CD – Noton

This is the fourth and penultimate work Alva Noto released for the series Xerrox. The project began in 2007 and is based on the iterative reproduction and manipulation of digital samples, copying and then copying again. Unlike previous releases, in this case the material does not consist of samples from outside sources or fragments of recordings. The sonic landscape instead appears to refer to a cinematographic narration. This engages our attention and produces an ambience that is clear and free from stylized glitches. Nonetheless, the stylistic approach of Carsten Nicolai inheres, a kind of fluid electronics laid over with special effects and hypnotic serial repetitions. The setting is meticulous, and highly detailed, almost minimal, while the background always suggests some kind of apprehension, a harmonic and emotional grain which alludes to the composer’s earlier work. Nicolai observes a proper balance and never indulges himself with moments of complacency. What the listener experiences is a kind of classic ambient music, modern and minimalist, free from the most abstract extremism and with an irreproachable vision. In the past two decades Alva Noto has broached new musical horizons and embodied the ideal model of what a sound artist should be and do with their work. Even if the glitches and almost imperceptible moments of interference are not as present as they were in the past, the technique is maintained, a methodology finding its own aesthetics in cuts and repetitions, now bolstered by some softened forms, organized in a dreamy and refined flow. The musical structures are more melodic, but unsurprisingly the usual elegance remains: the author continuously re-modulates the samples and plays them harmonically, imposing airy space combinations and elegiac passages. The various collaborations Alva Noto has had in recent years, namely with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Bryce Dessner, are evident here. A wonderful work whose listening is captivating and sweet.

 

Alva Noto – Xerrox Vol.4