Insen

Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) and Sakamoto team up again, following their debut collaboration "Vrioon" (which The Wire voted best electronic record of 2004).

Alva Noto takes the slow, meditative piano compositions of Sakamoto and adds on top of them clicks, glitches, static, and other masterful devices of electronic counterpoint. Imagine a CD of ambient piano music skipping in a poor quality stereo... except the electronic edits are far from overbearing, sporadic, or annoying. Instead, they add a phenomenal depth of swirling meaning. At times, haunting, at other times, transcendent. As the promoter aptly writes, "Insen carries a kind of transcendental aura of an early morning meditatory exercise – but at the same time avoiding the field of new age philosophy."

Stunningly beautiful. This just blew me away.
If you like anything reflective, ambient, experimental, you need to give this a listen.

Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 6

- Captain Dee, July 2005


***1. "Aurora": A very fitting title. Deeply reflective and wistful, but warm. (8:51)
2. "Morning": Tones quietly ricochet over tranquil but haunting piano. (5:27)
**3. "Logic Moon": More "cut-up" sounding than other tracks. Peaceful piano lines skip and stutter. (6:50)
4. "Moon": Harsh fuzz and digitally cascading echoes. Piano seems slightly sad. (6:07)
*5. "Berlin": Rhythmic glitches/bass (like a heartbeat?), very quiet bird chirping, cheerful piano meditations. (6:16)
**6. "Iano": Wintery ambience, slow glitch beat, spacey and reflective piano. (6:52)
*7. "Avaol": Fuzzed out track. Piano relegated to the far distance, as if a figment of the imagination. (2:52)