Gruff Rhys to release album with Brazilian TV repair man

Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys is to release an experimental solo album, recorded with Brazilian cult troubadour and part-time TV repair man Tony Da Gatorra. The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness features live takes, "intense concentration" and Gatorra's signature guitar-cum-drum-machine. Writing in a press release, Gatorra lived up to his eccentric reputation: "This record was made with lots of feelings and true love to bring consciousness and show a little bit of truth that needs to be said without hypocrisy." While Rhys is himself an odd character, known for his psychedelic leanings, Gatorra is at least his equal. The player of "peace-loving protest songs" spends most of his time repairing TVs and VCRs in Sao Paulo. There, he invented the Guitarra, a combined synthesiser and guitar. Rhys reportedly chased his "hero" through South America, filming a road trip movie called Separado. Eventually they teamed up at a studio, rehearsing for five days before recording the album in just five hours. "Our only shared language was music itself so there was no small talk, just intense concentration," Rhys said. "We recorded several live takes of each song then chose the best versions. I added a harmony vocal overdub on two songs, otherwise it's pretty much what we recorded at the time." Back in Cardiff, producers Kris Jenkins and Sir Doufus Styles helped assemble the final mixes. "Armed with five flasks of strong coffee, 75 sticks of gum and a bank of vintage compressors we mixed The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness at extremely loud volume in one epic 12-hour session," Rhys said. The album is released on 26 July. Rhys and Da Gatorra will play a handful of British dates, including Field Day and Camp Bestival, later this summer.