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ALVA NOTO / SIGNAL / BYETONE / KOMET, "MORT AUX VACHES"

For the first ever two disc Mort Aux Vaches, Raster-Noton's foundingfathers - Carsten Nicolai as Alva Noto, Olaf Bender as Byetone, FrankBretschneider as Komet and the trio as Signal - provide over 136minutes of "live" digital minutiae for the ever-growing archive.Chances are, you've already decided what modern minimalism does ordoesn't do for you and if the answer is "not much", there's nothinghere out of the ordinary that's going to change your opinion.AlvaNoto's 38 minute "Prototypes" diligently maps out searing waves, pops,clicks, pings and deep bass for a rather relaxing, almost funereal attimes, piece. If you really concentrate on it, especially withheadphones, it's fascinating how Nicolai skillfully arranges eachlittle speck of sound throughout the stereo playground. Signal's threetracks are rooted more in repetition and comprised of the most curiousbut mildly annoying sounds, the fluttering low end throb of "IndexArea" being the closest to Scorn these guys will probably ever come.Byetone's five ratio titled tracks flow as one. Bender loves quietsparseness using swooping tones, soft pitter patters, hissing dronesand simple techno beats. Komet's seven tracks gather up micro soundsinto playful techno pop rhythms, beginning and ending with the ambientaura and appreciation of an audience, the only audible indication of atruly live experience on either disc. Not that that matters. Justconsider this another compilation in line with the '20' to 2000'series, 'New Forms' and the '(O)acis Box'. - 

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