In a musical world now dominated by cheap and accessible digital synthesizers and other sound tools, Thomas Lehn is keeping alive the lineage of analog synth pioneers like Richard Teitelbaum and Gil Melle. Instead of the kludgy instrument imitations of, say, "Switched on Bach," Lehn offers something more to the tune of "Switched on Cage" — an aesthetic perhaps far more suited to his quirky choice of instruments. On "Close Up," he is joined by two other "outside" European musicians. Saxophonist Bertrand Gauguet active in the European scene, working with folks like Simon H. Fell, Andrea Neumann, Lę Quan Ninh, Barre Phillips, and John Russell; trumpeter Franz Hautzinger has worked with the London Improvisors Orchestra, Radu Malfatti, and the Berlin ensemble Zeitkratzer.

The details of Lehn's presence in the mix are crucial for grasping the interaction that is going on. In more faithful reproductions, Gauguet and Hautzinger seem ensconced in a booming, buzzing electrical system or field. Lehn's sounds surround them, chirping at once from the rear then roaring from underneath and alternately buzzing on each side. The extended trumpet and saxophone techniques often blend seamlessly with this atmosphere, although their presence within the mix remains relatively static. Absent these crucial directional and dynamic details, the music gets essentially lost. Somehow, it came across as a somewhat lame crossover between ambient electronica and free improv. Details intact, what you get is a unique, often dramatic, sonic narrative.

One can certainly hear why Gauguet and Hautzinger might get paired up with a synthesist of Lehn's proclivities. There is scarcely a "normal" saxophone or trumpet sound to be heard on this CD. In fact, it can be difficult to tell which of the two is which sometimes. Sure, the trumpet has a wider range of tube-based sounds available, and the reed itself of the saxophone offers sonorities alien to the trumpet. But both players gravitate toward a use of breathy sounds that approximate some of the white-noise-based settings on Lehn's rig, as well as its burbles, clicks, whistles, and so on. They don't come close to matching the timbral ground that Lehn covers, but they give it an impressive go.

Interaction, though, and leadership feels a bit one-sided. Gauguet and Hautzinger seem somewhat dependent on Lehn to establish the parameters, inject new directions, and provide the surprises that can make this music exciting. Their use of long tones on the third track, for example, reaches the point at which one wishes for something to break the trance. Lehn is left to take the lead in this regard, providing syncopated bursts of air at one point that disrupt the overarching ambiance.

This aspect of Close Up creates a contrast with many of Lehn's previous projects. He has often joined forces with a more raucous group of players: vocalist Phil Minton and trumpeter Axel Dorner in TOOT; Henry Cow legend Tim Hodgkinson and Incus drummer Roger Turner fill out KONK PACK; and his duo Tom and Gerry with erstwhile Braxton drummer Gerry Hemingway. While Close Up is hardly a vanity project — Lehn by no means over asserts his apparent leadership role on the disc — it certain raises the question of whether Lehn works best with more aggressive collaborators.

Listen on a system that offers as a full a dymanic range as possible.