i wish i knew how to even think of such a beat - not talking about creating it

mix_002

the significant novelty of kyoka‘s first full length album »is (Is Superpowered)« is that she uses her own voice much more often than usual, in the form of short snippets as well as longer sung melodies. these elements are set and arranged as if they were an autonomous instrument. sometimes these voices give the impression of being a babelesque language mix-up, or even a kind of cryptic message for the listener like found in the song »meander«.

the production process of the record was heavily supported by her label mates frank bretscheider and robert lippok, which is, in this way of forming a production team, a unique constellation in the history of raster-noton. whereas lippok focused on preserving the roughness and complexity of kyoka‘s compositions, bretschneider concentrated on refining them regarding their fluidity and focus. both tried to keep the vitality and hyperactivity of the initial tracks without losing their distinctive eccentricity.

although kyoka‘s sound is often kind of chaotic, it is by no means stressful but rather energizing and easy to enjoy. the only exception to this can be found in »piezo version vision«, the noticeably roughest track of the record. her particularly progressive style is best reflected by the song »re-pulsion«, a rolling groove combined with unusual clicks and snares and topped with crazy sounding voice fragments.

the album thus further deepens what was already initiated with her first ep »iSH«, released as part five of raster-noton‘s unun series. it presents a stylistically broader spectrum of kyoka‘s music but at the same time exhibits the fresh and positive, sometimes even childlike attitude she is already known for. this eventually renders »is (Is Superpowered)« a perfect extension of our label catalogue.

kyoka. re-pulsion. taken from kyoka. is (is superpowered)

»vortices« is ueno masaaki’s first release on raster-noton, and the seventh release of the unun series.

ueno masaaki takes his musical cue from natural phenomenon and laws of nature by trying to reconstruct, not simulating them. the results are mainly rhythmical patterns that set off a chain reaction, expanding and contracting and creating new formations all the time.

the four tracks he presents on the EP are characterized by solid sound structures that appear to be very harsh and straight, sometimes even brutal, whereas the high pace even intensifies this impression. apparently repetitive at first sight, the tracks are in fact highly complex and intelligently arranged, presenting unforeseen breaks and shifts in direction.

ueno masaaki. excited state. taken from ueno masaaki. vortices

ueno masaaki. vortex state. taken from ueno masaaki. vortices

Simone Sims Longo - Franti

Seld - Soundwaves For Soundsystems

Huma - Shift Betwixt

Ireen Amnes & Merlin Ettore - “Arcathra”

gamut inc - Breath Of Seven Breasts

F¥ELD EFFCT - Tst 009

(5. No Frontiers) DRONE OPERATØR - Life In The Hall Reverb

Florent C. Darras & Samir Amarouch - Synth01

5 Nofrontiers - Dust - Clement Demonsant

DDD + Aethereal Arthropod - Deathereal3

»LA DEMEURE; il y a péril en la demeure« is the opening to a five-part complex of works by artist grischa lichtenberger. »LA DEMEURE« – the residence – could be outlined as intimacy, a symbol of isolation and privacy: the joy of being withdrawn from economic, temporal or social restraints in the confinement of a home. it owes gratitude to a protective otherness, a hospitality that leaves a trace in all the works deriving from this freedom. the double bind of an enabling retreat (la demeure) and the remaining (demeurer) trace of this otherness in it generates the central tension of »LA DEMEURE; il y a péril en la demeure«.

the single tracks on »LA DEMEURE; il y a péril en la demeure« and their components are constantly ruptured, disassembled and reassembled again. some passages allude to a weird fractured version of pop music, others may evoke associations to a disjointing music box, to something mechanical that is not working as it should. the time signatures of the tracks are constantly subjected to a mangling and squelching process, all the while keeping a constant rhythmical flow.
in his very own way, grischa lichtenberger is examining limits, new experiences and unfulfilling expectations. this unfilteredness and rawness, the lack of a target group the music is made for, is what is fascinating about this record. »LA DEMEURE; il y a péril en la demeure« thus becomes a luxurious-kafkaesque collection of materials, an uncensored archive of a seeker.

