Unitxt is the fifth studio album by German electronic artist Alva Noto. It was released on July 22, 2008, via Raster-Noton label.[3][4][5]
| Unitxt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 22, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | during Raster-Noton Japan tours 2006 and 2007, reviewed and edited in Berlin in 2008. | |||
| Genre | Ambient, experimental, microsound, glitch | |||
| Length | 55:20 | |||
| Label | Raster-Noton r-n095 | |||
| Alva Noto chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pop Matters |   [1] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |    [2] |
Background edit
The word "Unitxt" means the processing of rhythmic patterns (unit = unit of measurement, element) and information (txt = data, language).[6] The album is the first installment in a trilogy, followed by 2011's Univrs and 2018's Unieqav.[7] 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.[8]
Reception edit
Dimitri Nasrallah of Exclaim! 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. It's 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".[9]
Lukas Suveg of Tiny Mix Tapes 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".[2]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Alva Noto
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "U_07" | 7:57 |
| 2. | "U_06" | 2:07 |
| 3. | "U_04" | 5:15 |
| 4. | "U_09-1-2" | 4:48 |
| 5. | "U_08-1" | 3:13 |
| 6. | "U_03" | 4:30 |
| 7. | "U_08" | 5:37 |
| 8. | "U_01-2-0" | 4:00 |
| 9. | "U_05" | 3:20 |
| 10. | "U_09-0" | 3:53 |
| 11. | "(no audio)" | 3:00 |
| 12. | "60308_47" | 0:13 |
| 13. | "838TP7cdp" | 0:04 |
| 14. | "Enigma4.0" | 0:05 |
| 15. | "Fontlab4.0" | 0:51 |
| 16. | "Hyperengine" | 0:10 |
| 17. | "Entourage" | 0:54 |
| 18. | "Excel" | 1:07 |
| 19. | "Powerpoint" | 0:45 |
| 20. | "Word" | 1:41 |
| 21. | "Monitortest" | 0:06 |
| 22. | "Morse" | 0:08 |
| 23. | "Prototype6_isdn" | 0:08 |
| 24. | "Serialbox" | 0:29 |
| 25. | "Soundmaker" | 0:07 |
| 26. | "Spray16x9s" | 1:07 |
| Total length: | 55:20 | |
Track 11 is unlisted.
Credits edit
- Alva Noto – primary artist, composer, sounds
- Anne-James Chaton – vocals
References edit
- ^ GABRIELE, TIMOTHY (7 January 2009). "Alva Noto Unitxt". Popmatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ a b SUVEG, LUKAS. "Alva Noto: Unitxt [Raster-Noton; 2008]". Tiny Mix Tapes. tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "ALVA NOTO: UNITXT". Raster-Noton. raster-noton.net. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "Alva Noto – Unitxt". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "ALVA NOTO: Unitxt". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ "Alva Noto captures the univrs on new album". Fact Magazine. factmag.com. September 5, 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (16 March 2018). "Alva Noto: Unieqav — 'sparse techno beats'". Financial Times. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ "Alva Noto: Unieqav". Bleep. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ Nasrallah, Dimitri (25 September 2008). "Alva Noto: Unitxt". Exclaim!. Retrieved 29 August 2018.