Nice piece of voice-with-electronics improvisation by Sun Dog, the team of ErikM and Isabelle Duthoit. Col Des Tempètes (CRONICA ELECTRONICA 192-2022) comes to us from January 2022 and ErikM points out that it’s one in an informal series of such voice-collaborations he’s worked on, including ones with Phil Minton and Catherine Jauniaux. Duthoit comes to us from a classical music background and a conservatoire education, but has over time she has become a stock visage at experimental music festivals, even founding one of her own in 1995 (Fruits be Mhere). She’s used her vocal talents in a wide range of jazz and improv settings ever since. Title Col Des Tempètes may suggest a “stormy” session, but in fact Isabelle Duthoit’s murmurings are mostly quite restrained and sibilant, often mixed with wordless breath-heavy sounds and hissing moments, though not without a strong hint of menace. It’s as though she’s calling from a rather dark and cold place, perhaps having to connect to her own inner Medusa and letting the snakes fall where they may. A genius at reading the room, ErikM plays under-stated and respectful electronic sounds to accompany this lady’s vocalising, with sparing use of echo to treat the voice. A very simpatico collaboration. (Ed Pinsent)