(03.09.08) Similar to the themed three album Transall series, Xerrox Vol.1 is the first in an ongoing series of five albums by Carsten Nicolai, otherwise known as minimalist sonic architect Alva Noto. The concept behind this album is that of duplication and the way in which repeated replication of the source material distorts the original to such a degree that the copy itself becomes the source of newly created material. Exploring this idea, Nicolai takes samples of everyday sounds from airports, hotels, telephone hold music, entertainment programmes and various other familiar sources and passes them through a specially created device simply described as a “Xerrox Sample Transformer” designed by Nicolai and built by Christoph Brunggel for this project. The resultant tracks are manipulated, copied and re-copied beyond recognition to illustrate the theme.
Although all the source material is clearly identified on the sleeve of the album, the music it contains bears little resemblance to the original sampled sounds. This in itself illustrates Nicolai’s point that repeated replication and manipulation of original material leads to distortion and degradation of that material to create something completely new. Utilising a range of sources throughout the album, Nicolai’s music is typically minimal and constructed in fine detail, the inherent hiss and static of repeated replication evident throughout. Tones echo and fizz through the distorted soundscape, gentle and unassuming, punctuated by the briefest of interludes. At times, such as “Haliod Xerrox Copy 6,” the underlying tones roll and cascade with a soft heartfelt drone as though purveying raw emotion through the static mist. Each track has its own understated subtlety but from time to time the combination works to marvellous effect and Nicolai’s careful composition is at its strongest. From the gentle emotion of “Haliod Xerrox Copy 6” comes the dark uncertainty of the generically named “Haliod Xerrox Copy 11” illustrating how Nicolai can completely shift emphasis simply by changing the underlying tone of the track, in this case to one of edgy anxiety and tension. “Haliod Xerrox Copy 111” explores a further variation in mood by placing slow, soft piano keys under a thick layer of static, resulting in a fragile melancholic track aching with the pain of a love lost. It is this attention to the minutiae of sound composition that sets Nicolai and his ilk apart from his peers; although the changes between the tracks on the album are apparently small, the effect they have on the mood and feeling of the track can be immense. This is further illustrated by the cinematic qualities of “Haliod Xerrox Copy 1,” a track with an orchestral tone that is essentially light in comparison to earlier tracks but still heavy with emotion and feeling, yet at the same time completely different to its counterparts. Even the track titles are “copied” and left for the listener to draw what they will from them as they are all generically titled and then numbered to be as similar as possible to each other.
Nicolai proves his theory about the replication of source material wonderfully with Xerrox Vol.1 and he does so by creating thematically similar tracks that, with often the smallest and most subtle of changes, replicate each other in many ways yet are fundamentally different in others. Housed in a beautifully designed multi-fold folder and protected with its own plastic sleeve, Xerrox Vol.1 is packaged with the care and attention Raster-Noton are known for and is carried through to the music they release.
Xerrox Vol.1 is out now on Raster-Noton.
