RAUL MONSALVE Y LOS FORAJIDOS

Raul Monsalve is a bridge-builder. Originally from Caracas, where he delved deeply into his cultural heritage, he moved to London in the early 2010s, where he immersed himself deeply in psychedelia and the English melting pot, notably with The Heliocentrics & Orlando Julius. He has been based in Paris for the past 10 years, where he continually explores the connections between ancestral and contemporary trance; music as a liberating force for the mind and body.

Powerful Venezuelan rhythms and traditional songs intertwine with spiritual and futuristic jazz, psychedelic funk, experimental electronics, and Afrobeat. Raúl Monsalve draws deep inspiration from African and indigenous Venezuelan traditions, from the funky futurism of George Clinton to Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi period, from Jeff Parker to the Nyege Nyege Tapes collections.

After the highly acclaimed debut album, Bichos, in 2020, Raúl Monsalve and Los Forajidos usher in the dawn of a new day with SOL, an album conceived as a ceremony of transformation.

Echoing Venezuela's vibrant St. John the Baptist celebrations, SOL celebrates and invokes renewal, energy, resilience, and spiritual freedom. It also pays homage to Afro-Venezuelan ancestors who resisted oppression through music, dance, and unity.

The album features an impeccable lineup of artists from the music scene: British recording artist and producer Emanative; Congolese guitarist and former member of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80; and features production from Malcolm Catto of The Heliocentrics, a frequent collaborator of Madlib and Quantic; and Yann Jankielewicz, former musical director of Tony Allen's band. Born in Venezuela, Monsalve—who cut his teeth playing post-rock, free-funk, Afro-Venezuelan, and Latin music in Caracas—made it his mission to explore his homeland's complex heritage and learned percussion skills in Caracas' Sarria barrio.

He then moved to London, exploring the English scene armed with his Fender Precision. A close friend of The Heliocentrics, he notably became the bassist for The Heliocentrics & Orlando Julius tour.

Raul moved to Paris in 2015. He recreated his own entity, Raul Monsalve y los Forajidos, with his musician friends from the Venezuelan and Colombian communities. Their feverish performances combine electric instruments with traditional percussion. The band features Venezuelan singer Ly Bonilla, Edgar Bonilla on synthesizers, Andrés Vela on saxophone, and Mario Orsinet on drums.