland natives, and others had come to attend local colle ...

* ''Tecla, We Are The Lucky Ones'' (2013) — CD, digital — Mayimba Music/

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westin ...

* '' Heems, Eat Pray Thug'' (2015) — 12" vinyl, CD, digital — Megaforce * '' David Virelles, Antenna'' (2016) — 7" vinyl, digital —

ECM ECM may refer to: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Elliptic curve method * European Congress of Mathematics ...

Soundtracks

* Son Lux, ''Original Music From and Inspired By: The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (2014) — digital — Glassnote * Edo Van Breemen – ''AIR (Original Motion Picture Score)'' (2015) — LP, CD, digital — Nettwerk

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatia, Rafiq 1987 births Living people 21st-century American guitarists American people of Indian descent