About Rafe

As the host and mixer of The Groove Boutique™, Rafe Gomez seeks out the world’s most exciting, unique, and diverse selections of mixable jazz music to present to his millions of nationwide listeners.

THE BEGINNING
Gomez’s foray into the world of funky and jazzy music began when he was a teenager. In 1977, he played the drums in a 12-piece cover band called The Funk Machine, based in his hometown of Passaic, NJ. “The Funk Machine’s repertoire were the top funk hits of the day by such groups as Earth, Wind, & Fire, The Brothers Johnson, Mandrill, and Brass Construction,” explains Gomez. “We also worked in jazzy material by artists like The Blackbyrds, Pleasure, John Tropea, Stuff, The Brecker Brothers, and David Sanborn. It was all incredible music that was a helluva lot of fun to play”. As a result of his experience with The Funk Machine, Gomez developed an ear for tight, memorable grooves that both pleased the ear and moved the feet.

“WORLD’S BEST LOOKING SOUND”
While an undergraduate in the 80s, Gomez spent his summers working as a music research assistant for legendary radio personality and programmer Frankie Crocker at New York’s WBLS-FM. Gomez’s responsibility was to track down the newest urban music releases and to help determine which ones had radio hit potential. His background as a funk drummer helped him to appreciate and instantly recognize catchy grooves and outstanding musical chops.

“My weeks were consumed with contacting hundreds of retail stores, record pools, and club d.j.s in the New York area to find out which new jams were hot,” Gomez says. “As a result of my research, I was able to bring a wide array of powerful music for Frankie to check out and choose from.”

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