Badawi (Raz Mesinai)
Badawi is Raz Mesinai. He was born in 1973 in Jerusalem, where he became very interested in different forms of percussive drumming, a fact that has had a lasting influence on his evolution as a musician. After relocating to New York City he began to DJ and produce music.
His early DJ / production work was in the realm of dub/reggae, but in recent years has become a unique hybrid of electronica/dub/percussion/avant-garde compositions. Simutaneously, Raz has also carved a niche for himself as an experimental musician and composer, working under his own name with the likes of John Zorn and Kronos Quartet, among many others. He has released on Zorn’s “Tzadik” label.
Raz is also the co-founder of The Index, a new label he set up with Dave Quintiliani (Dave Q), the man behind New York's Dub Wars. The Index is co-presenting a room at Krakow Unsound 2010, on the Bass Mutations night, where Badawi will also perform live.
In terms of Unsound's horror theme, it should also be pointed out that Raz was once commissioned to score the movie "Hellraiser 5" - but the music was rejected by the filmmakers on the basis that it was "too scary."
Raz is also a comic book artist, writer and film maker.
