OPEN E.A.R.: Refree

Let the fun begin!

As I mentioned before, we are starting our new Exclusive Artist Recordings project. Driven by our resident photographer Marc Gasch, in this series we will collaborate with several musicians to create unique bikes and music. And we're kicking it off with Spanish musician-producer, Grammy Winner and - most importantly - cyclist Raül Refree.

Who is Raül Refree

Raül Refree is one of the most acclaimed Spanish producers of the last decade. His stylistic breadth and versatility have given him a profile that ranges from experimental musician to producer of pop stars and composer of award-winning soundtracks. 

Interested from the beginning in the renewal of traditional music, Raül Refree has become in recent years the name of reference for new flamenco in Spain, working alongside names that have grown up under his sound such as Rosalia, Rocio Marquez or Niño de Elche. His album with Rosalia, Los Angeles, has been a Gold record several times over. 

Stars like Ricky Martin request his services while he continues to bet on new talents like Rodrigo Cuevas or Guitarricadelafuente. He publishes alongside experimenters like Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, producing the last three albums of Lee Ranaldo and making the last one, "Names Of North End Women" (MUTE, 2020), in duet with the author. All this has caused the name of Raül Refree to be more and more known across the Atlantic. 

His presence as a producer in Sonic Youth's studio, Echo Canyon West, where he has worked with Sharon Van Etten, Nels Cline or Kid Millons between others has made him an important piece in today's New York's scene.

The cyclist and his bike

Among all this recordings and busy times traveling the world for concerts, Refree finds time to ride his beloved bicycles. Navigating the streets of Barcelona on his Brompton commuter or hitting the trails in Barcelona's local mountain "Collserola", Refree's been an OPEN owner for a long time, so it made total sense to start this new project with a member of our own family and work on creating something special. 

We will dig deeper into Refree's bio and music (and his love of coffee) in the upcoming episodes of this E.A.R. project. But for now, here's a small gallery and a short improv video we did at Refree's studio while visiting him for a cool gravel ride on a Spring day in his hometown. As you can see, that was a while ago, putting everything together for this E.A.R. series has taken some time. Stay tuned for more info about the custom OPEN WI.DE. (you can catch a glimpse in the video but there are actually 14 different custom frames in the Refree project). 

OPEN E.A.R.: Refree


Comments
IP
14 Oct 2024

Could I possibly get a high-resolution copy of the picture above (cyclist and full moon). I'll make it my windows background. Thanks, IP

Todd Streiff
6 Oct 2024

I appreciate this look behind the scenes of music and art that affects a diverse world. The large cycling community is made that much more interesting by what people do outside of their time on a bike!

Gerard Vroomen (OPEN Cycle)
7 Oct 2024

That's very true. Of course not only in the cycling world, everywhere people tend to be more than one-dimensional, but for sure one of the pleasures of cycling is to come across very different and interesting people.

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