This second collaboration between microsound mastermind Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto) and Ryuichi Sakamoto picks up where their first series of sessions left off.
The instrumentation stays the same: Sakamoto on piano plucking dense, melancholy chords that attack and gradually fade among Nicolai's digitally crisp and clean drum programming and sine waves.
But this time around, Nicolai just doesn't lay down a bed of rhythms and accentuation for Sakamoto's playing -- he tinkers with the sounds and manipulates them.
The result is a more unified set of compositions that fold and weave into one another, which strips away the feeling of improvisation that glossed their first record.
But the tradeoff results in a more cohesive record with a sharp, focused direction that is easily one of Nicolai's finest releases and another gem in a musical crown full of them for Sakamoto.
It's one of 2005's most daring experiments in electronic music, and essential listening for IDM fans who like their glitches with a little melancholy attached to them.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AuroraAlva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 08:53 | 20 MB | 37 MB |
| 2 | MorningAlva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | Logic MoonAlva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 06:50 | 15 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | MoonAlva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 06:07 | 14 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | BerlinAlva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 06:16 | 14 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | AvaolAlva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 02:52 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | Lano | Ryuichi Sakamoto | Play | 06:52 | 15 MB | 34 MB |
| 43 mins | 99 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 192 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alva Noto | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Carsten Nicolai | Producer |
| 3 | Ryuichi Sakamoto | Composer, Piano, Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |