Being friends and admirers of each other’s work for a long time, electronic… Read Full Bio ↴Being friends and admirers of each other’s work for a long time, electronic music composer / visual artist Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) and composer / voice-artist Blixa Bargeld (also known as singer of Einstürzende Neubauten and guitarist of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) decided to join forces to initiate a collaborative project in 2007.

Together they developed a musical concept based on the combination of improvisation and abstraction. The impulsive live performance of Blixa Bargeld and the elaborated beat structures and sound landscapes of Alva Noto merge to a surprising and unexpected result. Working on their own experimental material that gains its strength from the spontaneity of the live performance of Bargeld’s voice as well as rethinking traditional songs in their own special manner, they deliver an outstanding and inspiring musical blend for their audience.

The collaboration first staged in September 2007 when they united for a special appearance in San Francisco to perform at Recombinant Media Labs studios. Since then they have recorded several tracks, five of which will be released on a preliminary EP on Raster-Noton (r-n 120) in June 2010. A full-length album with 10 tracks (r-n 121) will be released some weeks later. The release will be followed by a live tour at various festivals and concert halls in Europe in June/September 2010.