themilkfactory » Raster-Noton

ROBERT LIPPOK: Redsuperstructure (Raster-Noton)

themilkman — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:29:15 +0000

ROBERT LIPPOK
Redsuperstructure
RN134
Raster-Noton 2011
09 Tracks. 39mins36secs

Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD Spotify: STRM

Robert Lippok steps out of his day job as one third of To Rococo Rot for his third solo outing, following his debut, Falling Into Komëit (Monika Enterprise) in 2004 and the mini-album that followed, Robot (Western Vinyl) two years later.

Redsuperstructure stems from a live set Lippok gave at Raster-Noton’s Electric Campfire in Rome last year. There’s very little of the Krautrock influences which have informed much of the TRR catalogue over the years. Instead, Lippok opts here for crisp electronic structures which he arranges into compact sonic vignettes. If his soundscapes often appear dense and beautifully textured, they are for the most part somewhat stripped down and crystallised around a core of two or three main components. Lippok’s expertise lies in his capacity to develop them into surprisingly evocative compositions, and he does so repeatedly throughout.

Here, he investigates a series of striking set ups, from the atmospheric formations of Unfold, Slowdancingform or Ultrared, or the Steve Reich-infused minimal house of Inphase to the more angular micro techno of Sugarcubes, Whitesuperstructure or Nycycle, yet there is a great sense of cohesion running through the whole record, even when he confronts the shattering bass, abstract percussion sequences and drone-like formation he deploys on the fourteen-minute closing piece Daylightastonomy with fragments of harp played by Beatrice Martini. Keeping to the lower register of her instruments, she drops seemingly random sharp notes for Lippok to catch and process into his soundscape to create a miniature epic which, while never breaking away much from its original concept, continues to progress until it slowly morphs into something altogether more abstract toward the end.

Lippok’s approach is all about simplicity here. His lines are pure and polished, his sound pool reduced to its most essential, and his compositions are, for the most part, kept under the five minute mark. He aims at creating something at once stunning and to the point, and he manages this with brio.

4.9/5

Robert Lippok (MySpace) | Raster-Noton
Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD Spotify: STRM

BYETONE: Symeta (Raster-Noton)

themilkman — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:30:42 +0000

BYETONE
Symeta
RN130
Raster-Noton 2011
07 Tracks. 46mins24secs

A founding member of Raster-Noton with Frank Bretschneider and Carsten Nicolai, Olaf Bender first solo excursion as Byetone dates back to 1999, but in the twelve years that have passed since, the Byetone outings have remained fairly sporadic, with only two album released, one, Feld, on BineMusic in 2003, and the other, Death Of A Typographer, on Raster-Noton five years later.

Conceived out of live performances documented over the last two years, Symeta is built around repetitive minimalist technoid structures rocked by occasional intense dubbey convulsions. Over the forty-six minutes of this album, Bender assembles a extensively diverse sonic scope which takes him from the stripped down tones and glitches of Topas and T-E-L-E-G-R-A-M-M to the gritty and distorted Helix or Golden Elegy to the smoother landscapes of Neuschnee, the clinical seismic techno of Opal and the dirty electro of Black Peace.

This album is bookended by two distinct clusters of semi-related tracks. Topas and T-E-L-E-G-R-A-M-M are articulated around similar electro-static pulses and, although identified as two different tracks, they actually flow seamlessly from one to the other with no break in the beat or major alterations in the sonic landscapes. The latter however builds up into a more substantial piece when it is subjected to a persistent assault of electronic bass.

Although not quite as clearly related and not belonging to such a clearly defined formation, Helix, Black Peace and Golden Elegy all take shape around a set of more or less heavily distorted electronic sounds and textures, which is at times reminiscent of Pan Sonic at their most intense. This is particularly true on the heavily saturated Helix, but Black Peace also displays a hefty dose of twisted electronics. Here though, Bender doesn’t focus on that particular aspect so much and refrain from distressing the track’s electro set up too much. The torpor of Golden Elegy’s heavily comatose funk may appear considerably less intense, but here again Bender distorts sounds to give them a corrosive feel.

The remaining two tracks are the only ones to work in complete autonomy, the former developing from a pretty minimal sound pool into a series of slow hypnotic atmospheric soundscapes, the latter rising out of a modulated synth sound into a linear groove upon which Bender adds additional rhythmic motifs through the course of the piece.

Split between sparse soundscapes and heavily processed electronics, Symeta ends up being quite a dense collection of beautifully crafted electronic pieces owing equally to digital processing and refined electronica. For his third outing in full length format as Byetone, Olaf Bender has created a rather hard-hitting record.

