I grabbed Signal's album on an impulse, having heard a few clips but not knowing much about it. Listening to the album, it is through and through pure Raster-Noton. All the calling cards are there: crisp, digital signals, rhythmic clicks and blips, an attention to white space, and more or less a complete lack of melody. The most immediate association, however, when listening to the various eleven tracks of Robotron, was the Finnish duo Pan Sonic. Many of the more rhythmic qualities of Robotron hark back toward Pan Sonic's earlier days as a post-techno outfit (circa Vakio or Kulma), although these tracks are more removed from the dancefloor than some of those old Panasonic records.
It's funny what certain name associations bring to the table, though; when I learned the identity behind Signal, I was far more prone to excuse the somewhat sound-alike quality of these tracks. Signal is a sort of Raster-Noton supergroup, including Carsten Nicolai (Noto), Olaf Bender (Byetone) and Frank Bretschneider (Komet) in a series of studio improvisations or live recordings made over the course of five or so years. The closest comparison to any of those artists' solo work would be Bretschneider's, especially his newfound appreciation of more aggressive rhythm. It is the beat that drives these tracks, unifying the entire release into what feels like movements of a singular idea. The first set of tracks sounds fairly separate from the second set, though, displaying a heftier version of what each of these artists is good at on his own; "Naplafa" has an urgency in its repetition and line-noise rhythm section, which segues into the title track in all its bit-crushed glory. The bass kicks into high gear on "Malimo" with a thudding regularity that makes it feel more aggressive, but the second half of the album both expands upon and diverts from this aggression in equal amounts.
Starting with the grinding "Rawema," the trio begins to expand on the core ideas explored in the previous half of the album. There are more suggestions of bassline and melody, even in the relentless distorted growl of "Rawema," but especially in the clipped strides of "Sporett" which has an actual bassline, tiny drum sounds and what appears to be a vocoded voice that loops along with the rhythm. "Epirex Motor" continues this rhythmic exploration, with a clarity in the individual sounds that shakes off much of the more relentless quality of the earlier tracks, instead relying on a disorienting flurry of tweaked, flanged high-end noises. Closer "Wismut" brings things full circle, re-incorporating some of the darker edge of the earlier tracks alongside some of the more succinct and brighter noises found across the board.
Robotron effectively showcases each producer's ability to manipulate digital sound, both in terms of timbre but also with a keen ear for rhythm and progress. Because of this, it tucks neatly alongside these artists' individual repertoires as well as the Raster-Noton catalogue. Not necessarily surprising, but quite a ride.
Signal live at Volksbühne, Berlin, October 2007
mp3: Rawema | Sporett
more information: Raster-Noton
buy it: Bent Crayon | Forced Exposure | Boomkat | Emusic | iTunes
No comments:
Post a Comment