Quiet Inlet is the perfect title for this project by the duo
Food, co-led by drummer
Thomas Stronen and saxophonist
Iain Ballamy. An exercise in texture music via electronica,
Stronen and
Ballamy take their time constructing lush, late-night vistas of layered sounds, with depth more important than pace. Hardly any variation in tempo can be heard, as sparse percussion accents prompt
Ballamy's expansive tenor or soprano saxophone sounds. Only on the funky "Mictyris" in 7/8 time does the ensemble veer away from cloudy soundscapes. Special guest trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer -- a true pioneer of modern electronic film noir-type music -- is heard invading the space during "Dweller," while guitarist
Christian Fennesz takes a subsidiary role on select tracks, rather than a frontman's stance. As dreamy music goes, this CD is not only a departure from the ECM catalog, but could be a portent toward the future of a new style of contemporary music.