Australian imprint Room40 has been on quite a tear as of late, releasing quality material from uber minimalists Richard Chartier and Janek Schaefer as well as avant-gardeners Text of Light and Function. On Isolation was presented in tandem with a University of Tasmania conference in 2006 to discuss the concepts of isolation, disconnect and solitude. The label assembled a veritable who's who of Microsound and avant-garde producers including Steinbrüchel, Chartier, David Toop, Scanner and Greg Davis; commissioning them for their own creative interpretations on the subject matter. The result is a carefully sequenced series of meditations that range from near silence (Greg Davis' "Riwalla Farm" excerpt) to playful drones (Chartier's "A Field for Recordings 3") to glitch laden workouts that resemble cicadas at night (Sébastien Roux's "Guet-Apens"). It's a very well balanced compilation worth the time and money for any fan looking to keep abreast of modern electronic composition's evolution. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide