In the wake of Rafael Toral’s much-acclaimed return to guitar voicings and improvisations, 2024’s Spectral Evolution, comes a new set of CD masters for his first two albums: Sound Mind Sound Body and Wave Field. These new versions — alongside represses for the 2018 vinyl versions for both — arrive June 27.
In 1987, Rafael Toral began making his own compositions and solo recordings using electric guitar in an enhanced signal path. He paid notice to the massive impact of discreet gestures, creating slow-moving tones and spacious orchestral resonances — hardly recognizable as guitar much of the time. The first pieces of Sound Mind Sound Body were recorded that year, inspired in part by the working principles of Fripp & Eno; in 1994, a collection was released on Portugal’s AnAnAnA, producing an hour’s worth of remarkable sonic equilibrium in this mode. With each subsequent reissue, however, aspects of this sound have been subtly revisited. For the 1998 Moikai CD, “AE 1” — one of the earliest pieces conceived — was newly recorded; for the 2018 Drag City LP master, “Textura e Linhas Curvas” was included, “AER 7 E” was re-recorded and the material for “AE 2” was recorded for the first time ever in studio. These performances were executed using the same processes as the original ones. The 2025 CD master recalls “Loopability II” from the ‘94 AnAnAnA master, omits “Textura e Linhas Curvas,” and adds yet another brand new version of “AER 7 E” in place of the 2018 version. Incredibly, all of these changes augment Sound Mind Sound Body’s expansive intent without altering its essential otherworldly atmosphere.
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.
In the time since, Rafael has developed his conceptions: first as a guitar improviser, then in what he called his “Space Program”, utilizing self-made electronic modules. Yet the sounds of Wave Field and Sound Mind Sound Body sit perfectly among the forward-reaching music of today — as it continues to evolve in our ears, moving ever towards the next conception of listening space. Nearly 40 years later, they sound remarkably prescient and perfectly timeless – fresher today than when they were first released!
Rafael Toral 2025 Performances
May 10 – Istanbul, Turkey @ Borusan Music House
May 24 – Bologna, Italy @ Angelica – Teatro San Leonardo
May 29 – Milan, Italy @ Arci Bellezza
May 31 – Avellino, Italy @ Contemporary Speech 2025 @ Spazio Arena
June 7 – Caldas da Rainha, Portugal @ Centro Cultural e de Congressos
June 19 – Crato, Portugal @ Waking Life
June 26 – Kyoto, Japan @ Metro
June 28 – Tottori, Japan @ Jig Theater
July 1 – Tokyo, Japan @ Shibuya Club Quattro
Oct. 11 – Venice, Italy @ La Biennale di Venezia
