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