''Summvs'' is the fifth collaboration album between Alva Noto and

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

. The record was released on 9 May 2011 via Raster-Noton label.

Background

The collaboration between the artists began in 2002, and ''Summvs'' promises to be the fifth and final installment in the series titled the ''Virus Series''. The title ''Summvs'' refers to the Latin word "summa" (eng. sum) and "versus" (eng. towards); it serves as a metaphor for the work being oriented towards a collaborative result. The album features "Microon" compositions containing recordings of a 16th tone interval tuning piano—''Piano Metamorfoseador Carrillo en Dieciseisavos de Tono''. The album also features two covers of the track "By This River" originally composed by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

Dieter Moebius Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia. Career Moebius was studying art at Berlin's Akademie Gr ...

, and

Hans-Joachim Roedelius Hans-Joachim Roedelius (born 26 October 1934) is a German electronic music, electronic musician and composer, known as a co-founder of the influential 'kosmische musik, kosmische' groups Cluster (band), Cluster and Harmonia (band), Harmonia. He ...

in 1977. The initial letters of the five albums in the series—'' Vrioon'' (2002), '' Insen'' (2005), '' Revep'' (2006), '' utp_'' (2008), and ''Summvs'' (2011)—together form the word "Virus".

Reception

Mark Jarnes of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' commented "Sakamoto’s haunting piano-based arrangements — as well as his masterful understanding of silence — effortlessly coalesce with Nicolai’s digital rhythms and accompaniment, creating a work of musical art that is as provocative as it is meditative. OK, so technically because this album was pressed by German label Raster-Noton, it’s not strictly a Japanese release. However, Sakamoto’s contribution makes it a significant step forward for Japan’s avant-garde scene — not just musically, but also artistically".

Track listing

Personnel

*Grand Piano – Ryuichi Sakamoto *Music – Alva Noto (tracks: 1 to 6, 8, 9), Ryuichi Sakamoto (tracks: 1 to 6, 8, 9) *Piano – Conrad Hensel, Fernando Aponte, Yoshifumi Iio

References

External links

Review by ''Dusted Magazine''
{{Authority control 2011 collaborative albums Alva Noto albums Ryuichi Sakamoto albums Raster-Noton albums