“Saturn” continues an ongoing post-Space Program expansion into new contexts for free phrasing on Rafael Toral’s electronic instruments. From the jazz-rock groove opening on Saturn I to the metallic drone ambiance on bells, gongs and feedback of Saturn II and the precision of free shapes on Saturn III, derived from developments in the Space Quartet (on which João Pais Filipe plays the drums), Saturn is a live suite in new directions.

“As i was looking for image ideas for the “Saturn” cover, i arrived at the Cassini spacecraft and the gorgeous photos in took of Saturn, its rings and all its moons. I’m in awe of its staggering achievements, having been 20 years in space and beaming all these amazing photos to Earth, plus lots of insights about that planetary system. But the music was recorded long before i started looking for cover images and has nothing to do with Saturn, heh. It’s just music.” — Rafael Toral

“Light as helium, yet flammable as hydrogen, “Saturn” specializes in epic blowouts and benders. Transmitted by cosmic telepathy, the contact is continuous, ebbing and flowing with unbroken dialogue. Blow by blow, Pais Filipe’s custom drum kit—assembled from gongs, cymbals, and bells of his own creation— spars with Toral’s custom electronics in a sonic martial art cast among the stars.” — Todd B. Gruel

Polido collects the dust of the days and approaches the funk of Theo Parish or Moodyman. At the same time he has been building a solid collaboration with MMNO. After moving to Berlin, Polido turns this whole journey into something even more singular, with a new album “Time is When” where he assumes silence, time and suggestion as primordial values, in a very special work of detailed percussion and sounds.