Rita Ray is a Club and radio DJ who is also a presenter, performer, compiler and broadcaster. She also remixes and curates and writes. Rita plays the global musical spectrum; in the 1990s helped to revitalise the world music scene in London with the Mambo Inn; with Max Reinhardt she runs the Shrine club nights and tours with their band the Shrine Synchro System all over Europe and Africa; creates soundscapes for theatre companies as well as live soundtracks for silent films; programmes international music festivals in London; co-presented the first two BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music, compiles the annual CD and is currently chair of the jury; and has recently co-presented an excellent documentary on Fela Kuti for BBC Radio 3 which will shortly become a book. Presentation highlights include the Festival in the Desert from Mali as well as WOMAD 2004 for BBC4 and the Musical Legacy Of Slavery series for BBC World Service. Along with long time collaborator Reinhardt, Rita recently artistically directed and performed a musical/spoken word/ visual exploration of the relationship between Europe and Africa, I Dream of Accra with the Long Blonde'Fro, with novelist Patrick Neate, rapper BREIS, and musicians Tunde Jegede, Byron Wallen and Juldeh Camara. They are currently at work on its successor project, Where Have All the Panthers Gone?

Rita is one of the producers and interviewers for ScreenStation's multiaward winning documentary As Old As My Tongue: The Myth and Life of Bi Kidude.