Who put John Cage on the Guestlist? is the 2011 release of Hemmelig Tempo, a Norwegian project of Doktor Døv, Professor Waffel, and Professor Fokuda-san.

With the exception of tracks five and six, which merge into each other, each track on this CD is quite distinct and different. But what I have to say about this album is how the tracks resemble each other. That is, all the tracks aside from the last one, track 8, A Study Dedicated to Arne Nordheim. With that exception, these exceptional tracks each create the sensation of movement. Each track, furthermore, goes several different places, unexpected places. Unexpected, but, in hindsight, inevitable.

Quite a cool thing to have pulled off.

But wait, there’s more! Each track (always with the exception of track eight, which is exceptionally exceptional) is full of incident and variety, but none of them ever seem rushed or “busy.” I’m not sure how they did this, but a careful listen to any track reveals that it takes very little time to establish a “line” and even repeat it at leisure. Seconds only.

And what is there to hear on this disc? All sorts of lovely and intriguing things, old school electronic blips and bleeps, radio broadcast stuff à la Crawling With Tarts, new school electronic noises, glitch sounds, turntable sounds, more sounds–all your favorite stuff, all very poised, all very skillfully crafted and beautifully presented.

A exceptionally satisfying disc.

From track seven, Notes from Professor Fokuda’s Mountain Seminar.

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Emmilig Tempo is Eugene Guribye (Professor Waffel), Gunnar Innvær (Doktor Døv), and Håvard Pedersen (Professor Fukoda-san). Cover art by Loulou and Tummie.