One of the most refreshing experiences is to hear an instrument that I can't identify. EKE's debut has supplied one of these rogue instruments. Is that a detuned guitar, a custom-made bass? In fact, Oscar Jan Hoogland is playing an electric clavichord, the early keyboard instrument that was capable of dynamic changes and some psychedelic note-bending. Oh yes, he takes advantage of all that, and more, often in a haze of distortion. Reedsman Yedo Gibson and drummer Gerri Jager turn in performances that are just as interesting, and there's not a dull moment on this powerhouse of a disc.

The presence of an audience certainly contributes to the constantly flowing energy on these sessions. There's no easing into the music here; in fact, we're hurled headlong into New-Thing squall and scree as the Amsterdam-based trio charges out of the gate on "Block." The tune functions as a blueprint for the rest of the disc, morphing from the frenetic world of Coltrane's Interstellar Space to more atomistic abstractions in the space of four minutes. The other tracks plumb the depths of sound and silence. Of particular interest is the opening of "Cone," which pays a debt to the trail-blazing sounds of late 1960s AMM, even to the extent of including a bit of radio chatter in the mix. It is as if the sound atoms in "Block" have been elongatet, forming repetitive rhythmic patterns that never lock into a meter. Gibson's key clicks and Jager's brushwork are particularly effective as huge dynamic vistas are explored.

Every area of the pitch spectrum is also fair game, as can be heard on "Gangster's Funeral March." Gibson travels to the stratosphere with some high-pitched whines that will set your dog's teeth on edge as his comrades offer crystalline support, the clavichord evoking unearthly bells and chimes. Not content to stay in that realm, the trio slides into something that builds on Spontaneous Music Ensemble rhetoric without ever sounding clich�. Suffice it to say that Proteus is obviously the muse for this trio's first outing, and if it's any indication of things to come, bring it on!