The mention of ambient music often evokes the feeling of staring at one of those corporate inspirational posters – a tree, the definition of the word “tenacity,” the unflatteringly thick black margin – while awash in stale chord progressions and the sound of birds chirping. But for raiiio (aka Raimundo Atal), his varied influences of ambient, punk, South American folk music, and “experimental strands” come together to form something gripping, cohesive, and purposeful.
Where mainstream ambient music often relies on a literal soundscape (i.e. a wave is a wave; wind through trees is wind through trees), the Chilean multi-instrumentalist makes use of sometimes symbolic, sometimes narrative-driven motivations to undergird his creative processes. This is especially evident on Otros Principios, his new debut solo album on Gold Bolus Recordings. His commitment to musical unfolding allows listeners to follow an emotional thread through each track. And his purposeful use of layering invites us to return for multiple listens, attempting to find additional nuance in each sampled sound.
Atal is also an environmental and energy economist; he received his PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University and currently holds a fellowship at NYU’s Institute for Policy Integrity. Similar to Charles Ives – who balanced composing with his full-time employment as an actuary and insurance executive – Raimundo Atal addresses far-reaching questions of wind energy and agriculture by day, while raiiio explores the frontiers of electronic sampled music by night.
On the heels of his debut album release, we asked Atal a few questions about his research and his artistic alter ego.
I would love to know more about your musical background. Could you tell us about the sounds that have influenced and inspired you leading up to the genesis of Otros Principios?
My musical background is very eclectic, and Otros Principios is very much a reflection of that. I’m a largely self-taught musician, primarily a drummer, but over the years I’ve moved through a range of genres—starting with rock and punk, then exploring jazz, blues, hip-hop, and Latin American traditional music. I even sang in a Byzantine choir of the Orthodox Church for a number of years. After relocating to New York from Chile, I played drums with the pop-rock band Pinc Louds, recording and touring. After that, I dived into electronic music and the city’s rich experimental scene. Since then, I have been involved in both solo and collaborative work in a broad type of settings: my duo Y No with Canto Villano, the percussion collective A.B.E.L.A., and with singer songwriter Adam Janos’ Mr. Sassy and the Backup Plans, where I play drums. I also occasionally sing in a group back home in Chile.
Otros Principios brings together all those threads. It really started taking shape when I intentionally began blending “traditional” music with electronics through sampling and processing. Many of the sounds on the album actually come from field recordings—from Peru, Brazil, Ghana, Chile, Bulgaria, Indonesia, the U.S., to name a few. I was drawn to recontextualizing these sounds and experimenting with new forms.
The album was also heavily influenced by the sounds of war and violence—particularly the violence embedded in speech. Recent events, especially the genocide in Gaza, made me acutely aware of how language is manipulated—by the media, politicians, and others—to obscure the truth and justify the unjustifiable. This really struck me. In the album, I included a few speeches that move me deeply and stand in direct opposition to that distortion. They became part of the emotional and sonic landscape of the album.
You mentioned that this album parallels your journey into electronic sampling and layering. What are some of the biggest discoveries you made as you began exploring these technologies and processes?
One of the most interesting things I have learned is just how open the field of sound really is. In a sense, anything can happen and that is okay. Before diving into electronics, I do not think I fully understood how broad this world could be, and how beautiful and free the process can feel.
Because I am self-taught and do not really have traditional songwriting abilities, sampling and layering have allowed me to explore composition in a very free and intuitive way. Before that, I was mostly working in a band format—which I love and still enjoy—but there is something really beautiful about being able to just move things around and discover unexpected sounds, and construct musical narratives from that. That is the way I approached this project, and I totally fell in love with it.
I also realized that, contrary to what people might think and what the industry tries to tell you, you can do a lot with very little. I recorded this album with a very basic setup compared to what I see other people using. Still, I feel like I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with what I have.
I found your recently published report on the economic value of nature to be fascinating. Environmentalism is certainly a topic of interest to global artist citizens today. Do you foresee a future in which your work as an environmental and energy economist crosses over into your musical creation?
Thank you for reading that! I have actually already explored this crossover a bit. Back in 2023, I organized my final performance as an artist-in-residence at Grace Exhibition Space around concepts drawn from ecology and economics. I have also used environmental data as musical scores to guide improvisation, which has been incredibly fun. More recently, I developed an idea for an exhibit that translates environmental data into sound, and I would love to bring those projects to life soon (we applied to a few grants but no luck yet). There is lots of potential in that space. That said, I have to admit that, for now, my actual work in environmental energy and economics and my work in music mostly live in separate worlds. While I’m okay with that, I do wish they could come a bit closer together.
You belong to the Asociación de Bateristas ElektrónikXs de Latinoamerika – can you tell us about this group, its origin, and its mission?
A.B.E.L.A. is a collective of Latin American percussionists in NYC. We do what I would call an “electronic drum circle,” improvised sets, focused around electronic percussion. It was born as part of a series of shows I was doing in Hart Bar, in Brooklyn. I was doing a lot of more “ambient” stuff and I was eager to play some drums. So I contacted a few percussionist friends, asked them to bring their machines, and did this improvised set that we enjoyed so much. The sound engineer, noticing that we were all from Latin America, called us something like the “Asociación de Bateristas de Latinoamaerica” (Latinamerican Drummers Association). So we kept it. We’re now at around 15 stable members (all Latin American) that rotate depending on the date and availability. We call it “El Sindicato” (the Union), because it feels like an actual union of drummers. The mission is to explore percussion and the different traditions we all come from but with these “electronic” tools as well as developing a language to guide the improvisations. I think we are in very good track. As a kind of union, we are trying to really push for the collective aspects of the group, rather than the individual, which is incredible rewarding. We are even thinking on how to formalize our legal status in the near future with that idea in mind.
What advice would you have for someone who is wanting to get into the world of sampling and electronic composition but might be feeling unsure?
Here are a few ideas from a non-formally trained amateur who himself feels unsure about what he is doing. First, I would say that, instead of waiting for the perfect gear or master plan, just start with whatever is in front of you. The first pedal I bought was just one a friend was using. I had a vague idea of what it could do, but I went with it and I still use it all the time. It has greatly shaped my sound and what you hear on the album. That is incredible to me, how such a casual decision has been so important.
In this same line, I say resist the industry that is constantly pushing the latest gear, software, etc, which can make you feel like you are not ready or equipped enough. Those forces are counterproductive. Take one small step at a time toward something you enjoy following your curiosity. In that process, find a need and figure out how to satisfy it. Another piece of advice I would give someone who is just starting is to reach out to others with more experience. Ask questions, collaborate, and learn from people who are generous with their knowledge. That made a huge difference for me.
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is an editorially-independent program of the American Composers Forum, and is made possible thanks to generous donor and institutional support. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and may not represent the views of ICIYL or ACF.
You can support the work of ICIYL with a tax-deductible gift to ACF. For more on ACF, visit composersforum.org.
