Sylvian left Virgin Records and launched his own independent label, Samadhi Sound. He released the album "Blemish". A fusion of styles, including jazz and electronica, the tour enabled Sylvian to perform music from the Nine Horses project, as well as various selections from his back catalogue. Blemish included contributions from Christian Fennesz and Derek Bailey. Sylvian used a different approach with this album. He has said about his process, "With Blemish I started each day in the studio with a very simple improvisation on guitar. Once recorded, I'd listen back and use cues from the improv—the dynamic and so on—to dictate the structure of the piece. I'd write lyrics and melody on the spot, and would follow that up with the recording of the vocal itself."