London-born visionary Ragz Originale has delivered his eagerly anticipated debut album Nature, a luscious journey into the corners of his mind, produced entirely by the artist himself. Blending an array of styles via hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music, the album demonstrates a vast wealth of the sounds which have made the Ivor Novello nominee so hugely popular in recent years.
A dynamic and eclectic producer capable of turning his hand to any genre, Ragz Originale’s Nature showcases his smooth and downtempo style, with album opener ‘Summer Blues’ seeing Ragz reminisce over a nostalgic trip to a sombre season. Packed with Ragz’s soulful harmonies, the artist adopts a more upbeat style on ‘Proof Read’, with tracks like ‘Disaronno Straight’ focusing on more hard-hitting subjects, serving as a mantra for his “mission to create” by any means necessary, despite moments of existential crises and relatable questioning of life choices.
Blessed with a range of co-productions, Nature also sees Benjiflow join Ragzon ‘How Far’ with E-Whizz tackling co-production duties on the bouncy, and zippy-synth led album ender, ‘She Said Run’, harnessing the energy of UK Garage and Electro.
But for all of Nature’s dynamic diversity, Ragz holds a special place in his heart for ‘En Route’, a single clad with the soaring choir and funky basslines which truly catapulted him into the public consciousness. “A lot of things changed around me when I released that track as a single,” Ragz explains, “En Route is a true story about me battling with my conscience. “I reflect on how things could have been without music in my life.” Amassing over a quarter of a million Spotify streams, the track was played heavily on French radio and was shortly followed by his 2017 production ‘Both Sides’.
Throughout the creative process of Nature, Ragz worked closely with Kwes, a South London-based artist who executive-produced the project. With production credits on Solange’s ‘A Seat At The Table’ and Loyle Carner’s ‘Yesterday’s Gone’, Kwes is also best known for his production and collaborative work with Micachu, Nao, Kelela, Damon Albarn, Bobby Womack, and ELIZA, and has also reworked several artists including Hot Chip, Metronomy, and Lianne La Havas.
Describing the project, Ragz states: “‘Nature’ is a way of saying ‘It is what it is’. For me it is how we adapt to whatever circumstance life throws at you. This album is a classic story of a man growing through life in real time. This is me sharing a point of view from my conscience. Everyone makes music for different reasons, I’m obsessed with giving people sounds they’ve never heard before, synths and melodies to make your mind wander. I want to push artists, DJ’s, producers and all consumers to open up their palate.”
“The beautiful lady on my cover represents my interpretation of mother nature. I believe the woman balances out all energies in life. The record tells a story from my conscience, based on experiences we go through with women. They are the backbones in our lives. Whether it is your mother or your soulmate.”
Responsible for production and co-writing duties on Skepta’s certified gold album Konnichiwa – with credits on ‘Shutdown’ and ‘Text Me Back’ – Ragzhas quickly developed a reputation as an innovative and creative producer, receiving a wealth of support from the likes of Benji B, Charlie Sloth, Ras Kwame and Julie Adenuga.
Beginning his career in 2013, recording his own music via his bedroom studio, Ragz was influenced by the grime scene as a youngster, and soon became the mastermind behind the culture-shifting ‘Shutdown’, a global smash which achieved gold certification in the UK.
Popping up with vocals on Oscar #Worldpeace’s ‘That’s Alright’, Ragz Originale continues his journey into 2018 and beyond, cementing his reputation as one of the most vibrant talents on the scene, producing for the likes of Giggs and Dej Loaf. The head honcho of Minikingz, a collective of talented rising London artists, Ragz Originale’s 10-track Nature album was released on Friday October 12th.
NATURE – Tracklist:
01 Summer Blues
02 Proof Read
03 How Far
04 Another Way
05 Kine’s Message
06 Ace Hotel
07 Endless
08 Disaronno Straight
09 En Route
10 She Said Run
