This 2024 cosmic fusion outing from Kirk Degiorgio opens with an uncompromising, strident melange of ambient synth pads, busy, rolling drums and muted trumpet that sets the tone for a deep, dark, churning contemporary jazz album. There are references here to early 70s Miles, Lonnie Liston Smith and Herbie Hancock but while it’s not a techno album, it also has something of techno’s detached air, its melancholy chords and melodies to it. And while it’s a jazz album, Degiorgio’s synthetic elements, his softly layered pads, analogue chimes, arpeggios and leads all lend a futuristic sense to proceedings. There are a couple of genuinely beautiful beatless pieces, some of his trademark synth-funk-fusion hybrids, and tunes that comfortably sit beyond easy genre clarification. An album that feels wrought over, like every musical decision was given serious reflection, and each element received close attention.