4.2/5

ALVA NOTO: Univrs (Raster-Noton)

themilkman — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:35:59 +0000

ALVA NOTO
Univrs
RN133
Raster-Noton 2011
14 Tracks. 62mins43secs

Amazon UK: CD | LP | DLD US: CD | LP | DLD Boomkat: CD | LP | DLD iTunes: DLD Spotify: STRM

All through his career, Alva Noto’s Carsten Nicolai has focussed his work around a variety of concepts, some more developed or assumed than others, which have allowed him to explore the outer reaches of experimental minimalist electronic music. Univrs is the second instalment in a series of releases based on language forms, and follows Unitxt published in 2008, a record in which Nicolai developed complex rhythmic structures had been partly generated from Excel, Words and Powerpoint documents after the original data held in these files had been converted into sound.

Univrs stems from a similar idea, but the original medium is different, and to a certain extent, the process is reversed, with sound controlling images. This album started as a live audio visual experiment for which custom hardware and software was develop in order for audio signals to trigger unique colour patterns to be projected in real time. The album itself is released as a special CD and DVD edition featuring the album and a live performance of the piece recorded in Berlin earlier in the year, as well as standard CD or LP versions.

The sound is typically clinical and extremely precise, with virtually no apparent human interaction, the only notable exception being the appearance of poet Anne-James Chaton, who also contributed to Unitxt, on Uni Acronym, a piece on which he lists 208 three-letter acronyms, in alphabetical order, from AAA to ZIP, dispensed in cold robotic fashion.

The rest of the album relies almost entirely upon electro pulses of all sorts, arranged into rhythmic patterns of variable intensity and density. Occasionally, the beats drop out for a while to reveal entirely different sound sequences; atonal forms on Uni Asymmetric Tone, abrasive on Uni Asymmetric Noises, stuttering on Uni Assymetric III-IIII, heavily filtered on Uni Assymetric Sweep. But it is the seismic percussive formations and heavily processed signals which occupy most of the space here. Bound in a relentless flow of information, the succession of patterns and motifs which characterises each new piece is the only indication of the progress made through the record. Nicolai alternates between heavy rhythmic sections (Uni C, Uni Fac, Uni Dia, Uni Mode, Uni Deform, Uni Pro) and marginally more subtle compositions (Uni Rec, Uni Iso, Uni Sync) on which he pulls away from the intense percussive assault to explore, albeit at times only for fleeting moments, other noise-based electronics.

Despite the utterly electronic nature of his work, their often is something surprisingly visceral in Carsten Nicolai’s work, and this is very much the case here. His minimal rhythmic patterns and seemingly sterile soundscapes create a series of extremely intense pieces.

4.3/5

MARK FELL: UL8 (Editions Mego) / Multistability (Raster-Noton)

themilkman — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:40:55 +0000

MARK FELL
UL8
EMEGO111
Editions Mego 2010
20 Tracks. 64mins48secs

MARK FELL
Multistability
RN125
Raster-Noton 2010
17 Tracks. 63mins48secs

SND, the duo of Mat Steel and Mark Fell, have, in just four albums released over the course of ten years, defined a totally unique sound, based on extremely minimal electronic soundscapes and rarefied grooves. Fell released his first solo record under his name back in 2004 on Line, and has since collaborated with a number of other musicians and worked on numerous sound installations and performances. In a matter of weeks towards the end of 2010, Fell delivered two rather different records, one, UL8, on Editions Mego, the other, Multistability, on Raster-Noton.

On UL8, a nod to a pair of Celestion speakers his older brother owned when Fell was growing up, the tracks are presented in clusters, each with a particular focal point, effectively acting as a compendium of totally unrelated projects. The sonic aspect of these segments varies greatly. Opening this album with the extremely dry and syncopated forms of The Occultation Of 3C 273, its five parts reminiscent of the work Autechre were doing around the time of LP5/EP7, especially on pieces such as Acroyear2, Vose In or Liccflii. Then it is down to much grittier Vortex Studies, declined in seven sections of dry squelches and pulses which occasionally congregate around vague rhythmic oscillations and percussion synthesis. These tracks were originally part of an installation and were designed to work in synchronicity with blue lights. An assault of even crunchier analogue squelches pours over Acids In The Style Of Rian Treanor, dripping corrosive electronics onto a series of slick surfaces over its eight parts. Closing piece Death Of A Loved One is in comparison surprisingly accessible, melodic and sweeping, as if Fell was, for a moment at least, opening the door of his sound lab to let the world filter in.

