Rafael Sotomayor (Hang Player)
Citizenship: Chilean

 

 

 

Rafael Sotomayor was born in 1979 in Santiago de Chile. He started traveling in the age
of 20 to discover the world. Since he left Chile he was searching to study music in
different cultures and to find knowledge and inspiration– Rafael went to India for
learning complexity of rhythm with the master Amit Mishra and the melodic Bansuri
with the master Sohan Lahl.

He started playing the Hang in the year 2003. From that moment he didn’t stop playing,
looking for the development of this new instrument. The Hang was invented in 2000. As
it is a new instrument, Rafael is one of the best players, recognized all over the world. He
had performed with famous musicians as Sami Yusuf on a European Tour.

Concerts

12.04.2006 Indian News National Channel, Varanasi, India solo Hang
21.09.2006 Ropongo Hills, Tokyo, Japan solo Hang
12.12.2006 Frankfurt, Germany solo Hang
17.02.2007 Frankfurter Hof, Mainz, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set)
01.05.2007 Zeil Number One, Frankfurt, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set)
04.05.2007 Franzis, Wetzlar, Germany with Israel Diaz (Percussion)
05.05.2007 Rital Arena, Wetzlar, Germany with Sami Yusuf (Vocals & Percussion)
nine thousand people
14.05.2007 Brussels, Belgium with Sami Yusuf (Vocals & Percussion)
six thousand people
22.05.2007 Buddha Lunge, Stuttgart, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set) and
Israel Diaz (Percussion)
24.06.2007 Berger Strassenfestival, Frankfurt, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum
Set), Israel Diaz (Tablas and Darbuka) and Andres El Fulminador
(Synthesizer)
07.07.2007 Circus Festival, Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark with Israel Diaz
(Percussion)
03.08.2007 Casablanca, Morocco with Sami Yusuf (Vocals & Percussion)
35 thousand people
14.09.2007 Istanbul, Turkey with Sami Yusuf (Vocals & Percussion) 50 thousand
people
01.10.2007 Yard festival, Stuttgart, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set), Israel
Diaz (Percussion) and Anja Troschau (transverse flute)
06.10.2007 Kanbenschule, Benefic concert for a catastrophe in Peru, Darmstadt,
Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set), Israel Diaz (Percussion) and Anja
Troschau (transverse flute)
15.10.2007 Assbar, Hamburg, Germany with Israel (Percussion)
02.11.2007 International Jazz Festival, Iquique, Chile with Plataforma (Jazz band)

Music Partners

2006 Rafael traveled to India for learning complexity of rhythm with the master
Amit Mishra and the melodic Bansuri with the master Sohan Lahl.
2007 Adrian Paulus, Israel Diaz and Andres El Fulminador
Under the influence of ethno music with percussion instruments from all
over the world, Jazz drum set and synthesizer ambient effects they
recorded TheArtOfFusion dejavu
2007 Sami Yusuf invited Rafael to play on a worldwide tour.
2008 Rafael traveled to Spain to learn about Flamenco Rhythm and met
Antonio Carlos transverse flute player

CD Recordings

2006 The Vibration of the Hang solo Hang (Rafael Sotomayor)
2007 TheArtOfFusion dejavu Rafael Sotomayor (Hang, Santur and
Percussion)
Israel Diaz (Hang, Percussion and Effects)
Adrian Paulus (Drum Set)
Andres El Fulminador (Synthesizer)
Max Bremer (Mandolin)

Adrian Paulus was born in Wiesbaden in Germany the 22nd of November 1982. He
started to play music with piano and drum set at the age of seven when he was living in
Chile. There he founded his first bands. At the age of 21 he started to play with a band
called Easy Streak and they opened the most popular jazz jam session in Frankfurt that
takes place every weekend.

In the same year he met Thomas Karl Fuchs a piano jazz player, who had great influence
on Adrian as a drum set jazz player. Since then he had played in several bands in
Frankfurt.

In the year 2006 he met Israel Diaz and Rafael Sotomayor in the streets of Frankfurt.
With the idea of making fusion music they start with the project TheArtOfFusion. Adrian
Paulus was performing on different concerts such as:

Concerts

Frankfurter Hof, Mainz, Germany with Rafael Sotomayor (Hang)
Zeil Number One, Frankfurt, Germany with Rafael Sotomayor (Hang)
Buddha Lunge, Stuttgart, Germany with Israel Diaz (Percussion) and Rafael
Sotomayor (Hang)
Berger Strassenfestival, Frankfurt, Germany with Israel Diaz (Percussion), Rafael
Sotomayor (Hang) and Andres El Fulminador (Synthesizer)
Madrid, Spain with Gipsy-Allstars (Musicians of Gypsy Kings)
Yard festival, Stuttgart, Germany with Israel Diaz (Percussion), Rafael Sotomayor
(Hang) and Anja Troschau (transverse flute)
Assbar, Hamburg, Germany with jazz musicians from Hamburg
Kanbenschule, Benefic concert for a catastrophe in Peru, Darmstadt, Germany
with Israel Diaz (Percussion), Rafael Sotomayor (Hang) and Anja Troschau (Transverse
flute)

CD Recordings

In the year 2007 he recorded the CD TheArtOfFusion dejavu.
Rafael Sotomayor (Hang, Santur and Percussion)
Israel Diaz (Hang, Percussion and Effects)
Adrian Paulus (Drum Set)
Andres El Fulminador (Synthesizer)
Max Bremer (Mandolin)

Israel Diaz was born in 1979 in Mexico City and started studying music at the age of 19
with the music master Mario Rodriguez. In the age of 21 he studied with the only Tabla
master in Mexico Francisco Bringas. Besides that he also took courses with the famous
Darbuka player Sojail Kaspar in his country. One year later he founded a group with his
friends in Mexico, called Fraktal (ethno fusion music). On his way to India he met Rafael
Sotomayor and started with the project TheArtOfFusion. For the last years Israel Diaz is
always traveling to India to spend six month learning the complexity of Tablas.

Concerts

Servantino Festival, Mexico City, Mexico with Mario Rodriguez (Guitar)
Franzis, Wetzlar, Germany with Rafael Sotomayor (Hang)
Buddha Lunge, Stuttgart, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set) and Rafael
Sotomayor (Hang)
Berger Strassenfestival, Frankfurt, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set), Rafael
Sotomayor (Hang) and Andres El Fulminador (Synthesizer)
Circus Festival, Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark with Rafael Sotomayor (Hang)
Yard festival, Stuttgart, Germany with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set), Rafael Sotomayor
(Hang) and Anja Troschau (transverse flute)
Kanbenschule, Benefic concert for a catastrophe in Peru, Darmstadt, Germany
with Adrian Paulus (Drum Set), Rafael Sotomayor (Hang) and Anja Troschau
(Transverse flute)
Assbar, Hamburg, Germany with Rafael Sotomayor (Hang)
Varanasi, India with Binot Prashana (Bansuri)

CD Recordings

In the year 2005 he recorded a CD with Fraktal in Mexico, called Pan Frances.
Two years later he recorded the CD TheArtOfFusion dejavu.
Rafael Sotomayor (Hang, Santur and Percussion)
Israel Diaz (Hang, Percussion and Effects)
Adrian Paulus (Drum Set)
Andres El Fulminador (Synthesizer)
Max Bremer (Mandolin)
In association with das Modular music and publishing, Frankfurt, Germany