Rafiq Bhatia's music reconciles meticulous sound art with mercurial improvisation to deliver searing emotional intensity. The composer, producer, and guitarist's first two recordings—Strata and Yes It Will—have been described by the New York Times as “transcending real sound in real time with the unexpected,” and by the Washington Post as “approximat[ing] life in the information age …profuse, immersive and immense.” Since 2014, Bhatia has been a member of Son Lux, a project that has since been heralded as "the world's most lethal band" by NPR. He has also worked with singular, creative musicians across disciplines, including Olga Bell, Sam Dew, Dave Douglas, Billy Hart, Heems, Helado Negro, Vijay Iyer, Glenn Kotche, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Moses Sumney, David Virelles, and members of the chamber ensembles Alarm Will Sound, ICE, and JACK, among others. You can also hear him on recordings featuring pop revisionists Lorde and Sufjan Stevens, and on the soundtracks to the films The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Mean Dreams, Air, and Afflicted.
Uncharted Territory: Rafiq Bhatia on Collaborating with Michael Cina
“Both the music and the visuals were born of a sustained dialogue with uncertainty.” In advance of the world premiere of Breaking English, his immersive multimedia performance work, composer-guitarist Rafiq Bhatia reflects on his experience collaborating with Twin Cities–based visual artist Michael Cina.