Rafiq Bhatia

Rafiq Bhatia, a composer, guitarist, and producer residing in Brooklyn, has gained recognition through his solo work that pushes musical limits along with his role in the indie rock ensemble Son Lux. Prior to officially joining Son Lux in 2014, he put out an EP and a complete debut album during 2012. The synthesis of various genres, cultural elements, and both acoustic and electronic sounds in his 2018 follow-up solo release Breaking English drew notable attention.

Born during 1987 in Hickory, North Carolina, to parents who had immigrated from East Africa and possessed Indian ancestry, Bhatia spent his formative years in Raleigh, a college town. Among the artists shaping his initial musical tastes were Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and Madlib. Although he took up guitar while attending high school, Bhatia chose to pursue studies in cognitive science and economics at Oberlin College in Ohio following graduation, intending to engage in humanitarian efforts. A pivotal shift toward music occurred upon encountering drummer Billy Hart as a mentor, who served as a faculty member at the Oberlin Conservatory. Additionally, Bhatia came to appreciate how figures such as Hendrix, Sam Cooke, and Bob Marley influenced his personal awareness of social issues. While enrolled in college, he made regular trips to New York City for both performances and lessons with Vijay Iyer. Upon completing his studies in 2010, he moved his residence to Brooklyn.

The year 2012 saw the issuance of two solo projects by Bhatia: Strata EP featuring a rendition of Flying Lotus material, and Yes It Will, an effort leaning toward contemporary jazz guitar that incorporated contributions from Iyer and Hart. Even though outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post commended his boundary-pushing approach, Bhatia grew dissatisfied with the constraints he perceived in conventional jazz guitar. Consequently, he turned to creating compositions using Ableton Live and various plug-ins rather than relying primarily on guitar.

Collaboration with Ryan Lott, a pianist engaged in writing music for modern dance productions and issuing experimental rock under the Son Lux moniker, commenced around this period. Bhatia's guitar work appeared on the 2013 Tecla album We Are the Lucky Ones as well as the Son Lux track "Easy" from Lanterns. He further participated that same year in the Sisyphus self-titled release, a venture by Lott involving singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens and rapper Serengeti. By 2014, Bhatia had performed on Lott's soundtrack for The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and joined Son Lux in an official capacity together with drummer Ian Chang, another practitioner of unconventional experimentation. After extensive touring throughout the U.S. and Europe, the group put forth Bones in 2015 followed by Brighter Wounds during February 2018.

Bhatia's second solo effort Breaking English came out in April 2018 on the Anti- imprint. Featuring appearances by Chang, Marcus Gilmore, and bassist Jackson Hill, the album's fragmented sonic environment delved into sonic textures extending past guitar alone to encompass vocal elements and electronics.