Published a couple of weeks before, Multistability is a more consistent body of work, based around the idea of a condition that is neither stable nor unstable, and of the notion of looking at two different images at once. This album is said to be split into two versions of itself. Yet, while themes and patterns seem to occasionally echo down through the record, it is difficult to find a correlation between its various sections.

Once again, Fell displays a series of highly syncopated and clinical rhythmic forms which are juxtaposed into vast progressive sequences. There is no refined transition between the various sections. Instead, Fell continuously throws in new components, but refrains from deflecting the overall trajectory of this record at any point. Oddly, there is a certain funk aspect that develops from at least some of these odd constructions, which, while often not lasting for more than a few minutes before being thrown off balance again, gives Multistability an intriguing relief.

These records are certainly not for the faint-hearted, their respective scope placing them firmly on exploratory grounds. They are however very distinct from one another, and their individual purpose pulls them apart as much as it draws them close. Ultimately, Mark Fell steps away from the overall linear micro-structures of his work as part of SND to let a more extrovert side of his musical persona take the lead.

UL8: 4.4/5 Multistability: 4.1/5

Mark Fell: Multistability

ALVA NOTO + RYUICHI SAKAMOTO WITH ENSEMBLE MODERN: utp_ (Raster-Noton)

themilkman — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:36:23 +0000

ALVA NOTO + RYUICHI SAKAMOTO WITH ENSEMBLE MODERN
utp_
RN96
Raster-Noton 2009
10 Tracks. 71mins57secs / DVD 112mins07

CD+DVD: Amazon.co.uk | Boomkat | Download: iTunes | Boomkat

utp_ is the fourth collaboration between legendary Japanese innovator Ryuichi Sakamoto and German sound artist Carsten Nicolai, as Alva Noto, following Vrioon in 2002 and Insen and Revep in 2005. In 2007, the pair were commissioned an audio-visual performance with eminent German contemporary orchestra Ensemble Modern, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the city of Mannheim, situated in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in the South West of Germany. Released as a CD, presenting the various compositions, and DVD, documenting both the live performance, complete with synchronised visuals projected at the back of the orchestra, and utp_ Tryout, a behind the scene documentary showing every aspect of the preparation for the performance, from composition to the creation of the visual components, utp_ is quite a big piece of work, totally in contrast with the minimal aesthetic of the work itself.

Right from the opening moments of Attack/Transition, the tone is set, its electro-acoustic context and modern forms, built upon long string drones which are repeatedly stabbed by much sharper, incisive and short orchestral shards in its first section (the attack, supposedly), then left to sustain the rest of the piece, placing it resolutely in a totally different league to the pair’s previous work. The piece then flows into Grain, which introduces richer and more consistent layers of sound, with Sakamoto digging deep in the entrails of his piano to source metallic noises or warmer wood textures, while the orchestra gives out autumnal resonances, contributing to the melancholic mood of the piece. On Particle 1, and later Particle 2, the entire formation turns to much more granular soundscapes, as each instrument is used to create microscopic elements which in turn disperse into the ether as soon as they appear or gather in effervescent grapes of noises, eventually growing in presence to the point of becoming overwhelming.

Elsewhere, the music relies on slightly more conventional orchestral exchanges, giving Ensemble Modern the chance to create interesting tones and shades. This is the case on the wonderfully pastoral and smooth Transition, with its vast plains of exquisite slow-moving string work, which become much more muted on following piece Broken Line 1 when Nicolai introduces piercing electronic dots, recalling the bleeps of early digital watches, and pneumatic rhythmic patterns, while Sakamoto finds here one of his most straightforward moments. The ensemble once again leads the way on Plateaux 1 and 2, this time with somewhat dense and threatening monumental orchestral slabs, which are not without recalling Murcof’s Cosmos I, while on Broken Line 2, bass, drums, piano and orchestra all join forces to push forward an elegant moment which, despite its overly reflective mood, hints at intense moment of happiness.

The DVD helps placing these compositions in context and adds to the overall impression of the piece. Performed live, they become even more visceral and intense, the hypnotic visuals, often changing at an extremely slow pace, mirroring at times the progression in the music, seemingly substantiating the abstraction of the music. With utp_, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Carsten Nicolai have created a superb piece, and have, in the process, moved forward into their collaborative work a great deal.

5/5

SND: Atavism (Raster-Noton)

David Abravanel — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:27:38 +0000

SND
Atavism
R-N 107
Raster-Noton 2009
16 Tracks. 62mins10secs

SND | Raster-Noton
Buy: CD | MP3 | iTunes

Citing a dictionary definition is perhaps the most clichéd way to begin any kind of persuasive piece, but here I am and all I can think of are the reasons why SND have titled this record Atavism. So, here it goes: atavism: the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations.

