Rafael Toral

After over 15 years of drone and ambient work based around guitar and electronics, Rafael Toral has set off on a radically new mission. Leaving the guitar behind, Toral has equipped himself with instruments such as a theremin-controlled white noise generator, amplified coil spring percussion, and a random pulse width modulation oscillator. With these he has launched his jazz-fueled craft through Earth's atmosphere, into outer space. The resulting voyage is one where the sounds created recall the blast of a ray gun, the gurgle of a velociraptor, the rush of a primordial geyser, all seasoned with a vintage analog appeal and interspersed with meditative moments of silence. Toral's new approach to music, entitled the Space program, runs counter to his career thus far by focusing on performance instead of composition. The foundation and fundamental release of the program is Space. Using live and in-studio performances from 2004 and 2005, Toral designed Space as 'an orchestral environment for electronic instruments.' Following Space, the program will continue to develop with releases from the Space Solo series, documenting performances of individual instruments played unaccompanied, and the Space Elements series featuring various collaborators while Toral focuses on a single piece of equipment. With previous releases by Toral on such respected labels as Touch, Table of the Elements and Ecstatic Peace, TAIGA records is proud to present the deluxe 2xLP version of Space. This exciting album by Toral is coincidentally TAIGA's inaugural release as well as that of the Space program. Originally released on CD by the highly regarded Staubgold label, it is presented here in a limited edition of 500 copies on direct-metal mastered 200g virgin vinyl. This version includes all of the original audio from the CD plus a previously unreleased 17-minute vinyl-only bonus track, 'Space Study 1.3,' a live duet with percussionist César Burago. Packaged in a gatefold jacket designed by Helder Luís with spot metallic printing, the album boasts the Daniel Malhão photograph from the CD version expanded across the entire outside in UV gloss, an essay by Toral printed inside on reversed stock and the pockets flooded black