DJ & Label Co-founder · Bucharest, Romania
Raresh
Raresh, Romanian minimal DJ from Bacău and a:rpia:r co-founder with Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu: fabric 78, Vivaltu LP, long sets with Villalobos.
quick facts
- Real name
- Rareș Ionuț Iliescu
- Birthplace
- Bacău, Romania
- Nationality
- Romanian
- Labels
- a:rpia:r, Cocoon Recordings, fabric
- Genres
- Minimal Techno, Techno, Microhouse
Sources: api.discogs.com, amsterdam-dance-event.nl, technoairlines.com
Raresh is one of the quietest names to reach the top of the minimal circuit. He has released little as a producer, gives few interviews and posts almost no online mixes, yet he is one of the three founders of the Romanian label a:rpia:r and a regular partner of Ricardo Villalobos in long back-to-back sets. His reputation was built in clubs, one night at a time.
Latest: Raresh in 2025 and 2026
- 28 November 2026, fabric Paris. He is billed with Sonja Moonear, Praslesh, Praslea and others at the fabric Paris extended 12 hours night at Mia Mao, starting 23:59 on Saturday 28 November.
- 4 October 2026, Pyramid closing at Amnesia Ibiza. He was billed to close the season back to back with Ricardo Villalobos, per our Ibiza closing parties guide.
- 12 and 13 September 2026, Dissonanze, Rome. He was named among the additions to the first lineup wave for the festival at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, alongside Honey Dijon and Donato Dozzy, in Electronic Groove's 16 March 2026 report.
- 30 January 2026, BLITZ Munich. The club's programme page billed him for the closing slot from 3 a.m., a few months before the venue's farewell run described in our BLITZ closure report.
- 1 to 5 May 2025, Sunwaves SW35. Electronic Groove's recap of the final Romanian edition lists him among the artists who played; Villalobos was on the bill but cancelled. See our Sunwaves page.
Early Life and Path Into Music
According to the Amsterdam Dance Event artist profile, Raresh was born in Bacău, Romania, and began playing at a small club in his home town at 15. He later moved to Bucharest, where joining an agency brought regular gigs at Sunrise events at the seaside. Discogs lists his full name as Rareș Ionuț Iliescu and describes him as a Romanian techno, house and minimal DJ. His date of birth is not published, so there is no reliable figure for his age.
His career took off in the mid-2000s. The BLITZ club's artist bio says Ricardo Villalobos discovered and championed him in that period. An XLR8R feature from 2015 says only that Villalobos has been a long-time patron of the trio, and notes that one rumor about how they met, with Raresh supporting Villalobos at a Bucharest show, is not confirmed. Crack Magazine's review of Petre Inspirescu's work also called the trio's sound Villalobos-inspired and called Villalobos Inspirescu's mentor.
Sound and Style
The BLITZ bio describes his style as minimal, dubby and nuanced, and says he focuses on DJing rather than on releasing many productions. XLR8R describes the wider Romanian minimal sound as groovy, hypnotic, loopy techno, with long tracks often around seven to eight minutes that suit extended mixing, and with parties that can run for very long hours.
The same long-form approach runs through his shared sets with Villalobos. If you want the Chilean-born producer's side of the story, read our Ricardo Villalobos profile; for the Amnesia party where the two share bills, see the Pyramid residency guide.
The Label Story
a:rpia:r was founded by Raresh with his friends Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu, according to Discogs. The founding year is reported as 2007 by Discogs and as 2006 by XLR8R, so treat the date as approximate. MEOKO's 2013 piece on Romanian house, which spells the name Arpiar, says the label has released its music on vinyl only and notes that the founders once had to take a 24-hour train to Prague to find the nearest record shop. The three also DJ together as RPR Soundsystem, which XLR8R describes as the front line of the Romanian movement.
a:rpia:r is also the label on which Villalobos released his 2017 album "Empirical House", according to the discography on German Wikipedia.
Key Releases
Raresh releases little under his own name, so this table mixes his own credits with the first catalogue numbers of a:rpia:r. Dates and catalogue numbers are from Discogs.
