Alva Noto & Sakamoto, Ryuichi / Insen
Album: Insen   Collection:General
Artist:Alva Noto & Sakamoto, Ryuichi   Added:Jul 2005
Label:Asphodel  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2005-07-18 Pull Date: 2005-09-19 Charts: Electronic, Classical/Experimental
Week Ending: Sep 18 Sep 11 Aug 28 Aug 21 Aug 14 Aug 7 Jul 31 Jul 24
Airplays: 1 2 3 2 3 4 4 5

Recent Airplay
1. Feb 18, 2015: After the After Party
Logic Moon
4. May 27, 2008: nag champa orangeasm
Aurora
2. Oct 16, 2011: lost and found
Iano
5. Jul 17, 2007: Alban Stands There
Moon
3. Mar 05, 2009: World Series Champions
Iano
6. Sep 11, 2005: Coronary Heart Disease
Logic Moon

Album Review
Captain Dee
Reviewed 2005-07-17
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)

Track Listing
1. Aurora   4. Moon
2. Morning   5. Berlin
3. Logic Moon   6. Iano
  7. Avaol