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CD
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R-N 147CD
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HD can be described as Atom TM's electronic quintessence: a blend of pop, electronic abstraction, and powerful grooves -- an invention Atom TM stands for and which was popularized through previous releases. Here is what the artist says: "HD is a spiritual work, HD is a musical work, HD is a scientific work The first recordings for HD were made in 2005. Back then the album still carried another title which was Hard Disc Rock. The initial selection of songs for Hard Disc Rock was of course a very different one, and while the years passed by most of those songs which did not continue to please, were one by one replaced by newer compositions. In fact the track 'Stop (Imperialist Pop),' which entered the album around 2009, does contain a fragment of an Atom TM track from 1998 called 'Hard Disc Rock (Don't Stop).' All of the 'early' tracks for the later re-entitled HD album necessarily were subject to profound changes in music and words, and I can say that by the time around 2012 Hard Disc Rock had completely transformed into something else, which is pretty much what you got laying in front of you right now." HD contains a couple of contributions by friends and colleagues such as Jamie Lidell (main vocals on 'I Love U'), Alva Noto (additional programmings on 'Ich bin meine Maschine'), Marc Behrens (additional programmings on 'Strom' and 'My Generation'), Jean-Charles Vandermynsbrugge (main vocals on 'Pop HD'). Dominique Depret (guitars) and Chilean pop star Jorge Gonzalez (backing vocals, guitar and bass raw material) -- a diverse selection of guest musicians which very much reflects the general spirit of HD.
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R-N 139CD
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Mantle is Pixel's fourth release on Raster-Noton since his debut in 2003 and a further exploration of his approach to rhythm-driven electronic music. The overall atmosphere which is produced by the fragile but nevertheless complex sounds is gloomy and quite threatening. Deep, pulsating basses are accompanied by ominous and fierce tones which emerge like flashes of light or shock waves, giving the impression of being warning signals. The few calm moments are constantly disrupted by dark drowns. If this is the future, it is not a very bright one. But all the precisely-generated sounds, which seem to be produced by industrial machinery, are by no means lifeless. Actually, it seems like the automatons are tuned to funk, resulting in a polyrhythmic, driving, and impulsive composition from which one cannot escape.
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12"
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R-N 145EP
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The tale of the mythic Pentaki mountain has been engraved on a two-sided 12" by Kangding Ray. The north face of the peak is steep, abrasive, and has been the subject of many legends. It is said that whoever would manage to climb it would find a plateau, leading to a place called "the single source of truth." The source diffuses endless loops of haunted voices, apparently sampled from a discarded call center, running low on power, encouraging listeners to shorten cycles, deliver requests and improve user experience.
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R-N 144CD
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Raster-Noton presents a new album from Vladislav Delay aka Sasu Ripatti. The record features eight new songs which allow the listener to dive into Delay's cosmos of deep and likewise organic sounds. Subtle yet complex electronic manipulations are used, resulting in a high degree of variation within every single track and a nearly imperceptible intensification of their density. Progressive and energetic rhythms play an important role as already indicated on Espoo, the EP which forms a bridge between his former album Vantaa (R-N 136CD) and Kuopio, best illustrated by the track "Kulkee," meaning "to move forward." Kuopio clearly represents a further attempt to depict the Finnish landscape as well as its isolated charm, which is also obvious from its design and conceptual approach by referring to the city of Kuopio.
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12"
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R-N 116EP
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$14.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
Ununhexium is the sixth release in Raster-Noton's Unun series. Emptyset is a Bristol-based project formed by James Ginzburg, director of the Multiverse Studios and the curator and electronic artist Paul Purgas. Collapsed is Emptyset's first release on Raster-Noton and investigates the threshold where sonic structure is destabilized to the point where a chaotic order emerges. Across the four tracks a structural grammar is defined and then pushed to excess to the point where it reforms from repetitive and stable frameworks into non-grid-based forms and ultimately chaotic rule sets.
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R-N 143CD
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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 analog sources, he also uses digital sound data which is likewise turned and twisted until the boundaries between analog 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 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 arrhythms, 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 touch. In this way, And IV (Inertia) is the extension of a concept he already started with his ~Treibgut EP, "to define aspects of legitimization for an artistic work in engagement with the concreteness of one's living situation."
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12"
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R-N 141EP
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Vladislav Delay's EP Espoo features two conceptual, rhythm-intense tracks. Whereas the groove of the opener "Olari" derives from a sound loop which is manipulated by filters and echoes, the reverse is done with "Kolari." Starting from an impulsive, staccato beat, a sound carpet is woven by means of modifiers which gradually shape a permanent melody, close to Terry Riley's minimalistic concepts. Both tracks share a linear increase in density, and because of their break with the common four-four time, they create a folkloric atmosphere.
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12"
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R-N 142EP
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With Dazed, Senking continues his exploration of the abysses of sound to create dark and gloomy atmospheres. The slow beats of the two tracks are accompanied by tender, harmonic melodies, but broken by nervous, unsteady tones. "The Dance Hall Walk" also features a vocal sample by Micheal Cram. Dazed is not only concerned with the depths of sound, but also with the depths of the human psyche, where there is no escape other than music itself.
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CD
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R-N 140CD
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Winterreise is the audio soundtrack to a series of photographs with the same name produced by Atom TM. The series was exhibited during 2011 in Tokyo and Frankfurt (excerpts included in the packaging of the Winterreise CD edition). The Winterreise soundtrack may be considered a sequel to the Liedgut (R-N 099CD) album, in the sense that the resulting photo series was conceived as a consequence of the contextual framework which Liedgut both initiated and provided. Winterreise, though, is a far more abstract piece of work, with its accent in soundscapes and textures. With a balance between the romantic and the scientific, this album evokes, not just accompanies, the visual aspect of the Winterreise project in a perfect manner, by painting grainy sonic images that visualize the tradition and the future of the romantic subconscious.
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12"
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R-N 115EP
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$14.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
The fifth release in the Raster-Noton Unun series is a 12" release by Kyoka, known for her chaotic, direct approach and heavy/rough sound, resulting in a broken pop-beat with experimental yet danceable rhythms. Produced by Frank Bretschneider. Berlin, June/July 2011. Remix for "HADue" by Atom TM. Photo by Sylvia Steinhäuser. Live drum by Tetsuya Yamasaki, Turkey. Ryuichi Sakamoto on Kyoka: "it sounds like a toy box turned upside down. How can she make such pretty & chaotic sounds!? I love it!"
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