Keeping in mind that such a title suggests a musical continuum, it’s initially puzzling to hear that this music is as polished and, there being no better descriptor, sanitary as it comes. There’s minimalism, and then there’s minimal techno/microhouse – frequently breaking its own rules for blasts of funk – and then there’s this, the Lysol-coated showroom countertop. By comparison, Monolake sounds like big band jazz. It’s not just that tracks repeat the same themes with small, gradually unfolding variation, nor that that any ostensibly tonal material tends to hit only at the same time as a percussive counterpart. Atavism retreats even further into its own system by using the same general palette of strictly-digital sounds across the entire record.

The law of entropy would suggest that, with such restrictions, Atavism is doomed to be a bore. And, if approached at face value, that’s what’s going to happen. It’s not necessarily a fault, but Atavism is a record that demands active listening; otherwise it’s likely to pass by as a frustrating din. Like many of its Raster-Noton contemporaries, SND have a point to make here that is equal parts pretense and prankster. This is machine music, as sterile as it comes: any grace notes or funky stabs are incidental. It’s so clean and safe that it’s filthy in its refusal to play the humanizing game. Given the advances in computer compositional software, it’s possible to color sequenced music in a way that sounds increasingly like a human ensemble, complete with faults, fills, and wobbling velocities. SND have opted for another route, and end up asking the listener, what good is it to compose with a computer if you can’t let the machine influence the outcome?

Atavism reflects an interesting paradox of progress: the more technology pervades our lives, the more there’s the desire to distinguish between what is electronic and what is “real” – organic and tangible. Living now in an age where computers and electronics are advancing exponentially, some of the most popular musicians are those who play acoustic guitars and feature lush, human harmonies. The imperfections of electronic media have even become a nostalgic fetish object, as vinyl records, once derided by elitist aesthetes are devoid of the “aura” of an original performance, are now treasured for the distorted “warmth” and “human” imperfections of surface noise, as compared to digital media.

Atavism is a challenging record, to be sure, and one that requires an open mind and active appreciation for experimentation (though, show me a Raster-Noton release that doesn’t). Somehow, this makes the beautifully clean digital pads and incessant drums sound all the more triumphant. Atavism reflects its title in more than just a compositional sense (the verbose press release describes a philosophical process of sample manipulation and synthesis). edfaAtavism is a draw back to the early 20th-century futuristic ideals of Luigi Russolo: rather than fight against the ostensive “imperfections” of a sterile compositional environment with perfect timing and no tape hiss, it embraces these attributes and pushes them to their furthest limit.

4/5

SND | Raster-Noton
Buy: CD | MP3 | iTunes

ALVA NOTO: Xerrox Vol. 2 (Raster-Noton)

Max Schaefer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:13:42 +0000

ALVA NOTO
Xerrox Vol. 2
RN103
Raster-Noton 2009
11 Tracks. 66mins32 secs

Carsten Nicolai’s conceptual bent and experimental drive get relativized in a larger whole on this, the second edition of the Xerrox series. The former, led again by Nicolai’s interest in clarity, precision, and finesse, are made to bleed into a previously untapped luxuriance.

Samples from Michael Nyman, Stephen O’Malley and Ryuichi Sakamoto are processed to varying degrees, and often occupy a delicate, fragile place between their original coherent identity and a unintelligible, anonymous state. As a result, though the composerly feel for pace and dynamics is apparent, and though the arcs are finely wrought, the skillfully maintained ambiguity of these musical interfaces ensures that dubiously unresolved tensions characterize them equally as much.

Nicolai builds enveloping, radiant drones that, while processed such that their edges chafe and erode into a soft, and sometimes sibilant, bramble of fizz and fuzz of digital interference, they also have woven into their weft sharper angles and edges that give them a more menacing, and occasionally melancholy, form and feel. As a nighttime symphony, Xerrox Phaser Acat 1 is evocative enough, yet Noto charges it with duality, its inner drama made to gather momentum like detritus caught up in a whirlwind, with feint but resonant and sometimes glowering details acting as structural provocations rather than mere window-dressing.

As dense as the music occasionally gets, then, Noto is quick to let discrete sounds struggle and ultimately surface. Consequently, the music is able to be spacious and alluring without lapsing into an easy blandness. This represents a real step forward on the part of Noto, who, though careful not to come too close, is now no longer so far away, at least not in the same way.

4/5

Alva Noto | Carsten Nicolai | Raster-Noton
Buy: CD | MP3 | iTunes