After three years of performing solo on his electrified drum kit, Cutler has finally released a cd presenting a selection of his live recordings. The electrified kit is the extension of the same instrumentation that Cutler has worked with since before his Cassiber days. When one thinks of drummers and electronics drum pads or sequenced and looped percussives comes to mind; this is far from the case here and Cutler, through many interviews, (see www.cculter.com) has made it abundantly clear that the rigidity of those forms is a cage to his fluid approach to drumming. Instead the electrified kit is a combination of found objects with resonant or percussive qualities, contact mikes, effect pedals (shying from delays), a modified Speak and Spell, and a standard acoustic kit.

For Cutler concept is less important that the resulting sound, and the pieces presented here from various performances are collected for their success as recorded documents. Through 24 tracks Cutler pulls off a broad range of sound and approach, confirming his incredible strength in rhythm along with his ever-alert ears. One is struck by the musicality of his playing, and the monologues and atmosopheres he develops are both playful and introspective, steering from the gloomy or overly dense sound one might expect. This is dynamic and unexpected improvisation in a language all its own, a fine complement to one's own propulsive thought processes.