Brian Eno entered my ears long before the first installment of Alva Noto’s Xerrox series, so that might explain why my first listen of the latter had me frequently looking out my window, up at the sky, to see if asshole aliens were deliberately interfering with the fidelity of my headphones. Turns out that’s just Carsten Nicolai’s style, and he’s previously scoffed at the notion of anyone referring to his music as “cold” or “industrial,” despite the static outline (or sparse interior). While ambient music does tend to have a colorful and obvious emotional beauty to it, Nicolai responds to the aforementioned critique by saying, “you just have to look deeper, man.”
We’ve had the chance, given the four-year intermission since his solo univrs, but now it’s time for a revised revival: Xerrox Vol. 3 is set for release March 30 on (the label that he partially runs) Raster-Noton. Those unfamiliar with the series would do well to read up on the mythical something to which I’m incapable of linking, or just know that the series works “through the idea of interpolation, and copying things, distortion and noise, different file formats,” using beatless composition.
A track from the new Xerrox (“Xerrox Eboshi”) was included at the very end of Opium Hum’s recent Boiler Room mix. Have a listen:
• Alva Noto: http://www.alvanoto.com
• Raster-Noton: http://www.raster-noton.net
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