“a vital queer voice in music” - GAY TIMES
“The queer British Indian artist crafting sounds to help you heal” - gal dem
MUSIC
Rain’s performing career began rooted in Brixton’s live scene as a poet and jazz singer in the early 2000’s. Rain then became front person of LO Freq, a live trip-hop collective released by BBE alongside Meshell Ndegeocello, Mark Ronson, Sia, Cinematic Orchestra, and Matthew Herbert. The band were prolific on the live scene in the UK and internationally with a tour and vinyl release sponsored by Converse.
As a producer Rain went on to develop a unique style of London x South Asian sounds, sampling ’60s and ’70s Bollywood vinyl and distorting perceptions of gender and sexuality while DJing worldwide at venues, festivals and events including Mumbai Pride.
A selection of experimental works were released on debut ep ‘Ek’ in 2018 and playlisted by the BBC, receiving critical acclaim.
A later body of work entitled ‘Remedy’ was released in ’21, ’22 and ’23 centring Rain’s single ‘Remedy’ with a range of remixes from producers including Jeia, Works of Intent and YourBoyKiran.
Rain wrote and toured a show in 2023 entitled ‘The Remedy’, closing at The Barbican. 2025 saw a new show ‘Sound’ incorporating music, comedy and storytelling. A 2026 recording project is currently under way.
EK
Rain Reeta Loi’s debut self-produced solo EP released in 2018 ‘Ek’ under the alias ‘LOIAL’ was received to critical acclaim and playlisted by the BBC.
This project explored sampling Rain’s original ’60s and ’70s Bollywood vinyl as a way to re-discover memories of childhood and family, while pitch-shifting and crafting Rain’s vocals and those of iconic singers including Lata Mangeshkar to create lesbian love songs and explore trans and gender-queer vocal expression.
Top track ‘Unki Yaad’ is an example of vocal re-pitching of Rain’s vocals at the close of the track, whilst the rest of the track is entirely produced from samples constructed from Rain’s father’s vinyl of the 1966 film ‘Do Badan’. The track ‘Lo Aa Gayi Unki Yaad’ in which Mangeshkar is singing about remembering a lost love, Loi flips into a remembering of their own father after several years of estrangement.
Meanwhile ‘Kudi’, meaning ‘girl’ uses Rain’s vocals as a lullaby, along with the recreated sounds of a favourite childhood toy; a ballerina in an empty whiskey bottle that through a mechanical box plays ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ of Tchaikovsky's ‘The Nutcracker’.
The ‘Ek’ project under the moniker ‘LOIAL’ {loyal} is one of audio memories as self-discovery and imprinting the trans, lesbian, queer self as experienced internally into a world where this otherwise censored expression may be perceived through sound.
Remedy
Remedy is a song written in the early pandemic years whilst Rain Reeta Loi was living in Los Angeles. It is a commentary on the state of society and our own ability to be the remedy. Later produced as a ‘dystopian rnb’ track and released in 2022 on Stereofox, the track uses a subtle Bollywood vinyl sample which has been highly distorted to create a sense of emptiness.
Rain has worked up numerous live versions of this track including a jazz version performed for TEDxLondon working with artists Gnarly and Jeia. As well as this Rain performs an extended acoustic version at live shows.
EARMILK REVIEW:
“The record is as eclectic as they come, and showcases Loi’s experimental, alt-pop style underpinned by visceral topics ranging from self-awareness, to finding one's true voice amidst the external noise within the system hell-bent on keeping their strap boots on the necks of the masses. Loi crafts a haunting and dark soundscape made of brooding textures, clashing snares, and thick bass lines that go off the 1, alluding to their love of all things left field. Their performance is expressive and they deliver their message in an offbeat, carefree manner while they etch thoughtful lyrics that explore the underhanded ways of the world. Lines like "They know how to capitalize on your skills for paper/Until they recognize their inhuman behavior" hit the ears like a reminder as the chorus follows through with a foreboding aura.”
Remedy
(
yourboykiran) remix
LO Freq
Cinematic band LO Freq performed and released music from 2004-2010 and still have a loyal global following. Rain was front-person, songwriter and lead vocalist. The band toured extensively in the UK and Europe and were sponsored by Converse. They released a cover of Radiohead’s ‘Blowout’ with BBE. The album featured artists including Meshell NDegeocello, Sia, Cinematic Orchestra and Mark Ronson.
“Lo Freq confidently traverse planes of lush and layered sonic landscape. Lilting voices, intricate acoustic guitar and soft sweeping electronics merge to form a full and perfectly finished sound. A beautiful new emergence from East London."
- Millie Ross – CLASH
“Avoiding the howling feedback and over-amped guitars of the original, Lo Freq turn “Blow Out” into a gentle lilting acoustic track, before it blossoms into a gentle house number. Comparable to the best that Morcheeba and Zero 7 had to offer, Rain's emotive vocals wrap beautifully around Yorke’s “Everything I touch turns to stone”. Only as the tempo increases does the polished production and tasteful guitar of brothers Michael and Jamie Perera come to the fore. Blow Out is Lo Freq’s BBE debut, the only band to choose a track from Radiohead’s own debut, “Blow Out” reveals Lo Freq as a band to watch.”
- Andy Morris – GQ