New Zealand composer Denis Smalley takes a clautrophobic, Hitchcockian route in his exploration of inner sound. Eschewing the physicality of electroacoustic sound that composers like Francis Dhomont are know for, Smalley opts for a queasy, primordial ebb and flow on works like Valley Flow and Piano Nets — the dark flipside to new-age environmental recordings. His piece for clarinet and tape, Clarinet Threads, is particularly stunning.
