Reinventing one’s processes in search of new stimuli and direction is something most artists do at some point in their careers. For David Sylvian, the end of his long-term stint with Virgin in 2002 and the setting up of his own Samadhisound label in 2003 was a useful convergence that saw him embark on a different method of songwriting when working with renowned avant-guitarist and free jazz pioneer Derek Bailey for his label’s debut album, Blemish. Bailey’s spiky inventions are akin to poking a stick into the turning wheel of the artist’s imagination, deliberating and interrupting the flow of Sylvian’s usual way of working, provoking strange dissonances and embarking on new exploratory tangents.