Toral, Rafael - Wave Field (2025 Reissue)

In 1987, Rafael Toral began making his own compositions and solo recordings using electric guitar in an enhanced signal path. In the time since then, he has developed his conceptions, first as a guitar improviser, then in what he called his ‘Space Program’, utilizing self-made electronic modules. 2024’s ‘Spectral Evolution’ was a much-acclaimed return to guitar voicings and improvisations, edified by his further explorations in electronic sound. In the wake of his extraordinary new music comes a new set of CD masters for Rafael’s first two albums, ‘Sound Mind Sound Body’ and ‘Wave Field’. Nearly 40 years later, these recordings sound remarkably prescient and perfectly timeless - fresher today than when they were first released. ‘Wave Field’, released in 1995, was a departure from the first album into new composition methods involving the dirty textures of rock guitar, sounding in the open ears of many listeners (like Jim O’Rourke, who issued the disc in the US on dexter’s cigar) as a synthesis of disparate elements - a nexus where Alvin Lucier, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and Eno blend together. Here, the clangorous potential of the guitar was emphasized, giving a metallic edge to the two extended pieces and ‘radio edit’ coda. The jacket paid subtle tribute to My Bloody Valentine, which, along with the radio edit, suggested a harmony between musical directions as wildly disparate as minimalist experimental and rock. Today, such a paradoxical intent is more widely considered as a part of the artist's purview. This allows the sounds of ‘Wave Field’ and ‘Sound Mind Sound Body’ to sit perfectly among the forwardreaching music of today - as it continues to evolve in our ears, moving ever towards the next conception of listening space.