This is a really intriguing album. Chilean producer Ricardo Tobar clearly knows his dance music history but if anything he’s used that knowledge to make sure he creates something with a highly original approach. There is a wide range of percussive music here, some of it Latin-infused but all of it creating energy and good feeling. Tobar also uses some field recordings so that the sound picture pans out on occasion, which works really well in the start of a track like ‘There Is Pop’, which turns into a wistful four-to-the-floor beauty. By contrast ‘Brittle’ is a really involving piece of music that carries on growing and growing to a stomping drum beat, while ‘Angora’ blends the percussive noises with smooth pads at a relatively easy tempo. On the other hand Tobar blinds us with the light of ‘Crystal Sun’, which winds up in a gorgeously hypnotic trance of loops. ‘Collection’ is often hazy, acidic and a little bit warped – but at all times has the feel of a genuinely original piece of work, one that should see Tobar’s reputation as a quality producer rocket sky high.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/cocoonrecordings/sets/ricardo-tobar-collection}
