Raz Mesinai - Cyborg Acoustics (2004)

Cyborg Acoustics is a spooky listen. The main piece, "Ghosts of the Gulag," is a piece composed for strings, percussion, and sampling. Dark and unsettling, it's a highly composed mixture of scraped strings and skittering percussion, with odd, underwater-sounding treatments and high-frequency clouds that appear and disappear in the mix. Between the treatments and Mesinai's sampling of the string players, one is never sure of what's being performed live and what's being layered on top with sampling. The other piece, "The Reanimator," is altogether different, with John Zorn playing alto sax accompanied by "genetically enhanced improvisers." This consists of sampled and treated performances by vocalist Shelley Hirsch, percussionist Tim Barnes, and Mesinai himself on piano, all sampled, treated, and mixed for Zorn to perform along with. It's not really an easier listen at all, but Mesinai's music is so detailed and original that it's fascinating. This is one that will reward listeners with a taste for uneasy listening. © Sean Westergaard