Hyperactive Marseille-based composer (or "musical travel agent", as he likes to be qualified) Philippe Petit's wit, label owner and manager of the appreciated BiP_HOp and one of the key element of Strings Of Consciousness, flows into an astonishing collaborative project based on the intertwining of his eager approach on sound art (he delights listeners with processed acoustics, field recordings, electronics, turntables, glass manipulations, percussions, synth/piano and balloons -!- on "Cordophony") and a number of expressive declensions of string instruments, as the title suggests ('cordophone' is a French word to name the big family of musical instruments whose sound derives from the vibrations of a string), played by a remarkable number of guest musicians, whose different backgrounds concur to give a motley style to the release. Besides his Stings Of Consciousness mates Raphaelle Rinaudo and Herve' Vincenti (in spite of its dusky tones, their duet in "Motion-Pictured" is one of the most suggestive moment of "Cordophony" together with the moving "Eugenia", where mutual musical acquaintance marvellously meets Rinaudo's electric harp), Philippe mustered many talented and esteemed colleagues such as Nils Frahm (his distinguashable touch combined with the vitreous and gloomy cello by Alison Chesley, cryptic processed guitars, whooshing vynils and electronics by Philippe Petit himself marks the emotionally purging feeling of constriction evoked by "Succumb To Gravity", one of my favorite track of the album), Bela Emerson (her floating cello with hypnotic vibraphone of Els Vandeweyer on "Eunoia" sounds so halcyon that listeners could be caught off balance by synesthesia while listening to it...), German pianist Ulrike Haage (she co-signs "The Modern Dance for the Advance in Age", the most nipping and apparently light-minded moment of "Cordophony", together with Monsier Petit and Perceval Bellone), Adrian Klumpes (member of 3ofmillions and Triosk, who affixes a mysterious phrasing on his grand piano to the epic closing track "Oneiromancy: A Dream With A View" together with prolific Canadian musician Aidan Baker, Perceval Bellone, who plays sanza, an African lamellophone instrument also known as mbira, Petit, who processes found sounds and acoustics, and Vincenti, whose tentacles hits a conque shell, a guitar, a keyboard and some percussions). James Johnston and Reinhold Friedl (appearing on the initial "Gli Occhi Freddi Della Vendetta") and many more. A really striking project issued by small but worthwhile Japenese label Home Normal with many cinematic hooks and imbued with lovely motifs for the likes of fans of Efterklang, Tunng, Brian Eno, Max Richter, Kronos Quartet, Tom Waits, The Books and similar musical acts which I cannot but recommend!