Our minds are our greatest gift. It is the control center responsible for everything we do; how we think, what we perceive and consider, and ultimately how we act. Having a healthy mind grants us limitless capacity to enjoy happy lives. When our minds succumb to dark and intruding thoughts, oftentimes from exhaustion, stress, and extenuating circumstances, the realities we inhabit darken too. However, the make-up of our mind is the one place we do have total dominion. It doesn’t always seem like it when situations beyond our control befall us, but we have the power to reframe our thoughts and focus. It reminds me of a quote from author and motivational speaker, Wayne W. Dyer, and he has produced a number of helpful points that I encourage you to seek beyond this single example.
“You create your thoughts, your thoughts create your intentions, and your intentions create your reality.”
I love this quote because it gives credence to the idea that we can always be in control of how we direct ourselves. Our mental state should always be our highest priority. This idea took precedence during my hour-long conversation with Berlin based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and electronic producer, Felix Raphael. He is a man of many talents, a composer who is literally responsible for every note, pitch, tone, and frequency of music from his latest compilation of work. Guitar, piano, synths, and singing, he plays them all. For this LP, he even taught himself how to play the flügelhorn for its brass band appeal and jovial and soulful orgone.
Felix Raphael’s new album, ‘DO YOU’, is a staggering 16-track collection of brand-new productions. It’s an amalgamation of organic house melodies and indie folk elements. It’s not traditional club style dance music, banger after banger that gets your feet moving, although several of the tracks definitely groove. Instead, each track has a carefully curated message alongside a theme geared towards encouraging dialog about mental health. My feeling is this is the type of electronic album that demands performance as part of a live instrumental electronic presentation.
I spoke with Felix on the morning of November 19 via Zoom for a conversation where we touched upon his inspirations for this album, spoke about mental health extensively, and celebrated the artful nature that humans naturally encompass through the way they persevere, persist, and present themselves. To begin our conversation, I complimented Felix on the composition of the album. I’ve reviewed many singles, EPs, and LPs over the past few years, but nothing to date that has put forth a consistent message aimed at encouraging discourse like this one does. Nor anything of this volume. I asked about what types of inspiration led to this album’s creation, and he supplied the following.
“The market of the music industry is not made for long albums anymore. That was actually a reason for me to do it. To state something that is not common anymore.
It started in 2023 where I felt very exhausted touring and being alone on tour. Being far away from home… Enjoying it of course, doing what I love. On the other hand, being way too exhausted handling all of it alone. Most musicians start it as a hobby and then dive into the professional world. So, no one is teaching you how to do it. It is all self-taught, and I’m not talking about the musical side. How to handle the environment, the stress, the feeling alone side of the business. That’s where it kind of started, the idea of mental health and everything that comes with being an artist. Over the whole process, I think it’s not just about artists. It’s about people in the end.”
Personally, I am drawn to originality and people who do things their own way. To me, this album is a definite characterization of that sentiment. Many of the song titles, as well the lyrics they harbor, serve as reminders to the various elements that impact mental health, both good and bad. I’ll give you an example of how I noticed this from the tracks progressing. Tracks like “Doubt”, “Medication”, and “Therapy” are beautifully constructed. The way Felix’s lyrics gracefully communicate his messaging feels profound. I inquired about his song, “911’s”, and whether he meant its meaning as having people you can reach out to in times of need.
“Definitely. Talking about music, I don’t see it specifically as a music album. I think it’s more of a theme. Music is my language, but if I were a painter, I would draw sixteen paintings that reflect the topics I want to talk about. Art is another way of talking in the end. The biggest success in a way would be that people can really take something from it without being able to talk about some topics. That it opens it for them in a language, and music, where they are like, ‘I was not really able to talk about it before, but now something has opened with the language of music.’ This is already a big success for me because I showed it to people, the people I’m talking about in 911’s. For example, to my sister that was a huge help in the time of my dad dying.”
I feel ‘DO YOU’ is aimed at stimulating conversation. Considering music as both an artform and a language has the capacity to bridge topics that are uncomfortable for many to endeavor. In our current day and age, there’s a lot of societal doublespeak concerning mental health. Simultaneously we’re told to share our experiences and feelings, but also to grin and bear it. Which way is best? Should we bottle up our emotions and push forward as best we can while knowing someone else has it worse than us? Or should we take the time to sort through our emotions with others trusting that our words and feelings will be received compassionately? In my opinion, the latter is best because negativity will lessen by it being brought to light, and we’ll find further ways to cope and continue our personal growth.
One of my hopes for this album is that when people listen to it, they’ll come away with a better feeling. Comforting reassurance. Also evaluating their own status of mental health. This is definitely part of Felix’s intention, and his study of social work at university definitely played a role in its composition.
“Studying (social work), the things you learn, does a lot. It changed me as a person, I would say. The album is something that really refers to social work or to psychology… I think music is kind of social work in a way. Because it gives us the opportunity to be social, to talk about things.”
I think this is an excellent time to share Felix’s album quote. This perfectly encapsulates the album’s mission, directly from Felix himself, and it’s aimed at everyone regardless of profession or walk of life.
“Mental health should be discussed openly, not as a taboo. There are support systems; therapy, networks, industry initiatives… but saying you’re struggling is still difficult, especially for entertainers. With ‘DO YOU,’ I want listeners and artists to feel empowered to share experiences and start conversations about caring for each other, on and especially off the stage. Let’s make spaces to be real, online and in person – that’s where progress and creativity begin. Stop comparing, protect your joy, and do what makes you happy. Progress takes time; don’t blame yourself if you struggle. Do what makes you happy – DO YOU!“
I love how open, honest, and accessible this quote is. It’s reflective of a philosophy I carry forth daily. Regardless of a person’s profession, or hobbies and interests, all humans have a sense of artfulness they put forth. Whether it’s the way they think and speak, the way they act, or even the way they dress and present themselves. Human beings naturally portray beauty. Even for someone who works in a warehouse or factory setting, packing boxes and fulfilling orders, there’s an artistry to how they tackle tasks and a day’s objectives. To wake up every day and put forth your best, then do it all again the next, that’s a kind of beauty in motion. Perseverance and resilience come across as artful to me.
When I shared these thoughts with Felix, he agreed and reaffirmed what he hoped the album’s title conveys.
“Do what you love. Don’t compare, because this is something I experience a lot within myself. The industry and especially social media bring us to this constant comparing with others. It’s super hard, and it gets harder every day, to just do what you really like. You have to work on that every single day. Protect yourself from comparing yourself to others. In the end, ‘DO YOU’ is really a statement. Do what you love, do what you like, and protect your joy. Be true to yourself.”
That reminds me of a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Good ol’ Teddy Roose, he was a helluva twenty-sixth president of the United States. Before concluding my electric discussion with Felix, I asked him one final question. If he could share some words of wisdom with his younger self, and towards others who might feel a little lost in their own directions, what would it be? His answer, much like our conversation, inspired through self-reflection.
“Let go. That can mean a lot, but I think we, or I tend to do too much. To want too much, and to define things way too much. Letting go… try to reflect the situation if you feel overwhelmed and try to reduce as much as possible. That’s what helps me a lot.”
I want to thank Felix Raphael for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak about this project. I know he’s excited to share this labor of love with listeners across the world. I’ve spoken frequently about how important the topic of mental health is to me, and it was an absolute pleasure chatting with Felix about his new album and inspirations. ‘DO YOU’ is available for streaming on all major music platforms. If you’d like to learn more about Felix Raphael, you can follow him on Instagram @felixraphaelmusic.
This is Bear Swiftly, the Electro Scribe, signing off. Sayonara all you samurai.
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
