0/r is the collaborative project between sound artists Nosei Sakata (*0) and Richard Chartier. 0/r recorded two critically acclaimed full length compact discs for 12k: “0/r” (12k1006, 1999) and “Varied” (12k1018, 2002 ). While 0/r suggested a sense of chaos with its jarring and syncopated digital sound, Varied utilizes much more refined compositional techniques to create highly deliberate passages of whispering sine waves, extreme frequencies, and looping rhythms of noise and detailed sonic pops.
This collaboration between Mika Vainio and Carsten Nicolai dates back to 1997, and it’s bizarre to think that almost ten years have elapsed since this was first unleashed on the world. Sounding every bit as relevant a piece of electronic experimentation as it did back then, the four tracks here occupy some of the purest, most minimal territory the two artists have traversed over the years. Conceived as part of an installation to be exhibited simultaneously in Germany, Finland and Poland, the inspiration behind this music comes from magnetspintomograph and radiotelescope recordings of pulsars. Consequently, the music here is beautifully elemental, comprising Vainio’s sustained tones and Noto’s sophisticated clicks + cuts grid forms. There’s a purity to this record that harks back to the very genesis of electronic music, yet it still sounds timelessly essential today. Highly recommended. (boomkat.com)
01 0/r: “Trackb” (from “0/the/r”) (2006)
02 0/r: “Untitled..” (from “0/the/r”) (2006)
03 0/r: “[untitled]” (from “0/the/r”) (2006)
04 Ø + Noto (Mika Vainio & Carsten Nicolai): “Ø + NOTO : 01″ (from “Mikro Makro”) (1997)
05 Ø + Noto (Mika Vainio & Carsten Nicolai): “Ø + NOTO : 02″ (from “Mikro Makro”) (1997)
06 Ø + Noto (Mika Vainio & Carsten Nicolai): “Ø + NOTO : 03″ (from “Mikro Makro”) (1997)
