Byetone - Death Of A Typographer (Raster-Noton)

Chemnitz (Germany) based artist Olaf Bender has musically been in the shadow, as one of the co-founders of the Raster-Noton label, together with Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto) and Frank Bretschneider (Komet). Mostly focusing on the visual presentation of the label’s catalogue, he had only produced two solo outings before offering to the world Death of a Typographer. Where his earlier projects presented us with a very abstract experience, filled with static and rhythmic clicks typical to the Raster-Noton sound, the sound of his new album shifts to a more approachable terrain. The first track quickly exemplifies this change of character. An almost danceable bass line takes hold when “Plastic Star (session)” starts, and only slows down four tracks later, when the first segment of “Capture This” sets in. Distorted tones and short stabbing percussion can not hide the melodies that encompass the songs as we move through the album. As Bender balances the distant and cold background, that has typified the label with a sound that scuffs against the techno-genre, the album really unfolds when "Rocky Soft" starts. You can quickly discern the Bretschneiderian jabs to your earlobes, accompanied by an almost funky bass that makes you want to move. “Black is Black” is probably the most accessible track of the album, with its almost threatening build up that finally melts in to the dark dystopic feel that both installments of “Capture This” convey. Rounding up with an almost Alva Noto-esque “Grand Style” and “Heart” filled with rhythmic yet dark percussion this album is something special. Created in the Berlin winter, it is very well suited for those cold days when you are still coming to grips with the fact that the summer is really gone. Play this record when you feel that there is no way you’re getting out of bed. Its energy, even though it is cold and distant, is infectious, and will have you master the cold temperatures of autumn and the upcoming winter in no time. Suited for listeners that are into the Raster-Noton aesthetics, but also listeners of Sleeparchive, SND and Pan Sonic.

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Review prepared by Caspar Menkman for Headphone Commute.

myspace.com/benderbyetone | raster-noton.net

Grischa Lichtenberger - ~Treibgut (Raster-Noton)

~Treibgut fits snuggly into the sonic world of Raster-Noton. For this EP, his first release for the label, Grischa Lichtenberger's primary sources are found sounds from the world around him, including the sound of a sliding tabletop, the noise of a radiator and the humming of a broken device. Apparently, the music reflects Lichtenberger's reflections on the landscape of the river Rhein. Which, frankly, comes as something of a surprise since nature is just about the last thing that the music evokes. The atmosphere is extremely industrial and manufactured. Like the music of label primus motor Alva Noto, Lichtenberger's work is all percussive. He takes his sound sources and manipulates and processes them, cuts them up and rearranges them into rhythmic structures. But while Noto's music is often quite refined and minimal, ~Treibgut is like a jackhammer and power drill got together and decided to form a band. Opening track, 0406_01_RS!, is like the cacophony of a factory – metal on metal, pistons pumping rhythmically, distorted bursts of steam, flying sparks from a welder’s blowtorch. With one exception, the tracks all bear similar names, rows of numbers and letters, like numbered incidents in a long line of laboratory experiments. Or products on an assembly line. There are no melodies in the conventional sense of the word or other discernible instruments at play. The drill effect that users of the Ableton Live's Beat Repeat are so familiar with is the defining sound throughout. It’s a mechanical world. The one exception is calipso, which appears to refer to the CALIPSO environmental satellite launched jointly in 2006 by NASA and CNES, the U.S. and French space programs, and which measures aerosols and clouds 24 hours a day. Appropriately, it features a slightly lighter touch and an unusual sounding guitar providing the sole instance of melodic content on the EP. But the power tools are back in full force on the closing track, 0106_13_lv_3 sand ausheben, which translates as "excavate sand" - an indication that there is more heavy lifting to come. The title ~Treibgut refers to the German proverbial Treibholz, describing a piece of wood floating in a river or the sea. "In this sense it expresses a relation to things: between the observer and the floating thing, which has obliterated its functionality, there is no immediate connection – there is a lack of unifying meaning. Of it, the observer always only sees aspects, while the thing, without him on its mind, drifts by." It'll probably take you a while to grasp the meaning of the concept. Meanwhile, it is best to let the power tools do their work... Recommended for all Raster-Noton fan, as well as Pan Sonic, SND, Hecker, and Atom™

myspace.com/grischalichtenberger | raster-noton.de

Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto with Ensemble Modern - utp_ (Raster-Noton)

Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto are unquestionably among the masters of modern experimental music. Noto has crafted a musical language all his own based on the most elemental of sound sources - electricity, static, white noise - and helped to raise laptop production to new heights. Sakamoto has such a varied an brilliant career, ranging from his days in the pioneering Yellow Magic Orchestra and his Neo Geo Japanese pop, to bossa nova, classical works and majestic film scores - including the unforgettable theme from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, in which he also starred opposite David Bowie. And, of course, his explorations in electronic music where his collaborations with artists like Fennesz and Noto stand as milestones. The release of a major new work from the duo is noteworthy to say the least. Utp_, the third collaboration between Noto and Sakamoto, opens with a sustained electronic tone that is gradually joined by a cello note to form an electro-acoustic drone. On top, a series of angular jabs from the Ensemble Modern string section combine with rhythmic bursts of white noise from Noto. Sakamoto's muted piano is introduced on track 2, "grains", but is much less prominent throughout than in the duo's previous collaborations. The piano is only out front on a couple of tracks - "grains" and "broken line" 1 and 2 - which also happen to be the most melodic and easily approachable tracks on the disc, bubbling along to Noto's delicate microbeats. Like the previous collaborations, utp_ blends together electronic and acoustic sounds to hair-raising effect. The contribution of Ensemble Modern, one of the world's leading ensembles of 'new music', adds dynamism and breadth to the sound pallet but the tone is not so far removed from the intimacy and melancholy of Insen, the duo's last full-length release from 2005. The most striking difference is that while the previous outing centred on Noto's laptop treatment of Sakamoto's piano, here it is the Ensemble - particularly the string section - that is most prominent. There's a sombre intensity to the music, which blends modern classical with experimental electronic music in a way that bridges the divide between past and the present. The piece was commissioned on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the city of Mannheim in Germany and at times the deep and vibrant cello tones seem to be calling from that distant past. But most of the time the Ensembles' instruments are employed to produce sounds that are far removed from the 'classical' conception of music, melding seamlessly with the bleeps and glitches of the present in a way that feels completely organic. On tracks like "silence" and "particle" 1 and 2, the result is a blanket of ambient sound while on "plateaux" 1 and 2 the electro-acoustic drone is all encompassing. The title of the piece, utp_, is derived from the word "utopia" and the concept that Sakamoto and Noto developed for it is derived from the rasterized structure of Mannheim, which was conceived as the "ideal city" in the 17th century. This and more is explained in the documentary film on the development of the piece, which is included along with the utp_ concert movie on a DVD that accompanies the CD. So far I've only had a chance to listen to the music but it looks like the DVD provides a lot of insight into the development of the piece and the way Noto and Sakamoto work. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Also included in the impressive package, which is indeed worthy of the music, is a full colour booklet and the score. Utp_ is another feather in the cap of these two masters of modern experimental music and one can only hope that there is more to come.

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Original review posted by Tigon on Tigon World.
Republished with permission of the author.

alvanoto.com | sitesakamoto.com
raster-noton.de

Kangding Ray - Automne Fold (Raster-Noton)

An amazing array of releases from Raster-Noton can drain any serious collector's wallet. My latest search includes the twelve super rare twenty-minute monthly releases titled 20' to 2000, and I highly doubt that I'll be able to score it for anything less than a thousand bucks. Oh well... So instead I'll give myself a present of Kangding Ray's sophomore release, Automne Fold. And the album more than satisfies my experimental, organic, and dark rhythmic cravings. Kangding Ray is an alias of Berlin based David Letellier who creates synthetic, glitchy, and yet very musical compositions of analog tones, micro-programmed beats, and digital errors. Letellier's musical experience includes being a guitarist and a drummer for a band with rock and jazz influences. Stacking against his electronic music design is his diploma in architecture - perhaps Letellier erects and demolishes soundscapes in the same way. The sound of Kangding Ray is not as minimal as the usual roster of Raster-Noton (e.g. CoH, Ø, and the label owner, Carsten Nicolai). It is still experimental, super intelligent, yet at the same time very listenable - I found Alva Noto's Xerrox Vol. 1 conceptually very fascinating, but for some reason the album did not remain in my rotations. Kangding Ray, on the other hand, seems to fit more along his contemporaries, like Hecq, Subheim, Kattoo and Murcof. There are even lyrics in some of the "songs". Perhaps Automne Fold will create a gateway into the label's catalogue for listeners with a less sensitive ear. Be sure to pick up Kangding Ray's 2006 release on Raster-Noton, titled Stabil. Highly recommended. Makes my Best of 2008 list so far...

myspace.com/kangdingray | kangdingray.com
raster-noton.net