He studied composition with Yoshiro Irino and Helmut Lachenmann, and computer music with Paul Berg at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht. He subsequently worked as a guest composer there from 1982 until 1990.
His works have been performed at the iscm World Music Days and awarded at such prestigious events as the International Electroacoustic Music Competition in Bourges (two First Prizes) and the newcomp International Computer Music Competition in the United States. He has also received the Award of the International Computer Music Association (icma) and the 'Irino' Composition Prize in Japan.
Currently Rai is teaching computer music at the Sonology Department, Kunitachi College of Music, Tokyo.

Transparency for harp and tape was composed and premiered in Tokyo in 1984. The tape part of the piece was realized at the Institute of Sonology in Utrecht using real-time computer sound synthesis techniques and computer transformation of the harp's material using two pdp-15 computers. For the real-time computer sound synthesis, the pilem application developed by Paul Berg was used.
The work won the Mixed Electroacoustic Music Prize at the 13th International Electroacoustic Music Competition in Bourges and was selected for the International Computer Music Conference in Cologne (1988).
It is included in the cd Culture Electronics 1 (le Chant du Monde: ldc278043) and also on the composer's computer music cd 'Kinetic Figuration' (Digital Art Creation: dac-1210).