| Jazz moderne |
A breathtaking sonic journey where composition, improvisation and technology collide.
Some albums invite the listener to discover a series of musical pieces. Others create an environment, a landscape, a complete experience that unfolds over time. Cracked Glaze, the remarkable new work by British composer, producer and sound designer Matthew Wright, unmistakably belongs to the second category.
Lasting 46 minutes and presented as one continuous piece, Cracked Glaze is not simply a composition to be heard, it is a world to be entered. A vast sonic journey where written music, free improvisation and electronic transformation interact constantly, creating a fragile balance between precision and unpredictability, structure and freedom.
Matthew Wright has built a unique artistic path at the crossroads of contemporary composition, improvised music, theatre, electronics and sound design. Based in Kent, UK, he is the co-founder of Trance Map with legendary saxophonist Evan Parker, the founder of Spheric Totemic, and a composer whose collaborations have brought him together with some of the most adventurous voices in contemporary music, including George Lewis, Ikue Mori, Pat Thomas, Peter Evans, Claron McFadden, The Brodsky Quartet, Alexander Hawkins and Elaine Mitchener. His work has been presented at major international venues, from the Sydney Opera House to Abbey Road Studios and Le Poisson Rouge in New York.
With Cracked Glaze, Wright brings together two extraordinary musical worlds: the virtuosic contemporary ensemble Ensemble Klang and his own improvisational/electronic collective Spheric Totemic, joined by the extraordinary vocalist Sofia Jernberg. The result is a meeting of highly disciplined musicians and fearless improvisers, creating a musical organism that constantly evolves.
The title itself provides the key to understanding the project. In ceramics, a “cracked glaze” appears when intense heat creates fractures in a surface. Traditionally considered a technical imperfection, it can also become a fascinating decorative effect, revealing unexpected beauty through its imperfections. Wright uses this image as a metaphor for his musical approach: the collision between notation, improvisation and technology creates fractures, tensions and transformations that ultimately generate something new.
As Wright explains in his sleeve notes, the piece explores how these different elements can “crack” each other and produce catalytic results. And this is precisely what happens throughout the performance. The written material does not restrict the musicians; instead, it becomes a framework within which creativity can flourish.
At the heart of the composition lies a remarkable structural idea: a long descending scale that slowly unfolds over nineteen minutes before returning in transformed variations. This musical “spine” gives the work a powerful sense of direction, while numerous layers of notation and carefully organised time-brackets allow the improvisers to enter, disappear and interact freely.
The opening moments are almost hypnotic. The listener is invited into a suspended state, a space of quiet contemplation where sounds gradually emerge from silence. There is something almost ritualistic in this beginning, as if the music is preparing us for a journey beyond ordinary perception.
As the piece develops, new textures appear. The instruments of Ensemble Klang merge with the electronic landscapes of Spheric Totemic, creating a constantly shifting sonic architecture. The atmosphere sometimes recalls the exploratory spirit of German Krautrock pioneers such as Amon Düül II, Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh: not because the instrumentation is identical, but because of the same fascination with expanded time, immersive textures and music as a form of transcendental journey.
The listener is gradually detached from everyday reality and drawn into a world where rhythm, timbre and space become the main protagonists.
The presence of Sofia Jernberg adds another extraordinary dimension. Her voice is not used simply as a traditional melodic instrument, but as a unique sonic force capable of moving between human expression, abstract sound and pure texture. Her contribution perfectly embodies Wright’s vision: the voice becomes another element in a larger musical ecosystem.
The musicians involved are all exceptional. Ensemble Klang, founded in The Hague in 2003, has established itself as one of the most adventurous contemporary music ensembles in Europe, renowned for its commitment to new compositions and sonic exploration. Its members, Saskia Lankhoorn (piano), Pete Harden (guitars), Michiel van Dijk (soprano saxophone), Joey Marijs (percussion and drums), Erik-Jan de With (soprano and tenor saxophones), and Anton van Houten (trombone), bring extraordinary precision, energy and colour to the piece.
Spheric Totemic contributes a completely different dimension, combining improvisation, electronics and powerful rhythmic structures. Mandhira de Saram (violin and electronics), Neil Charles (bass and electronics), Stephen Davis (drums), Alexander Hawkins (keyboards) and Matthew Wright himself (turntables, live sampling, processing and sound design) create an environment where acoustic and electronic sounds continuously transform each other.
One of the great achievements of Cracked Glaze is that, despite its complexity, it never feels like a purely intellectual exercise. Beneath the sophisticated compositional techniques and experimental processes lies a deeply physical and emotional experience.
This is a recording that rewards attentive listening. It asks for patience but gives back immensely. Each return reveals new details, hidden layers and unexpected connections. As Nate Wooley writes in the sleeve notes, the ultimate question for any recording is whether it makes us want to return, whether it leaves us curious to discover more. Cracked Glaze unquestionably achieves this.
Matthew Wright has created a rare work where composition and improvisation do not oppose each other but complete each other. The “cracks” created by the collision of different musical worlds become openings through which something truly beautiful emerges.
A fascinating, adventurous and deeply immersive album, one that confirms that contemporary music, when guided by imagination and exceptional musicianship, still has the power to transport us somewhere entirely new.
Frankie Pfeiffer
Editor in chief – PARIS-MOVE
PARIS-MOVE, July 14th, 2026
Follow PARIS-MOVE on X
::::::::::::::::::::::::
CDs ordered from Bandcamp or the False Walls website are mailed from the UK. CDs are also available from Soundohm (Europe) and SquidCo, Dusty Groove, Downtown Music Gallery (USA).
Tracklisting:
Cracked Glaze 46:21
Performed by:
Sofia Jernberg, Vocals
Ensemble Klang:
- Saskia Lankhoorn, piano
- Pete Harden, guitars
- Michiel van Dijk, soprano saxophone
- Joey Marijs, percussion and drums
- Erik-Jan de With, tenor & soprano saxophones
- Anton van Houten, trombone
Spheric Totemic:
- Mandhira de Saram, violin, fx
- Neil Charles, bass, fx
- Stephen Davis, drums
- Alexander Hawkins, keyboards
- Matt Wright, turntables, live sampling, processing, sound design
Matt Wright & Spheric Totemic’s website
Commissioned by Ensemble Klang for Musical Utopias 2024
Premiered 12 January 2024 at Korzo Theatre, The Hague, Netherlands
Live sound engineering and recording by Micha de Kanter
Post-production, sound design and mastering by Matthew Wright
Sleeve notes: Matthew Wright and Nate Wooley
Photographs: Tessa Veldhorst & Musical Utopias
Design: David Caines