Although most of the 14 tracks on Hiss are taken from previous Ash International releases, one could hardly consider this CD to be a label sampler. In September of 2000, Thomas Nordanstad had organized a music installation at the Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm, using selected music from Ash International records played in the hotel's elevator (one track for each floor). Hiss serves as the soundtrack for this installation. The theme of the project is hiss -- surrounding noise from amplified deep space radiations to tape noise to elevator noise. Of these 14 tracks, 11 were previously released and are presented here in most cases as excerpts. Three short unreleased tracks serve as incidental music, helping to glue the project together. This album should really be listened to as a whole; it stands on its own. Of course, there are highlights, like the Disinformation and Evan Parker duet, Leif Elggren's "Mother!!?" and MSC Harding and Jeff Sedgley's "I Saw It All Happen From Beginning to End and I Still Can't Believe What I Saw," built with the sounds of a hospital room. But what surprises the most is how it all fits together. The secret is in the fact that each of these pieces is an attempt at letting the listener hear the voices from within or from outside/beyond. These noises and the sound art and electronic music that accompany them sound both familiar and alien. That's the beauty of it all. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide