''Unitxt'' is the fifth studio album by German
electronic artist
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
Alva Noto
Carsten Nicolai (18 September 1965), also known as Alva Noto, is a German musician and visual artist. He is a member of the music groups Diamond Version with Olaf Bender (Byetone), Signal with Frank Bretschneider and Olaf Bender, Cyclo with Ryoj ...
. It was released on July 22, 2008 via
Raster-Noton
Raster-Noton was a German electronic music record label. It was established in 1999 in Chemnitz, Germany. It emerged from the fusion of Rastermusik, founded by Olaf Bender and Frank Bretschneider in 1996, and Noton (''Archiv für Ton und Nic ...
label.
Background
The word "Unitxt" means the processing of rhythmic patterns (''unit'' = unit of measurement, element) and information (''txt'' = data, language). The album is the first installment in a trilogy, followed by 2011’s ''
Univrs'' and 2018's ''
Unieqav''.
Alva Noto initiated the ''Uni'' trilogy when he was booked to play live at the legendary club UNIT in Tokyo, so the project was started to adapt his music accordingly for the club's unique environment.
Reception
Dimitri Nasrallah of ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' wrote "''Unitxt'', however, is a major leap forward from both ''
Transform'' and the kind of glitch music that made headways at the turn of the century. Nicolai is working with more complex arrangements here and he appears more willing to let things get a bit messy, allowing sharp bursts of dissonance to enter the mix. Its fitting that nostalgia for the more serious techno of Mille Plateaux, Max Ernst and Raster-Noton has lately drifted back into the minimal mindsets of new acts like Shed and Stefan Goldmann, artists who find the current club culture a bit too formulaic and crowded to produce anything new. A release like Unitxt is a fitting and timely portrait of an uncompromising master at work".
Lukas Suveg of ''
Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...
'' stated "A curious dichotomy exists in Unitxt, the latest album from Carsten Nicolai, a.k.a. Alva Noto. Nicolai’s work relies on mathematical processes to govern rhythm (rather than traditional sequencers), utilizing machine noises — modems, telephones, and fax tones — for most of its sounds. On Unitxt, Alva Noto applies these frigid clicks and blips to an innate form of human expression: each track is about 120 bpm, and the rhythms, though often heavily obscured or syncopated, are entirely in 4/4 time — the basic ingredients for a dance album".
Track listing
Track 11 is unlisted.
Credits
*Alva Noto – primary artist, composer, sounds
*Anne-James Chaton – vocals
References
External links
Alva Noto official website
{{Authority control
2008 albums
Alva Noto albums
Raster-Noton albums