Electronique Noire - A brilliant bit of spacey NuJazz -- one of the first few projects to come out of Norway's groundbreaking Jazzland label, a Universal sub-imprint that's a showcase for future jazz inspired by the fusion sounds of the 70s! The tunes on the set feature lots of guest work from other players on the label -- including Bugge Wesseltoft and Nils Petter Molvaer -- and the overall sound is kind of a cross between the atmospherics of Jon Hassel, the stretched out jazz of the Bitches Brew era, and the electronics of the post rock generation.
[DustyGroove]

Connected - A moody soundscape of electronics and guitar -- and a real step forward for Jazzland's Eivind Aarset! The album's got a complicated approach that's as plugged-in as its cover image and title might imply -- a heady fusion of acoustic and electric sounds that almost comes across like a 21st century updating of the older sound of ECM! Most tracks are spare and evocative, and feature Aarset on guitars and electronics, plus additional acoustic drums, programming, bass clarinet, and even the occasional highly-processed vocal.
[DustyGroove]