Ray Okpara at Nu:Gravity

This Friday, at the next Nu:Gravity party in Solyanka, Ray Okpara will perform. This artist, half Nigerian, represents the modern sound of house music: percussion, drifting hypnotic rhythms with elements of soul, and - if the atmosphere allows - deep dip.

Initially, Ray was more into hip-hop, funk, and soul, but acquaintance with his close friend Johnny D and their joint adventures in nightlife awakened a strong interest in electronic music within him. Inspired by various musical styles, he started practicing on the turntables with vinyl records borrowed from Johnny.

Admiration and love for music culminated in their first joint project - the Rajo party, which resonated with the audience in Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Ludwigshafen. In 2001, Nick Curly joined them, and shortly after, the team received a residency at the 'Loft' club. The period when the DJ lived in Mannheim-Jungbusch also had a strong influence on Ray. He began to incorporate techno elements into his sets while still staying true to his roots. Together with friends Federico, Johnny, and Nekes, he was developing new projects, such as the Zoo-Club, which operated from 2004-2005.

In search of new experiences and hoping to succeed in music and life, Ray moved to Berlin in March 2005. Here he gained his first production experience. Remixes for Johnny D, original compositions for the labels Oslo and 8bit, and a remix for Italoboyz for Get Physical slowly prepared him for the release of his first solo EP - 'Fumnaya,' which came out on Lomidhigh Ltd. This was followed by publications on the labels Arearemote and Drumpoet. The current release 'Brother' just came out on Oslo, and new works will soon be released on the labels Cecill and Soweso.

During performances in front of an audience, Ray’s dynamic and positive persona can bring the public to ecstasy, and they happily get carried away in the whirlwind of music, loops, and effects he creates!

He has never lost touch with his homeland and eventually returned to Mannheim after 4 years of living in Berlin. Here he engaged in preparing his first live program planned for 2010, while also continuing to work on various remixes and inventing new ideas. So this is just the beginning....

Listen to Ray guesting on DJ Uho Here

September 11, 23:00
Solyanka
Line-up: Ray Okpara, Kubikov, Pushkarev, Meshkov, Zorykin
Entrance: 500 rub.