Raden Fajar Kadafi a.k.a Ras Rawon, the freestyle riddim rider released a new single, ‘The Taste of Love’ on February 26 with Elpako, a Russian music producer based in Ubud, Bali. The message is about the taste and meaning of love and is sung in three languages: Bahasa, Russian and English.

This collaboration is unique because the entire creative process was done in just a short time. It took only 4 hours with no preparation and no repetition. Ras Rawon told Kultur that both of them set a challenge where the lyrics that had been written must not be changed.

Spontaneity has become Ras Rawon’s signature in making music, as in his debut EP with Dizzy Riz ‘Babak Satu’, which was released in December 2022. As a musician who is also a fine artist (painter), he is used to expressing ideas naturally and spontaneously. He is fluent in venting what is in his head. According to him, if he thinks too long, his work will not be finished. He wants to present the purity of what is happening at that very moment.

Although sometimes spontaneity also has its own pressures, it is something that is exciting for him. “Easy to say, hard to remember,” he often forgets what he sings (lyrics), especially when doing live. He says the art is unique and frantic but makes the days feel like a picnic. The adrenaline of spontaneously responding the riddims is an aesthetic that underscores his musicianship including ‘The Taste of Love.’

(Yedijah)