Description
with »insen«, alva noto (aka carsten nicolai) and ryuichi sakamoto continue their collaboration which started with »vrioon«. The debut album released on raster-noton in 2003 was voted record of the year 2004 in the category “electronica” by the british magazine “the wire”. particular interest was shown in nicolai’s approach to and interpretation of sakamotos piano clusters, and his creation of a new synergy of acoustic piano and digital post production that had not been witnessed before.
the strict splitting of the composition process on this record (piano: sakamoto; production and additional sounds: nicolai) reminds one of the debut album. however, »insen« carries a kind of “transcendental aura” of an early morning meditatory exercise, but at the same time avoids the field of new age philosophy. enriched by new elements, this “high-tech meditation” follows a consistent line.
on »vrioon«, nicolai’s typical sine sounds counterbalanced sakamotos piano chords. now on »insen«, nicolai works directly with the piano sounds. he dismantles sakamotos recordings with a “surgeon-like precision” into micro loops, into its atomic elements. starting with these atoms of sound, he creates a new basis of form, compressing floating rotating rhythms, combining them with harmonic sequences and melodic counterpoints, and laying it underneath the piano tracks. this makes »insen« appear to be a more complex experience, although the time-stretched flow, or even the clear lines of the piano stay untouched.
from the sleeve notes, one can learn that the album was dedicated to certain people. created far away from these people, »insen« might be a kind of dialogue. It definitely represents a diary of a stay over several month at leon feuchtwangers “villa aurora”, where a large part of the production as well as the final mixes were completed. the themes and the track titles directly refer to that place, to the times of the day, and the events there. even the colors of the album cover represent the emotions and atmosphere experienced at “villa aurora”.
only the track »berlin« was recorded later during a session at nicolai’s studio in berlin. as a reference to that place, one can hear a flock of birds singing in the background of the recording.
»aveol« closes the album with mysterious beauty. the evolution of piano recordings and digital post production was pushed the furthest on this track. the combination reached its (temporary) final point.
the album was mastered at calyx mastering, berlin: www.calyx-mastering.com
