When witnessing ‘live’ the high flying international piano trio Phronesis, it’s the Oslo-born drummer Anton Eger who most catches your attention with his ferocious energy and manic acoustic kitwork. It’s been a long time coming, but Eger finally steps out of the shadow of Phronesis for his debut as leader with a release on Dave Stapleton’s dynamic Edition label. The originals he’s written for Æ are as intense and hard-hitting as we’ve come to expect of his drumming. Other kit-meisters, among them Seb Rochford, Mark Guiliana and Richard Spaven through to younger gen sticksmen Moses Boyd and Yussef Dayes, have been fusing contemporary beats, electronica and indie post-rock in pursuit of their own forward-looking sonic visions. And now Anton Eger, who taps into the work of electronica-improv fusing pioneers such as Flying Lotus and Squarepusher, while checking bands as diverse as Robert Glasper Experiment, Radiohead and perhaps a lesser-known ensemble closer to home: Strobes, led by Dan Nicholls whose inspired retro-key/synth interjections are a highlight of this album. He’s one of a triumvirate of on-the-pulse Brit aces upping the album’s contemporary flavour, including Jacob Collier/Eska bassist Robin Mullarkey and Three Trapped Tigers’ guitarist Matt Calvert. An exhilarating, cohesive debut then, in which Eger proves his worth as a composer of stimulating musical hooks and quirky arrangements, as well as the kind of razor-sharp contemporary beats he’s already well known for.