Toby Tune is project of Dominical, Costa Rica-based keyboard player Harley Toberman who has just caught my attention through his beautifully adventurous new solo instrumental album. It’s called Layers of Light.
By Graeme Smith
Layers of Light opens with the percussion led Abstractions. Right from the start you can tell there’s something a little quirky and unique about Harley’s sound and that’s what drew me towards it. He combines retro influences such as Brian Eno, Hans Zimmer and Vangelis, with aspects that feel forward-looking, creating a heady and exciting combination.
Ponderance comes next. It has a glitchy, sci-fi feel to it, with an undercurrent of organic percussion. There’s almost a jazz-like quality to its arrangement. Track three is Desert Heat. With a steady electric guitar rhythm and ethereal electronica, it feels both of this world and somewhere else entirely. It’s a beautifully cinematic moment.
Aka ups the tempo and is pleasingly textured. Disturbance brings with it acoustic strings and a sense of mystery. Pulsar then broods with a dark energy before we reach the album’s midpoint, Daylight. Feeling like a counterpoint to Pulsar, it’s light and earthy, and infused with a nostalgic harp. It’s a definite highlight.
The second half of the album gives us the contemplative and experimental Rushing, the dramatic Patriots and the meditative and layered Sphero – another highlight. Daily Toil gives us gentle, orchestrated strings that grow in complexity before Strut gets down and funky in a surprise dance number.
The album’s journey is then rounded off by Enlightenment. It’s a big finish, with a swelling, uplifting mood and a desire to go deeper with its ethos.
With Layers of Light, Harley has given us such a rich tapestry of styles, ranging from the cinematic to the folksy, and so there’s definitely something on the album for everyone. Toby Tune is a hidden gem in the world of composition and I’m glad to have discovered Harley’s music for myself. You can too by checking out Layers of Light below.
