“Being friends and admirers of each other’s work for a long time, electronic music composer / visual artist alva noto (Carsten Nicolai) and composer / voice-artist Blixa Bargeld (also known as singer of einstürzende neubauten and guitarist of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) decided to join forces to initiate a collaborative project in 2007.”

“Composer-guitarist John Schott has a fascination with the past, as well as with the convergence of idioms. The basis of the work is a series of ancient recordings, scratchy near-inaudible cylinders from the end of the 19th century that include "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star," whistling, speeches, and a bugle call. These are used as backdrops or central voices in several of the 28 pieces that make up Shuffle Play, pieces that range from pointillist modern classical composition to free jazz to mixtures of the two. Tracks vary in length from atmospheric bits as brief as 10 seconds to more than seven minutes, while Schott's Ensemble Diglossia expands from individual soloists through small improvising groups to reach an 11-member chamber ensemble of reeds, strings, and percussion for four tracks.”

“Ben Monder's "Oceana", the first CD in five years for the enigmatic guitarist, is a stunning achievement. With their mercurial arpeggios, leaping intervals, sonorous melodies and counter-intuitive rhythms, Monder’s through-composed pieces defy comparison. But it is color and mood, not just jaw-dropping complexity, that sets this work apart.”

“Petra Haden and Bill Frisell finds both Frisell and Haden building layer upon layer of sound, creating a lush and appealing ambience that brings new meaning to a varied programme of originals, standards, traditional pieces and some surprising covers. ”

“At once static and mercurial, Ben Monder's emotional and technical scope is a must-hear for guitar aficionados and modern jazz fans alike. "Mistral," EXCAVATION's opening track, is a solo guitar tour de force, clocking in at a generous nine minutes. With influences ranging from flamenco to the cosmic bluegrass stylings of John Fahey, here Monder summons up a rich, dense sonic landscape. ”

“Experimental guitar wizard Derek Bailey performs a program of his favorite standards in his own inimitable and enigmatic style. Inspired and energized by a very special vintage acoustic arch-top guitar, this intriguing solo recording is a one-of-a-kind chance to hear the master pioneer of non-idiomatic free improvisation perform compositions from the American Songbook. A textbook of originality for years to come, this is one of the most vexing and enjoyable CDs Derek has ever made. You have got to hear it to believe it. ”

“The cool answer to the chaos of our lives! Jim Black's AlasNoAxis grew up with rock and creative pop, but are fully engaged in the jazz fields. For Houseplant, the artists merge these influences to create an inviting, warm, and grooving sound atmosphere composed, designed, and created by one of the most multi-faceted drummers in the contemporary music scene.”