»LA DEMEURE; il y a péril en la demeure« will be released on CD and accompanied by three vinyl EPs that will place the experiment in relation to the public. the five-part cycle will be completed with a second album focusing on »IL Y A PÉRIL EN LA DEMEURE« – exigent circumstances – a legal term which allows law enforcement to break into the private residence because of an imminent danger (péril).

grischa lichtenberger »keys t« taken from »LA DEMEURE; il y a péril en la demeure«

http://shop.raster-noton.net/?pid=269

»the title ›and IV (inertia)‹ refers to a fictionalized successor of the baksan neutrino telescope in the caucasus region. at first, it has been an idea for a novel, based on the consideration that it is impossible to deal with the topic of a ›lebensraum‹ like berlin without being hit by stylization – so I had to experiment with strategies of fiction.«

with »and IV (inertia)«, grischa lichtenberger presents his first full length record on raster-noton after his participation in the unun-series. for his musical production, he uses field recordings of his environment which are manipulated and broken down to their bare nakedness until only fragments are left. apart from analogue sources, he also uses digital sound data which is likewise turned and twisted until the boundaries between analogue and digital are blurred.

the arrangement of these atomic elements results in a rather rough and brute, machine-like cut-up sound with an outstanding dynamic – almost none. it seems like that the 21 tracks only consist of a minimal set of elements, but which are rearranged in a virtuous manner and with a high degree of variation. broken beats and dribbling basses allude to downbeat tunes, let one stumble because of their arhythmicity, to eventually take up the underlying groove again. equally, there are fierce and harsh technoid elements. and towards the second part of the record, there is also room for new developments where more introverted and airy songs take over.

lichtenberger’s musical production on »and IV (inertia)« goes in line with his general artistic work, which also comprises other artistic genres such as installations and paintings. there is a mental attitude behind all this, and while the music sounds abstract, one may still identify his personal note. In this way, »and IV (inertia)« is the extension of a concept he already started with his »~treibgut« ep (r-n112), »to define aspects of legitimation for an artistic work in engagement with the concreteness of one’s living situation.«

grischa lichtenberger. 1210_08_4+ (excerpt). taken from grischa lichtenberger. and IV (inertia)

with RV8, the osaka-based producer and musician AOKI takamasa continues his long- term project that focuses on the modulation of rhythms and grooves. it began with his first ep ‚rhythm variations‘ in 2009, released as part three of the unun-series. besides his collaboration with raster-noton, he released records on several labels like commmons, progressive form and op.disc, produced remixes for well-known musicians like ryuichi sakamoto or yoshihiro hanno and played performances at, for example, elektra/montreal and club transmediale/ berlin, all in all making him a renowned producer in japan and beyond.

starting with a firework of bleeps and bops, already the very first minutes of his new record reveal aoki‘s preference for vibrating beats and likewise his playful approach to music, generating a sound that is aiming at the dance floor.

like the first ones, almost all tracks of the record are characterized by a constant modulation of chords and lines that sometimes appears somehow hyperactive, but nevertheless results in a natural flow that perfectly reflects AOKI‘s laid-back attitude combined with his will to produce danceable and funky music.

the fluent arrangement is only interrupted by the third track which forms a caesura by being more reduced and slower. in contrast to this, the following tracks present a faster tempo and an increased intensity; and whereas the first tracks reflect downbeat and r‘n‘b influences due to their broken beats and chunky sound, the later songs are characterized by a more sleek and technoid style, incorporating dribbling basses, clappy sounding snares and modulated voice snippets.

although all of the musical components are constantly broken down, modulated, and rearranged, the overall sound of the record is dense and compact, featuring a groove made up of numerous elements that are complexly intertwined. the eight tracks of the record fit seamlessly together and create a composition that nearly functions like a dj set.

the album was mastered by yoshinori sunahara. needless to say that RV8 will be released as cd and lp.

AOKI takamasa. rhythm variation 02 (excerpt). taken from AOKI takamasa. RV8

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grischa lichtenberger. 1210_08_4+ (excerpt). taken from grischa lichtenberger. and IV (inertia)

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