Vortex started in 2001 as a way to expand the possibility of sonic palette for use in jazz composition and improvisation.

Shoko Nagai (piano, accordion, analog synthesizers, electronics) and Satoshi Takeishi (playing a unique “hybrid set” consisting of both western and eastern tradition) using a variety of acoustic instruments and electronic processing, have successfully created sonic world of such vividness that their music has been described as "almost visible to the listener". Their mission is the integration of cultural, technological, and musical elements that surround us in the immediate performance environment into a coherent musical structure. All the possibilities of musical elements accessible to them and the strength of the duo crosses any boundary while at the same time never losing connection to the spirit of improvisation.