Monday 27 July 2009

Rafael Toral - Violence Of Discovery And Calm Of Acceptance

A splendid slab of drone from 2001, released on Touch Records. It's more than just drone, though: Rafael Toral has a great sense of space and texture, as well as the mastery of harmonics that makes the best drone music 'sing' to you. This is probably because the sound source for this album is guitar - the instrument that makes the best harmonic envelope - especially when you amp it up. Actually, this is very restrained, and verges on the ambient drone side of things, with little actual playing, although it comes to the fore with great effect on the closer 'Mixed States Encoded'. Elsewhere there is some great feedback manipulation on 'Maersk Line', and the album on the whole is suffused by warm fuzz: drifting and pulsing; at times suggesting Indian classical music, or Gamelan, with its ringing and throbbing.

Link removed at artist's request. Go to Rafael Toral's official site to check out all his work:
http://rafaeltoral.net/store

5 comments:

Rafael Toral said...

Please remove this link immediately, and may i suggest that visitors to your blog download from an official source instead:
http://rafaeltoral.net/store
Thanks,
rafael toral

Yogradius said...

OK, link removed.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't have paid any attention to him!!!

Anonymous said...

Well then, fellow anonymous person above me, that makes you an asshole, doesn't it? You think Rafael Toral is some rich musician who can just write off having his music downloaded for free, when it is still available for sale? Show some respect, if you like the music.

Yogradius said...

Easy now, anonymouses! I took it down because he was very polite, and also because not everyone agrees on the merits of sharing free music. Neither side can prove the other wrong, and may never be able to.
The alternative to someone asking nicely is a DMCA takedown notice: your entire post is removed because someone reports it to blogger. Jon Hassell; Harmonia; Scorn... something else: these have all been removed. Fair enough, I suppose, but also Jah Lion - 'Colombia Collie'. A reggae album from the mid 70s, from a man who sadly died at least 10 years ago; a cd not available on Amazon UK or USA. I wonder, whoever owns the rights to this in some corner of the world: when you sell it (if you ever do), does Jah Lion have any depedents, offspring or any other beneficiaries of his legacy, and will they see a penny of any royalties?