Rafa El Solís
Urban music with flamenco roots
Utrera, Sevilla, Spain
Favourite admira guitar(s):
Guitarist, composer and an artist in constant evolution.
For Rafa El Solís the guitar is much more than an instrument: it is a way of expressing himself, of building songs and of finding his own musical identity. As a solo guitarist and also as a member of Delameca, Rafa develops different sides of the same passion for music, exploring different registers and ways of understanding the guitar.
His most recent work reflects exactly that restless spirit. In the last few years he has released new tracks and collaborations, among them Roneo, Pecao, Cafelito Bombón and TANGAI DEL QUERER, and in 2026 he presented Levante, together with Miguel Carrasco. A production that shows an artist who never stops looking for new sounds and new ways of bringing the guitar into his songs.
In his work with Delameca the guitar also takes on a collective dimension: sharing the stage, talking with other musicians and being part of a project in which every instrument helps to create a common identity.
On his own, Rafa finds a different space in which to develop his musical world and to experiment with greater freedom. Two paths that complement each other and that have something in common: the search for a sound of his own.
For admira, that search is especially interesting. Because behind every guitarist there is a different way of understanding the instrument: the feel, the response, the timbre, the dynamics and that connection, hard to explain, that makes a guitar stop being simply a tool and become part of the musician's personality.
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Interview
admira: The guitar seems to hold an important place both in your solo project and in Delameca. What does the guitar mean to you and what part has it played in your development as a musician?
Rafa: For me the guitar is responsible for giving sound to the thoughts and ideas that go through my head, for giving them shape and, together with my voice, passing them on to the world in the best way there is: with a song.
admira: When you choose or try out a guitar, what do you look for in its sound? Is there any feature — timbre, bass, trebles, response, comfort, projection — that makes the difference for you?
Rafa: With this guitar in particular I was looking for the “soniquete”. Lately I have been going after flamenco, rhythmic sounds in which I use a lot of flamenco chords and strumming; for rumba I think my new “Alegría” is ideal, because it has a timbre in which that rumba pattern, with its intensity and the speed you play it at, makes both the trebles and the basses sound perfectly. It is a guitar that is neither trebly nor bassy, and I think for the style we are working on now it fits like a glove.
admira: Your musical activity combines your personal project with your work in Delameca. What does each of these two sides give you, and what does each let you explore musically?
Rafa: My personal project is the most intimate part of me; I think you could even get to know me a little by listening to my songs, my sensitivity, my way of loving, of thinking. In Delameca it is almost the same, with the only difference that two people write, so there is a fusion of thoughts and therefore it is different, and also very beautiful, because things come out that would not come out alone.
admira: What are you working on right now? Are there new tracks, collaborations, recordings or projects you feel like sharing that may mark the next chapter of your career?
Rafa: As for my personal project, I will soon release the rest of the songs that make up the album, which I put on hold because of the number of concerts we had with Delameca; as it is such an important, personal project I wanted to be 100% with it, although the writing is already 90% finished and the production 80%. With Delameca we have several tracks ready to come out, produced and written by us, others produced with Pacífico Estudio and others with the artist Tony Grox, and we keep writing many more; we can't wait for you to hear them.
admira: If you could design your ideal guitar from scratch, a guitar that does not exist yet, what would it be like? What woods, sound, construction or features would it have, and what would it have to make you feel when you played it?
Rafa: As for materials they would be the same woods as my “Alegría” guitar, although I might increase the bass a little. As for colour, my favourite is Tomatito's classic orange, for me the purest flamenco guitar there is. And what it should make me feel, I would say an old, pure flamenco sound, with my own different way of expressing it, fused with other genres that make me feel music in a special way.
Listen to Rafa El Solís on the admira Spotify playlist:
Spotify by admira