Mats Bergström - SubString Bridge (2002)

Having bought this cd as a complete blind purchase [usually not, i have to admit, a successful venture] i was pleasantly surprised. it is a daring, envelope-pushing guitar cd, and mats bergström's executes the difficult repertoire with finesse and panache.
the music is all 20th century [none of your romantic spanish guitar here...], including steve reich's 'electric counterpoint' [originally written for pat metheny and reproduced here in all its chattering, cascading glory] and toru takemitsu's characteristically difficult but rewarding 'all in twilight'.
the other pieces are all penned by swedish composers, including anders hillborg's furiously rhythmical 'close up' [originally part of a piece for flute], arne löthman's 'diptych', with it's beautifully contrasting two movements [as the sleeve notes indicate, 'one introspective and one extrovert.], and johan söderqvist's haunting, filmic 'epilogue'.
but the title piece of the album, åke parmerud's 'substring bridge' for guitar and computer interactions carries the album, with traditional and futuristic resonating perfectly to create a wonderful atmosphere [and there is even a very short musical quotation from mr hendrix himself!]
at the end of the album are two remixes, one of 'electric counterpoint' and one of 'close up' by trio escort and magnus frykberg respectively, which add a beat-infused twist to the pieces heard before.
overall, an excellent and highly recommended album, which sets the standard for modern, barrier-breaking music.