An orchestra that is really a quartet comprising two Belgians, a Finn and a Frenchman that came together on the highly creative Belgian jazz scene, recorded by the Hungarian BMC label that brings together Middle East influences – ‘Al-Bahr’, electronic influences -’Kääpikkäät’, inside/outside elements – ‘Ecocracy’, and even finds time to flag up climate change – ‘Melting Poles’, should be enough to arouse the musical curiosity of most. You won't be disappointed. This is an excellently conceived album, even if Ikonen's analogue Moog synth, having gone out of fashion in the 1970s, is now something of an acquired taste. What is striking is how the interplay between Boisseau and Verbruggen provide the cement that allows the improvisational impulses of Ikonen and Hermia take flight. At times the music remains resolutely episodic but even the apparent disjunction this may imply assumes a logic of its own. From left of field to be sure, but accomplished and original for all that.