Alva Noto + Opiate "Opto Files" raster-noton static 6 cdr 040 2001 (33:17)
opto
file 1 (5:08)
opto
file 2 (17:40)
opto
file 3 (7:55)
opto file 4 (2:34)
Carsten Nicolai (aka Noto/Alva Noto) has been collaborating via e-mail with several different but like-minded artists lately: with Ø for "Wohltemperiert", with Ryoji Ikeda for Cyclo, with Scanner for "Uniform" and here with Thomas Knak (aka Opiate) for the latest in the 'static' bag series. Knak records solo under his own name as well as Opiate and Gloria Hirsch, is a member of Future 3 and worked with Björk on her latest, "Vespertine". These tracks, referred to simply as opto files 1 through 4, total a little over 33 minutes and fit right in with the static aesthetic. Nicolai's digital glitches rhythmically sing accompaniment to Knak's simple, lazy melodies. Add bass swells, simmer and stir occasionally. It's a comfy balance between fireside warmth and goose pimple chill. 1 and 3 are just the right length, the latter adding a tasty beat, while 2 is way too long and 4 is way too short, the latter being the most minimal of all ...
Alva Noto "Transform" Mille Plateaux mp 102 2001 (57:11)
m 01 (5:49)
m 02 (3:37)
m 03 (10:09)
m
04 (6:26)
m 05 (4:43)
m 06 (5:36)
m
07 (4:58)
m 08 (5:27)
m
09 (7:45)
m 10 (2:41)
"Transform" is Nicolai solo as Alva Noto and it is his second disc as such for Mille Plateaux, follow-up to last year's "Prototypes". Both are all about minimalism deeply rooted in microscopic mathematical coding and structure. It's kinda funny now because I really enjoy(ed) the first disc and was looking forward to more in a similar vein at the time, but now that I have it I'm not as satisfied as I should be. Unfortunately for me (and perhaps Nicolai) is that in the time that has passed between the two albums his collaborations with others have injected new and different blood into the mix with varying and exciting results. With "Transform" were back to just Nicolai's evolutionary composition techniques and standard set of audio building blocks - the full range of waves, pulses and drones, glitches, metallic pops and clicks, etc. The quality of his solo work is just as good but my perception of it has changed some ... it seems exceedingly academic and sterile in comparison now. That said, there are still a number of mildly funky (well, about as funky as a German with a laptop can possibly be) grooves to be found among the 10 tracks or 'modules' as they're referred to here. But here's hoping that more collaborative work is in store ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via CD Universe.