I've known Joe for close to 15 years - his audio output for a few more. His composition techniques, recording and editing methods, and persistent refinement and redefining of his aural goals has helped to define a body of work that I firmly believe only few artists could hope to match. After a handful of releases on C.I.P., ranging from full-length CD to one-sided 7, my resolve solidified that Joe was a contemporary artist whose work deserved the focus, breadth, and depth of a multiple LP release. The all-new material in this collection includes fractured electronics, rich multi-level drones, digital bite, the sounds of decaying technology, analog twists and turns, and recording experiments and documents - plus some other aural surprises that I leave to the listener's discretion as to whether they can be classified as 'pleasant' or 'otherwise'.

THE WIRE'S BEST OF 2010