Fennesz / Sakamoto: Sala Santa Cecilia (Touch) - CD
A single live take recorded in Rome sees Sakamoto indulge in abstract orchestration, whilst Fennesz supplies rhythms in the form of glitches and treated guitar. You can work out who's doing what and it all seems to gel nicely. A pleasant 19 minute diversion.

Lasse Marhaug: Spaghetti Western Rainbow (Utech) - CD
This brilliantly titled release originally came out in CD-R format in 2004. Here, re-edited and gorgeously packaged, its a noise tribute to Ennio Morricone. Taking the sonic palette offered to us by the Spaghetti western soundtracks and violently re-interpreting them. Sounds of horses galloping, circling vultures and the clink of metal and leather are wound and re-wound like analogue tape. As essential as anything else this man has done.

Geir Jenssen: Cho Oyu 8201m - Field Recordings from Tibet (Ash International) - CD
According to Jon Wozencroft, founder of Touch, Geir Jenssen (aka Norwegian ambient artist Biosphere) spent all the money that he got from the considerable sales of his 'Substrata' album to fund an expedition to Tibet. Specifically to climb Cho Oyu - the worlds sixth highest peak. Documenting this expedition in the form of a written diary and minidisc field recordings has resulted in what is possibly his best work yet.

And yes, the expected sounds of wind chill are there - a sonic reminder of the extreme nature of their environment. But also the idea of man's insignificance in such vast and isolated surroundings. The constant need to communicate represented by the sound of local people, 2-way radio chatter or tuning into the comforting but otherworldly ether of shortwave radio.

Cyclic rhythms drift in and out of the recordings and whilst they're subtle, they help retain a sense of narrative. Lavishly packaged and almost presented like a guidebook, the inclusion of a map suggests that you could re-create the journey yourself. The ultimate statement in audiotourism.

KTL: KTL (Editions Mego) - CD
Noise gods from the planets of digital (Peter Rehberg) and acoustic (Stephen O'Malley) unite for a supreme journey in power electronics. That all suggests that is one hellish ride of a record. But the opening suspension of 'Estranged' is pure ambience. A night-time steadicam ride through alien Americana, like an immersive Lynch soundtrack in a single 25-minute take.

But after that, the subsequent tracks recall the palette of Sunn O))). Malley stretching sluggish guitar holds to breaking point whilst Rehberg strafes and shears with gigabytes of hard disc corruption. An unholy union.

Plastikman: Closer (Novamute) - CD
Hmmm. On the whole, this is self-indulgent, dull and a pretty tedious listen. No wonder he's ditched the moniker and moved onto DJ'ing. Nowhere near as good as 'Musik' or 'Sheet One'.