Rafiki

Rafiki is a German rock band from Germany that forms in 2001, when Lorenz, Spritus and Reu start the group with the aim of performing their own material rather than covering existing songs. The band’s early writing develops in a small rehearsal space, and its songs quickly build them a local following.

Style and development

From the start, Rafiki’s German-language lyrics are set to a mix of punk rhythms, ska and hard rock. In 2002 the line-up changes when Andi joins on trumpet and Felix on trombone, and the group turns more fully towards ska.

Recordings

With this line-up, Rafiki records its first album, Tanzmusik, in-house. The album includes only a few ska songs, but it sells more than 300 copies. The band then records the EP Kein Sklave in informal home-studio conditions, and the release helps it play clubs in Lüneburg, Hamburg, Berlin, Offenbach and other cities outside Franconia.

After the EP brings the group to the attention of a Munich label, Rafiki records a second album, Mit Pauken und Trompeten, which is released in 2007 on Bad Land Records.