Natural Language is largely the work of Hywel Davies, who made his Em:t debut among the crowd of contributors to Russel Mills' 1997 Em:t release, Undark. As with Mills' CD, 0098 is pretty unconventional by Em:t standards; not just the usual collection of samplers, sequencers, and synths (although those are here, too), Davies' compositions integrate studio improvisations ranging from grand piano, double bass, and drum kit to bells, temple bowls -- even a cement mixer. A fair collection of field recordings (horses, crowds of voices, the ocean surf) are integrated into the mix, though the focus of much of the material is a kind of minimalist concrete that, though occasionally off track ("Nervous Velvet"), is more often enjoyable ("Le Repos Du Sable", "Sylvanshine"), and shot surprisingly wide of the clichés of ambient/environmental music. ~ by Sean Cooper, AMG