Banx & Ranx originated from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and are known for their music in genres such as Electronic Dance Music, Dancehall, Pop, and remixes. They have been active in the entertainment industry since 2014 to date.
Individually, the duo is known as Zacharie Raymond (Soke), and Yannick Rastogi is also known as KNY Factory. Some of their most notable songs are ‘Flowers Need Rain’, ‘Answerphone’, and ‘Headphones’.
In 2023, the production duo turned singers were finally recognized in their hometown after bagging multiple award nominations for the Juno Award ceremony. They also got a Grammy nomination for their feature with Sean Paul.
Here are 10 Facts about the Musical Duo
1. Who are the Members of the Banx & Ranx Production Group?
One half of Banx & Ranx is known as Yannick Rastogi, born to an Indian father and a French- Canadian mother. He was born and spent most of his early years in Guadeloupe and attended Universite du Quebec a Montreal after relocating to Canada in 2008.
From the university, Rastogi graduated with a degree in Communication Media and Interactivity.
The second half of the musical duo is known as Zacharie ‘Soke’ Raymond who grew up in Quebec. He is multi-lingual – can speak English, French, and Spanish.
2. When Was the Musical Duo Formed?
Banx & Ranx is a music (production) duo which originated in 2014 in Quebec as already stated. However, the members of the duo are not all natives of Canada as already stated.
Zach who was already in Canada before his other half moved over, was already into music and was a huge fan of DJing, guitars, and reggae.
For Raymond, music was always his thing, and began to DJ and produce music at the age of 12. The other half also had a background in music as he used to play traditional drums and even sing as a teenager. At that same time, Yannick began to produce dancehall, reggae, and hip-hop.
The formation of this production unit was aimed at songwriting, producing, and remixing songs. They were signed to Universal Music Canada, but the duo has their own record label which is known as 31 East.
3. Why was 31 East Created?
This record label was formed because the duo of Banx & Ranx were trying to reduce the outflux of Canadian artists to the United States. They wanted to prove that their own entertainment industry would be able to produce artists that could compete with other industries.
The company was created in 2021 after its deal with Universal Music Canada. One of their first signees was Preston Pablo from Timmins and he was instrumental to the song by the duo titled ‘Flowers Need Rain’.
Under this 31 East label, the music producers have also worked with the likes of Reve, Zach Zoya, and Sofia Camara.
Some of their works like their hit singles ‘Answerphone’ and ‘Headphones’ peaked very highly on charts in the UK and Canada.
4. How did they Come up with Banx & Ranx?
The name of the production duo ‘Banx & Ranx’ was coined and adopted because the name sounded cool to them. To Raymond and Yannick, their name sounded like a merge of reggae and dancehall and since their music was a merger of both sounds and more, it appealed greatly to them.
When they both got to meet each other, their individual background in music and production allowed them form a bond that amounted to what we now know as Banx & Ranx.
It is important to note that Yannick, in spite of his love for music that started from a young age, had an interest in illustration. He even thought about being an illustrator like a friend he had at the time.
5. Was the Duo Initially a Singing Duo?
At the beginning of the formation of Banx & Ranx, there was no plan for the duo to become singers. They only wanted to be creative and make music for others but this changed when they came in contact with Tinie Tempah.
During a music session with Tinie, Banx & Ranx did a song originally meant for him titled ‘S*x 4 Breakfast’. The song was then sent to K Stewart and began to spread and make waves. Soon, the duo became a household name as their name tag rang through at the beginning of the song.
This was the beginning of the Quebec-formed group’s singing career.
6. Are there Artists that Influenced Banx and Ranx’ Sound?
KNY Factory also known as Rastogi and Raymond Zacharie both had different musical influences growing up. While the former was more into drops and dancehall, Zach was more of a reggae rhythms guy.
Ultimately, they had influences from artists such as Sean Paul whom they have worked before. Michael Jackson, the king of pop, was a huge influence on Raymond and Bob Marley, Mushroom, and Daft Punk. For KNY Factory, his influences also included the likes of Jamiroquai and Bonny M, all of whom were a huge part of his growing up.
7. Who are the artists Banx and Ranx’ have Worked with?
Since the inception of the production company, Zach and Rastogi have co-produced ‘Crick Neck’ with Sean Paul. They were also featured in Usain Bolt’s documentary and had worked on remixes for Gorillaz. Additionally, the duo also worked with Dua Lipa, Nicky Jam, and the girl group, Twice, to name but a few.
Banx & Ranx also had a feel of afro beats when they worked with Fuse ODG on his ‘Window Seat’ song.
8. Does Zacharie Raymond, half of the Musical Duo, have his own Record Label?
Banx & Ranx are known to jointly oversee 31 East however Zacharie ‘Soke’ Raymond, on his LinkedIn profile, is a producer and artist at Soke Music. He has overseen this reggae, electronic music Company since January 2000.
On Rastogi’s LinkedIn profile, he brags about being a multi-platinum-selling producer and songwriter as well as a publisher.
READ ALSO: Who Is Jake Angeli? 10 Unknown Facts About QAnon Shaman
9. How Many Awards were the Duo Nominated for During the Juno Awards Show in 2023?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoFrcAcPAs7/?hl=en
At the 52nd annual ceremony of the Juno Awards, Banx & Ranx were nominated for 3 Awards. The Montrel-born production company was nominated for Single of the Year for ‘Flowers Need Rain’, Breakthrough Group of the Year, and Jack Richardson Producer of the Year for ‘Ctrl + Alt + Del’ and Sean Paul’s ‘Dynamite’.
As a team, the total number of awards the 31 East Label were nominated for is 9. They are also slated to perform at the event.
10. They are Multi-lingual
Rastogi who was born in a French Island territory in the Caribbean can boast of speaking at least 3 languages. He speaks Creole & Pidgin as well as Spanish and French and only started learning how to speak English later in life.
As for the Quebec-born Raymond, he also speaks more than one language. He is proficient in English, French, and Spanish.
