Alva Noto
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Alva Noto a stage name of sound artist Carsten Nicolai, who has established himself as a leading artist amongst current electronic sound and visual designers who are using art and music as hybrid tools to create microscopic views of creative processes. Another alias he uses is Noto. He is also a member of the music groups Signal (with Frank Bretschneider, AKA Komet and Olaf Bender, AKA Byetone) and Cyclo. (with Ryoji Ikeda).
Nicolai plays with the rules of physicality. Sound is changed and evolved into time and space and transformed by looping oscillators and tone generators. Through these processes the essence of pure electricity is made audible. He works without sequencers, but mathematically edits his work to give his compositions precise [rhythmic structures. Clicks and glitches are not used as ornamental additions to the compositions but make up the essential elements of the work and these sound sources are applied to the rhythmic groove of Hip-Hop and R&B. The sounds of electronic information transmission such as fax tones, modem sounds and telephone pops and clicks are sampled and organised into loops to which Nicolai adds longer electronic tones in the background and foreground as the piece progresses.
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[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo Albums
- Prototypes - 2000 (Mille Plateaux). CD Contains 10 tracks, all "Untitled."
- Transform - 2001 (Mille Plateaux). CD or Dual 12" LP Contains 10 tracks, all names start with "m"+track #.
- Transrapid - 2002 (Raster-Noton). Transparent 12" vinyl LP contains 4 tracks.
- For - June 2006 (Line (a Division of 12k)). CD release contains 9 tracks. A collection of unreleased tracks created over the past 4 years.
[edit] Albums together with "Scanner" (Robin Rimbaud)
- Prototypes - 2000 (SFMOMA). CD Contains 1 track, "Uniform." (Uniform) was performed and recorded by Carsten Nicolai and Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) for the exhibition of ""010101: Art In Technological Times"", at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) on March 3, 2001.
[edit] Albums together with Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Vrioon - December 2002 (Raster-Noton). CD and 12" LP release. Contains 6 tracks. Features piano work by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- Insen - March 2005 (Raster-Noton). CD and 12" LP release. Contains 7 tracks. Features piano work by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- Revep - May 2006 (Raster-Noton). CD release. Contains 3 tracks. Features piano work by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- Insen Live - October 2006 (Raster-Noton). DVD release. Contains 15 tracks. Contains video footage from the 'Insen' tour. Recordings for the DVD took place at Casa da Musica, Porto, Portugal, on June 11th 2006 and at Sonar festival 2006, Barcelona, Spain, on June 15th 2006 in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Contains live tracks from the 2005 Insen album, as well as previously unreleased tracks such as 'Xerox' and 'Barco.' The DVD is region free and is in NTSC format.
[edit] Albums with "Opiate" (Thomas Knak), together as "Opto"
- Opto Files - 2001 (Raster-Noton). Limited CD release. Number 6 in the raster.static series. CD Comes in a silver anti-static bag with green card insert.
- Opto: 2nd -June 2004 (HOBBY INDUSTRIES). CD Contains 10 tracks, all titled with times of the day. The collaboration was created in a 48 hour period and was inspired by the restored recording from a found cassette in a forest in Eastern Germany.
[edit] Compilation appearances
- "Odradek" on ...It Just Is (2005)
[edit] Live Performances
Nicolai has performed and created installations in many of the world's most prestigious spaces including The Guggenheim NYC, MOMA SF, MOMA Oxford, NTT Tokyo, Tate Modern and Venice Biennal Italy. As a member of the Raster-Noton label he was responsible for the acclaimed CD series '20 to 2000' that went on to win the Golden Nica prize at Prix Ars Electronica 2000.
- Sonar Music Festival, 2004
- Opening performance for "010101: Art In Technological Times" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) on March 3, 2001.
- netmage 2006