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Dry Tool / Going Like You / De Bou | a:rpia:r (01) | The label's first 12", dated 20 March 2007: Raresh, Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu take one track each |
| 2009 | Intr-o Seara Organica... (Petre Inspirescu) | a:rpia:r (07) | Label catalogue, triple 12" album |
| 2011 | In The Mix: Green & Blue (with Sascha Dive) | Cocoon Recordings (CORMIX036) | Two-disc mix compilation, September 2011 |
| 2012 | Grădina Onirică (Petre Inspirescu) | a:rpia:r (12) | Label catalogue, triple LP |
| 2013 | Numiris EP (credited to Verico) | Amphia (AMP005) | Raresh, Cristi Cons and Vlad Caia are credited as writers and producers, November 2013 |
| 2014 | fabric 78 | fabric (fabric155) | Mix CD, October 2014, including a remix by Sonja Moonear and tracks by Vlad Caia and Cristi Cons |
| 2014 | Vivaltu Remixes LP | a:rpia:r (13) | His "Vivaltu" with remixes credited to Ricardo Villalobos, Petre Inspirescu and Dan Andrei, mastered by Rashad Becker, December 2014 |
| 2015 | Parcul Cosmos LP (Dan Andrei) | a:rpia:r (14) | Label catalogue, double 12" album |
| 2017 | Empirical House LP (Ricardo Villalobos) | a:rpia:r (15) | Label catalogue, album |
| 2021 | Anume EP (Dubtil) | a:rpia:r (16) | Label catalogue, 12" |
| 2023 | House, Stage, Backstage EP (Dan Andrei) | a:rpia:r (17) | Label catalogue, 12" |
Career Highlights
Techno Airlines lists a run of festival dates for Raresh across 2025 and 2026. In 2025 these include Sunwaves in Mamaia, Romania (1 to 5 May), Awakenings Summer Festival in the Netherlands (11 to 13 July) and Houghton in Norfolk, UK (7 to 10 August). In 2026 the listed dates include Houghton again (6 to 9 August) and Dimensions in Tisno, Croatia (27 to 31 August). He also played the closing slot, from 3 a.m., at a BLITZ night in Munich on 30 January 2026, according to the club's programme page, a few months before the venue's farewell run described in our BLITZ closure report.
On 4 October 2026 he was billed with Villalobos for the closing of Pyramid's 2026 season at Amnesia Ibiza, as covered in RTS.FM's Ibiza closing parties guide.
FAQ
Who is Raresh?
Raresh is a Romanian DJ from Bacău who co-founded the vinyl-focused label a:rpia:r with Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu. He is known for minimal, dubby DJ sets, the fabric 78 mix CD and his long-standing connection with Ricardo Villalobos.
Is Raresh still touring?
Yes. In 2026 he was billed at BLITZ Munich (30 January), Dissonanze in Rome (12 and 13 September), the Pyramid closing at Amnesia Ibiza (4 October) and the fabric Paris night at Mia Mao (28 November). Check the event pages for current lineups.
How old is Raresh?
Raresh has not published his date of birth or year of birth in sources we could verify, so his exact age cannot be confirmed.
Where is Raresh from?
Raresh is from Romania. He was born in Bacău and later moved to Bucharest, where his career grew through the local club and agency scene.
What genre does Raresh play?
He plays minimal techno and microhouse, in a dubby, hypnotic style that comes out of the Romanian minimal scene.
What is Raresh's real name?
Discogs lists his full name as Rareș Ionuț Iliescu. He performs and records as Raresh, and the name is sometimes written Rares without the diacritic.
What is a:rpia:r?
a:rpia:r is a vinyl-focused Romanian label founded by Raresh, Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu around 2006 or 2007, depending on the source. Discogs dates its first 12" to 20 March 2007, and the catalogue includes Villalobos's Empirical House (2017).
Who are RPR Soundsystem?
RPR Soundsystem is the trio of Raresh, Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu performing together. XLR8R describes them as the front line of the Romanian minimal movement.
Has Raresh released a mix CD?
Yes. He mixed fabric 78 for the London club's series in October 2014, and shared the Cocoon Recordings mix In The Mix: Green & Blue with Sascha Dive in 2011.
Does Raresh play with Ricardo Villalobos?
Yes. Villalobos is described as Raresh's long-time champion, and the two were billed together for the closing of Pyramid at Amnesia Ibiza on 4 October 2026.
festivals
Past appearances and announced lineups only, each checked against the festival's own records.