Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Summvs

Whilst I've been an avid follower of Ryuichi Sakamoto's solo work for years now, I've perhaps somewhat overlooked his collaborative project with Alva Noto until their recent release summs. Renowned primarily for his quintessentially Japanese piano compositions, Sakamoto's CV is in fact littered with diversity. His prolific career now spans an incredible five decades and includes an Oscar winning film score, the soundtrack to an Olympic opening ceremony and music for an RPG. He was even behind the start-up noise on the Dreamcast. His work with Alva Noto is yet another demonstration of a man who is never afraid to shirk expectations and challenge boundaries.

Alva Noto (AKA Carsten Nicolai) is an electronic artist who creates soundscapes out of glitches created by oscillators and tone generators. Rather than rely on conventional methods for creating glitch music, Alva Noto harnesses the raw sound of various electronic processes - such as fax machines and phone pops - to create a rhythmic minimalism that has earned him widespread recognition and an unmistakable signature sound. On paper, the combination of Sakamoto and Alva Noto doesn't appear to be a logical one. "Veteran Japanese pianist meets German glitch pioneer". Yet as the tracks unfurl the compatibility becomes increasingly apparent.

summs is the fifth release from the pair but without being familiar with any of the prior records (a part from Vrioon) it is hard for me to draw any comparisons. Taking summs by its own merit alone; it's a mesmerising album to say the least. Similarly unfamiliar with Carsten Nicolai, the sound of summs is certainly a new one for me. The pair strike the perfect balance between my fear of overly repetitive music with an intrigue that keeps you hooked until the very last bleep has reverberated its way out of your headphones. The tell-tale sounds of Sakamoto add an essential element to what may otherwise be a difficult style of music to be enthusiastic about, but the result is refreshingly unique.

This is by no means an eclectic album. However, if you're feeling brave and I've piqued your curiosity, then you could do far worse than to sample summs and endeavour to decipher it, digest it and 'get it' before you pour your scorn all over it. It is available now to listen free on Spotify:

alva noto – summvs