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ANBB (Alva Noto & Blixa Bargeld)
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Description: | 12" on Raster Notion (was £10.99) |
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| Format: | 12" (vinyl) | |
| Genre(s): | Electronic | |
| Label: | Raster Noton | |
| Price: |
£4.99
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| Availability: | In stock. Dispatched in 1 working day. |
...according to our Ant on 24 June 2010.
Never one to slouch in his comfort zone, Carsten Nicolai is always pushing himself as an artist and exploring new directions. This collaboration is a case in point where he collides with Einsterzunde Neubauten's Blixa Bargeld with astonishing results. I had read about this pairing but really couldn't imagine how it would sound and certainly didn't expect to be as excited about it as I am. The title track is a wondrous assault on the senses with teutonic vocals and beats wrapping around each other and cascading before a throbbing kick emerges. Nicolai treats Bargeld's vocals with respect as each move is highly considered and each pulse, static sound and click placed with total precision, but then we'd expect nothing less from Alva Noto. The intensity builds with slabs of metallic noise shearing across the speakers. A distinct change of mode for Nicolai considering recent mellower recordings but something you could easily expect Neubauten to have come up with, certainly in terms of its energy. Myself, Phil and Brett were simultaneously blown away by this track. Then onto the melancholy 'One' where Blixa declares 'One is the loneliest number' over a deeply moving and gorgeous backdrop of hiss, bleeps and restrained beats. 'Electricity Is Fiction' goes into darker terrain with nightmarish overlaid vocals and a synthetic sound like pure electricity itself, all spiky frazzled blue light along with chopped up and chaotic beats. This is probably as close to "IDM" as I've ever heard from Nicolai and quite unexpected. 'Bernsteinzimmer' is a stunning cinematic track that's all too brief and then the EP closes with their minimal version of trad American folk song 'I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground' which ends in a lock groove. Hghly recommended in posh sleeve with black plastic tape stripe. Ltd edition that probably won't be around for too long.
Being friends and admirers of each other_s work for a long time, electronic music composer / visual artist alva noto (carsten nicolai) and composer / voiceartist blixa bargeld (also known as singer of einstürzende neubauten and guitarist of nick cave and the bad seeds) decided to join forces to initiate a collaborative project in 2007. together they developed a musical concept based on the combination of improvisation and abstraction. the impulsive live performance of blixa bargeld and the elaborated beat structures and sound landscapes of alva noto merge to a surprising and unexpected result. working on their own experimental material that gains its strength from the spontaneity of the live-performance of bargeld_s voice as well as rethinking traditional songs in their own special manner, they deliver an outstanding and inspiring musical blend for their audience. “crystalline noise formations. phrases, words, syllables of pure sound isolated until normal sense disappears, leaving new, unexpected abstractions to emerge. [...] the most suggestive and nuanced version of _i wish i was a mole in the ground_ since bob dylan.” - sam davies (the wire 12/09, uk) the collaboration first staged in september 2007 when they united for a special appearance in san francisco to perform at recombinant media labs studios. since then they have recorded several tracks, fi ve of which will be released on a preliminary ep on raster-noton (r-n 120) in spring 2010. a full length album with 10 tracks (r-n 121) will be released some weeks later. The release will be followed by a live tour at various festivals and concert halls in europe in june/september 2010.
