discography
the debut lp
"big blue story"
Iono Music, 08/2008
compilation contributions
Nebular Invita
Nebulat Hypott Rec. 09/2006
Hammock vol. 3
Synergetic Rec. 12/2006
Soothe
Real Legacy Rec. 12/2008
Mexican Vibes
Mandala Rec. 02/2009
Chilling Cuts Vol. 4
Flow Rec. 06/2009
remixes
DER MYSTIK
rocking your world
Real Legacy Rec. 07/2008
SHINDRAH
fade away
Real Legacy Rec. 10/2008
TRANCEMISSION
reggae rasta music
Iboga Rec. 03/2009
TOR.MA - live
Family, umbrella & the big blue ocean...
links
Tor.Ma in DuB
Iono Music
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In
Autumn 2008
Dub-O-Rama
discovered Tor.ma in dub in the IT -
there was a debut-lp called 'big blue story' on the german
psy-progressive label Iono Music out
since October 2008, some contributions on
(dub)-samplers and a homepage on myspace, which kept my interest going and
growing by progressing new tracks on his myspace-site. I wanted to know
more about this talented guy from Mexico, who mixes psychedelic electronic
sounds into dub-riddims in all varieties from space-dub to vintage style,
connected with some fine notes of techno-rhythms as world-music
sounds worked slightly into too.
So
this is the very
first interview
of the artist released wordwide! interview
of the artist released wordwide!
Dub-O-Rama:
Bernhard Groha, Tor.Ma (in Dub): Rafael Hernandez
Dub-O-Rama: Hello Rafael,
nice to meet you. What was the point to decide for you: Music is my life?
Tor.Ma:
Well it started very young, I
used to play drums in several rock bands, there I learned some guitar and bass. Since then I just knew thats what I wanted to do, so with the time I changed the drums for the
synths, but my passion for making music got bigger and bigger...
Dub-O-Rama:
How
did you discover your love for dub-music and how it was growing on?
Tor.Ma: It all started
back at the end on the 90's with a girlfriend. We made an interesting
interchange of musical tastes, I introduced her electronic music such
as progressive house and psytrance and she got me into the roots reggae
music.. I fell in love since. Then I started djing and producing my
tracks.. mostly progressive trance and ambient but still
listening lots of reggae and dub. So it came natural and very flowing my
musical pad started mixing ambient sounds with dub influence. In 2005 came
my very first dub called "green drops". This one got a lot of
recognition in the electronic scene here in mexico because there was no
other psy-dub project, it was released on 2006 on a mexican label. So it
became my new way to express myself when I realized that I could do a
mix between both worlds that I love... electronic and roots. I felt a lot
of freedom and joy producing this music.. such as it became my
"A" project, over the progressive trance one.
Dub-O-Rama: Your music
interested partner, the woman you speak about: Is it the singer Denisse on
the two tracks on 'big blue story?' Is she your partner, your wife?
Tor.Ma:
No and yes, the girl I spoke she was a really good
friend of mine, but the one who sings in the album, Denisse, its my wife,
my muse.
I have worked several tracks with
here and I´m
planning to keep doing it...
Well, she
has a great beautiful voice, and I
have the chance to record her any time! (laughs)
Dub-O-Rama:
The
name of your act "Tor.Ma in DuB" - has it a special sense or is
it just a fantasy name?
Tor.Ma: It´s a long
story: at the beginning, like at 2001, I was producing psychedelic-goa
trance mixed with prehispanic sounds (with mayan and aztec instruments).
One of the sacred books of the mayans "popol vuh"
says that men was made by the gods with corn. So the element that is in
the middle between music and instruments is the human factor: the
corn factor. That´s why I called my first project Factor Mazorca (corn
factor). When time passed and i changed music styles, I wanted to change
the name also but to keep the escence, so I took "facTOR
MAzorca" = there you are the "Tor.Ma" and the "in
Dub" its to define the music style!
