MUNDO FLOTANTE

Amazing band that it's in the jazz rock fusion / Prog mold, with a sound sort of canterbury (think Phil Miller's In cahoots or a lighter Muffins Manna / Mirage era) WITH arabic influences for good measure. Warm analog sound through out. The almost laid back parts reminded me of another spanish band, Planeta Imaginario. But Ontalva;s music can get busy and complex, with quirky time signatures and the 'feel' is little bit more bent towards Canterbury, early Picchio ,etc. (some great wind written parts!) yet showing arrangements that distinctively set's the music apart thanks in part to a Mediterranean and Arabic flair. Excellent idiosyncratic guitar work from Ontalva. I would not say it's virtuosic but it's damn close. But his noodling is really restrained and the focus is more on the comps. Recommended to those looking for well written compositions in a fusion style that it's closer to the British / Canterbury sound (than, say the american fusion sound) but that also, and most importantly, offers an original take on that style of music.

Angel Ontalva is the lead guitarist for OCTOBER EQUUS, in fact everyone from that band is backing him up here except for their drummer. The music here is quite different though as Angel mentioned to me, this is more of a jazzy affair with a world music flavour while being more melodic and less dark than the parent band. PANZERPAPPA did come to mind if you want a comparable sound.

Things get started with "Sopla Viento Del Este" which has a melancholic vibe to it with lots of intricate sounds. This is one of my favourite tracks. Love the guitar that comes in after a minute then the sax replaces it and leads the way. Man when you really listen to all that's going on it's so impressive. Organ after 2 1/2 minutes takes the spotlight as the bass and drums continue to lay the foundartion. The guitar is back. It then ends as it began. Great tune ! "Bounkam Reverie" features horns and intricate drumming while the bass throbs. So much going on. Keyboards before 3 minutes. "Leilya" opens with intricate guitar and a melancholic atmosphere. Man this is such an amazing tune, and check out the electric piano before a minute. Again the music is adventerous and very interesting. Sax to the fore at 1 1/2 minutes. Some wordless vocal melodies a minute later give this a distinct world music flavour. Excellent ! "Una Para Lars" is more laid back and is such a "feel good" song. Some violin/cello in this one too.

Next we get the "Sendas De Ofir" suite which consists of five tracks. This is mellow and sax led early on then it picks up some as the jazzy flavour gets stronger. An atmospheric calm comes in before it picks back up. The title track of this suite is beautiful then lots of intricate sounds take over. The pace speeds up with sax out front before it calms back down with more atmosphere. The final section opens with picked guitar and flute which are both played by Angel. The flute truly is other- worldly here. A peaceful section ends the suite and it's so pleasant and calming. "Aurelia Quiere Saber" is a laid back and relaxing piece followed by "Sunda Stream" where things turn much more passionate. Great sound here that becomes almost bombastic at one point. It all ends with "Aguas Del Bagradas" which is dark with some cool sounding drum work as other sounds play over top. Organ leads before 3 minutes, then back to the tribal-like drumming and dark sound. A great way to end the album.

This is a record that really needs your full attention to be appreciated fully in my opinion. I'm so impressed with the style of music that Angel has composed here. It is complex yet melodic meaning most prog fans will really enjoy this.

Spanish composer and musician Angel ONTALVA is perhaps best known as a central member of the Spanish band October Equus, but he has been involved in multiple side projects and collaborative productions in the last few years as well, in addition to establishing a solo career. "Mundo Flotante" is his first solo album, released in 2012.

Well thought and and well developed instrumental progressive rock with an arguable foundation in jazz rock seasoned with details and elements from avant-garde, symphonic, chamber and folk/world music is what Angel Ontalva provides us with on his debut solo production "Mundo Flotante". A vibrant, genre defying CD that merits a check by those fond of sophisticated, tight and innovative instrumental progressive rock, with a certain emphasis on the progressive aspect in progressive rock.

The Angel Ontalva's discography is a complex stuff, because he has a lot of albums under his own name (most of them only in digital download version) and even more as guitarist and main composer of the excelent spanish group October Equus. "Mundo flotante" is his first "conventional" album and, even when he plays here with member of October Equus, is a really solo efford. Ontalva's music is difficult to classify, running from de instrumental jazz-rock to echoes from African and oriental Music. A good exemple of this is the first track in this álbum: "Sopla viento del este". In the middle of the road between easy and hard listening, the tracks of Mundo Flotante always hide treasures to discover. Nothing is obvious here. Listeners have to collaborate in an active way to find the multiples angles of this always changing music. When you try to describe new music is easy to link it with older and more famous references, but in this case this is not an easy task because references here are only "sonic flashes", evanescent echoes from so many people that is not worth to mention it. The best you can do is listen Mundo Flotante, taking into account that if you like this you have another even better álbum by Ontalva: his second álbum "Tierra Quemada" and, of course the faboulous world of October Equus albums. If you are interested in contemporary spanish progressive rock, this is, by far, the first option.