The duo Diatribes (Cyril Bondi-bass drum. objects, cymbals and D'incise-objects/laptop) joined by Nuno Torres on alto sax, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Eduardo Chagas on trombone and Abdul Moimeme on prepared guitar. A sextet of seasoned improvisers using electronic and acoustic instruments to create carefully rendered soundscapes. A floating cloud of largely unidentifiable sound, pierced by the occasional familiarity of a definite string or horn. Soft buzzes and deep thumps travel with crackly static and metallic, sharp-edged tumblings. Breaths and rubbings and feedback that are quickly reined in, with something bouncing on guitar strings. Careful, careful, like a many-handed lab tech working with volatile compounds, these guys never spill a drop, and the concoction never boils over to extinguish the flame. Occasional recurring motifs underscore a succession of quickly morphing interjections.

I am reminded a bit of the late British improv group Morphogenesis, but these gentlemen seem altogether more considered in their sound selection and placement. Things don't so much sit alongside each other here as meld together, a mixture as opposed to a lamination. And while it's often a simple task to define many of the sounds and what instrument is making which, it's more fun to just listen to the unfolding. There is the odd bit of humor on display, often in fleeting interchanges, especially during the first few minutes of the second track. The lack of evocative titles for these pieces serves to underscore the importance of listening; one is given nothing to hang their mental machinations on.