Dub-O-Rama: How do you get the
deal with Iono Music?
Tor.Ma: Well I have a
music manager who helps me finding home to my music, that way I just focus
on the music production. He made the contact with them.
The first release
with Iono was a progressive trance tune in a compilation. After that we
got in touch often, I show them some tracks of the "in dub"
project and they really liked them. So we started working on the album
for the other side of the label, called the "private room
series", that has it´s focus on chill-ambient and dub, and there
is it :)
Dub-O-Rama: You live in Playa
del Carmen, south of Cancun, a well known place for US-holidaymakers. I
might can imagine you work as tourist-DJ in beach clubs for money to
finance your own musical independence. Is it like this, or do you earn
your money with other professional works?
Tor.Ma:
I
do have gigs at beach clubs and parties around the area, playing all my
music projects and DJing, also around Mexico. But I´m also a freelancing
graphic designer, so thats my day job during the week. It´s nice because
I work on images that sometimes inspire me for some sounds and viceversa.
Dub-O-Rama:
Would
you say you get more influenced by angloamerican music styles in this area
as if you
would live in Mexico City?
Tor.Ma: No. Here at Playa
del Carmen are mostly european people (and mexican of course). Most of the
us-tourists are at Cancun. Also I just have living here one and a half
years, I´m from other state in the gulf of mexico, so my influences are from
everywhere: Europe, America, Asia, Africa....
Dub-O-Rama: You´ve called
your album "big blue story". But the music on this album seems to be more blue as the sea than blue in it´s mood! What´s the title about?
Tor.Ma: I started the album in my hometown,
the port Veracruz, and I
finished it here at the beachtown Playa del Carmen. The
sea is a great inspiration for me, I
just love it, so it´s like a tribute that the album was made in front of the
big blue, a.k.a.
the ocean. Also it´s called that way
because the complete album is like one big track, no interludes between
tracks, instead there are transitions, like a long story made by the sea.
Dub-O-Rama: Are you planning a
tour in Europe for the future?
Tor.Ma:
Yes! I had some
invitations this year but for any reason couldn´t
happen. Next
year I´m shure I will be there to play some music!
Dub-O-Rama: What´s about
your actual tendencies, drives, works connected with dub music and co?
Tor.Ma: Well, in my first
album you can hear a mixture between downtempo, ambient, and some
difficult to classify tracks, heavily influenced by psychedelic sounds but
of course all of them with dub elements and vibe. Now I divided my
projects into Tor.Ma - a more electronica-ambient-chill out style, and
Tor.Ma in Dub. So Tor.ma in Dub gets more and more roots influenced music: heavyweight
basses, roots riddims, sometimes steppas style, everything with an old
school feel, but with a touch of fresh elements, electronic
sounds, synth melodies and crazy EFX too. I like a lot this style I´m
working, I think it is
more polished. I´m spending right now a lot of time at studio
creating... and it works great on dancefloors!
Dub-O-Rama: Yeah, Rafael, you
show us your ways, but how will you giving it face for the future? You have to make some
personal style decisions! New tracks on your myspace-site tell me you are really thinking about it!
Tor.Ma:
Actually
I think I do, you can
notice when a track is made by me because of the little finger prints
here and there, like I said I´m
working on a new direction, but I am the kind of
artist that dont want to be repeating the same formula again and again,
thats why some times its more spacey, some times more roots, other
electronic-techy or more ambient style, but in any of them theres always
the "tor.ma stamp" with some tricks and sounds that are my
style. For
me it is more interesting to discover whats into now some
artist than to hear new stuff of the same thing.
Dub-O-Rama:
Thank
you for this open-minded interview! My best wishes for your next releases!
Tor.Ma: Thank
you amigo! It
was really nice this interview, great you like my music and help to spread
the word. Thanx to all who enjoy the tor.ma in dub music..
there are lots of new surprises comming soon. Keep shinning!
The interview was lead by Bernhard Groha,
August 2009
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