There are, in the musical universe, people who do not step on stage or receive applause from the public, but whose work is essential for the development of this industry and the growth of the artists, who, after all, are its raw material. We are talking about record producers, programmers, managers... Jobs that Rafael Moll performed with great brilliance, who died in Barcelona at the age of 72, as a result of a rapid illness that, on the other hand, he assumed with great fortitude and courage.
Linked to the legendary Sala Zeleste, Rafael Moll leaves an indelible mark on the musical history of this city. In his long years of career in various companies in the sector, he stands out as the most visible edge of an impressive work as a record producer that joins his number with such prominent figures in our music as Sisa, Joan Manuel Serrat, Peret, El Último de la Fila, the Plateria Orchestra, Gato Pérez or the Dharma Electric Company.
A student at the Italian Institute of Barcelona, he also studied the oboe which he did not finish. At the end of the sixties he joined La Troupe with Montserrat Soler, Jaume Cortadellas and Montse Perucho, a group that released a single that would go practically unnoticed. Immersed in the underground of the time, he became friends with Pau Riba (with whom he shared a house) and Jaume Sisa, a relevant person in his life both professionally and personally. He worked as a musician in the play El retaule del flautista and in the preparation of the Els Joglars Àlies Serrallonga show, although he left the company before the premiere.
Months after the opening of Zeleste in 1973, Rafael Moll joined the house, first with the project of making a magazine of which in the end only one issue would come out, later becoming the artistic director of the room. His career as a producer began precisely at the Zeleste / Edigsa label. Moll joked that he began to practice this profession without knowing exactly what it meant to produce, which is why his name does not appear in the credits of his early work. In 1978 he became independent from Zeleste, creating his own company, Cabra (and the Cabra/Edigsa label), although he returned to the Ribera room in the mid-eighties, also participating in the launch of the new project of its owner, Víctor Jou, in Poblenou.
Beyond Edigsa, Rafael Moll produced albums by various artists in companies such as BMG Ariola, Emi Odeón or PDI, the latter firm in which he also played an important role in allowing Albert Pla to record his debut album. In addition to the artists mentioned at the beginning of this note, Moll worked in the studio with others such as, among others, Blay Tritono, Jordi Sabatés, or Música Urbana. His resume also includes various projects that relate him to the Cultural Olympiad, the Blues festival
