Brought up in London, surrounded by sound, listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, while encountering Queen, The Beatles and the Stones from her Dad’s collection, Ella Raphael's musical journey continued in Australia where she met many other musicians, and ended up sailing with would-be pirates, singing in the bow of their boat and deciding that music was the path for her.Ella studied music in Valencia, Spain, adding further exotica to her vocabulary. Her travels have refined that eclectic mix, adding Love, Serge Gainsbourg, Karen Dalton (to whom her lilting vocal occasionally recalls), Vashti Bunyan, Catherine Riberio And Alpes, the original masters of Tropicalia, exotic 50s guitars and the more esoteric sounds of The Beatles. ‘Mad Sometimes’ intriguing sound comes from a stylish mix of lap steel, mandolin, guiro, congas, synthesisers, a shruti box and stringed instruments played by Ella, Eyal Samson, Uzi Ramirez, Ron Ephrati, Guy Mintus and Amir Sadot. “A timeless, Tropicália-tinged daydream” Gorilla VS Bear said of her single, ‘All In’. Following with the evocative ‘Tangled Love’ and aching ‘See You Through’ both of which were mixed by Ray Monde of psych-rock duo, Monde UFO and arrived with added goosebumps.
