On The Road With... Ray Okpara

As we've been told many times already by our weekend visitors - life on the road as a DJ is a fast paced affair with hardly a moment to catch your breath. One DJ who feels the glory of the grind but wouldn't change it for the world is Ray Okpara. Ray's roots lie in Nigeria but we probably know him best for the music he's been making out of Mannheim in Germany with a select group of house music geniuses lead by Federico Molinari and Nekes, known collectively as the Oslo Records crew. Their ethos is simple - to translate infectious grooves with original and innovative elements from the studio to behind the decks and from past experiences movers and shakers in Farringdon have been swept off their feet each time Oslo make their move. Ray Opkara's unique house vision came together with the arrival of his debut LP 'Good Times' last year on Mobilee Records and since we experienced its greatness it's been a mission of ours to see Ray return to Room Three with his infectious smile that flashes through the room bringing positive vibes when he plays. Here's a snap shot into Ray's life on the road recently and some extra special photos of his, including one of him deep sea diving in Miami. It's a hard life! Week One Last week I flew into Mexico City and someone came to pick me up from the airport. I had a show at my favourite club in Mexico called Rioma, it's in Condesa not so far away from the hotel I'm in right now. I just love this club. The crowd is very open to here music and well educated so you can more or less play from deep up to some jacking or tekky tunes depending on how you feel. Desertor Gang Cenote Party In Playa Del Carmen It was a very fun night because I played with one of my best friends Leo Falfan aka Mobius Strum, OK I have to admit we went clubbing the night before and didn't see so much of the day, but then what do you expect when we haven't see each for some time. We partied for two days in a row! Mobius Strum aka Leo and me at RiomaClub Rioma Week Two Hi fabric, it's 6:10am. I'm laying in my hotel bed in Condesa, Mexico City and I can't seem to get rid of my jet lag. In a way it gets on my nerves but that's what we sign up for. I'm having to hurry whilst I write this because I have a flight to Germany in four hours which is very early and we have to manage all the traffic. My weeks are always so different but this last week has been good fun. Usually during the week I hang around in my apartment in Mannheim which I moved back into this year. During my time at home I like to practice on my guitar, produce some tunes and do some remixing. I sometimes get stuck in playing Fifa or often trying to get some inspiration which is what I've been doing the last couple of days. The miami crew / dinnertime ( Anja Schneider, Sebo K, Nick Curly, Monika Kruse, Igor Vicente, Ray Okpara) Key largo somewhere underwater Oslo Records takeover Room Three this Saturday with Ray Okpara, Christian Burkhardt (live) and Federico Molinari. For more info and tickets, go here.