Where would we be without Raster-Noton and artists like Byetone (Olaf Bender), who consistently remind us that there’s more to music than fanciful melodies and obvious displays of emotion? In 2008, Byetone released the acclaimed Death of a Typographer, an album whose title indirectly references Bender’s professional preoccupation with graphic design, whose driving bass lines and noise-shrouded frequency oscillations represent the perfect complement to fist-fighting robots or traversing the densely-populated core of some futuristic city. On October 31, Byetone will release Symeta, his second LP for Raster-Noton and his third LP overall.
All signs point to Symeta being more grandiose of an undertaking than even Death of a Typographer, while at the same time expanding upon some of that album’s themes. From a press release, the word “symeta” “…arouses associations with symmetry, synthesis or (meta-)structures. It doesn’t stand for a definite object, there isn’t any solution, and that is the reason why the title has been chosen. Byetone’s music tries to create such associations without really fulfilling these expectations.” Similarly, “The tracks are quite long and deal with repetition, layers of sounds, density and energy, more than melodic and engineering finesse.” With a style that appears to place an emphasis on both complexity and subtlety, and a title whose meaning implies ambiguity and indirection, the focus of this album is clearly on the mystery of it all and the (likely) multiple auditory journeys required to comprehend it.
So while Byetone’s music may not be oozing emotion through the use of cheesy R&B-style female vocals or pretentious synth buildups, it most definitely isn’t shallow. Also, if you’re lucky enough to catch him on his current tour, then obviously I’m extremely jealous and harbor deleterious thoughts about you.
Remaining dates:
10.25.11 - Prague, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
10.26.11 - Madrid, Spain - Red Bull Music Academy
11.04.11 - Berlin, Germany - Bergain
11.04.11 - Torino, Italy - Club to Club Festival
• Byetone: http://www.myspace.com/benderbyetone
• Raster-Noton: http://www.raster-noton.net
