Noton HHV Records 19 Items

NOTON is pleased to announce the release of Xerrox Vol. 5, the final installment of Alva Noto’s Xerrox series.

For anyone who has been following the series since its inception in 2007, the concept of Xerrox no longer requires introduction. Originally, it aimed to create copies of images—both visual and acoustic—that are more memorable than the originals. The exploration of the relationship between the original and the copy, along with the invention of the copier, not only inspired the series name but also informed its underlying concept. In 2024, this series comes to an end, marking the culmination of a journey that began with the first recording in 2005/2006. Over nearly two decades, the five albums in this series have accompanied the artist's evolving perspective and conceptual approach.

Initially characterized by rawness and a conceptual focus on seeking resolution in white noise, the later works engage with themes of dissolution while shifting their emphasis toward acoustic particles. The copying process is now less visible through software manipulation; rather, it unfolds as the artist describes melodic and acoustic images that are then manipulated, copied, and transformed into new patterns during composition.

Nicolai describes this evolution as a journey encompassing buildup, exploration, and resolution, drawing parallels to the Odyssey and the stories of Jules Verne, particularly those featuring Captain Nemo.

The conclusion of this album holds a sense of finality for the artist. “I aimed to create a whole cycle of tracks that frame both the beginning and the end,” Nicolai explains. “The motif of the journey continues, but this time, the story reaches a dissolution through a conceptual object that embarks on its own journey into infinity. The word “dissolution” (“Auflösung” in German) is a wonderful concept. On one hand, you can solve a riddle, on the other hand, a pill can completely dissolve in water. Here, I am deliberately describing the process of dissolution.”
In crafting Volume 5, Nicolai has evolved his compositional process, eschewing samples in favor of original melodies. “This album probably took the longest to complete,” he reveals. “I first created melodic sketches, which became the foundation for the pieces. These recordings are created entirely from scratch. Based on these sketches, I constructed the process of copying, manipulating, and reshaping.”

Drawing from his recent experiences working with film and larger ensembles, Nicolai's approach to composition reflects a growing influence of classical instrumentation. “This experience of working with acoustic classical instruments has flowed into the compositional process for Xerrox Vol. 5. Certain instruments are designed with potential orchestral translation in mind.”

The sonic atmosphere of Xerrox Vol. 5 is one of profound dissolution. “I wasn’t initially interested in strong, emotional melodic aspects,” Nicolai shares, “but I realized that the fragment plays a central role.” This shift leads to an emotionally charged experience, imbued with melancholy and the bittersweet essence of farewell. The passing of Ryuichi Sakamoto, an admirer of the series, has further deepened the album’s emotional resonance.

“Xerrox Vol. 5 has a lot to do with farewell,” the artist explains. "Not only the farewell to the series itself, which I’ve nurtured for almost two decades, but also there have been many farewells to people who were close to me. I believe these people are recognizable in the music. It’s a very emotional, personal album.”

Listeners can expect a visual dimension to the music, though Nicolai intentionally leaves this open to interpretation. “I prefer to allow the music to evoke personal experiences and images rather than dictate a specific narrative,” he states. The result is a layered listening experience that invites tenderness and introspection.

Xerrox Vol. 5 will be released as a limited edition vinyl, digitally, and on CD by NOTON on November 29, 2024.

Album art designed by Carsten Nicolai & Nibo.
Mastering by Bo at Calyx.

Initially released in 2006, ‘Revep’ is the third collaboration album between Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto and the third installment of V.I.R.U.S.’s five albums series. Remastered in 2021 in collaboration with Calyx Studio, the album’s recordings are accompanied by three new compositions titled ‘City Radieuse’, ‘Veru 1’, and ‘Veru 2’. ‘City Radieuse’ was composed for the 2012 short cinematic essay titled ‘Cité Radieuse’ and part of Carsten Nicolai’s ‘future past perfect’ series. The video shot at le Corbusier’s Unité D’Habitation in Nantes (called ‘cité radieuse’) takes the viewer through the modular system and design applied to the residential buildings. The film’s narrative unfolds through a sequence of images tracking the apartments’ indoor space and details, and points to the different benchmarks of standardized production as they correlate to their environment and its inhabitants.

The album’s original recordings resulted from musical exchanges that began with ‘Vrioon’ and revolved around a collaborative arrangement of Sakamoto’s classic ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,’ the theme music to the 1983 movie starring David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, and Ryuichi Sakamoto himself. In ‘Revep,’ the piano takes the lead while the padded bass and pitched electronic frequencies mark sudden change. Deeply evocative and effortlessly colliding worlds of analog beauty and digital mastery, this album is considered another indispensable record from the duo’s ongoing collaboration.

For an aesthetic of (dis)obedience. The impressions Richard Siegal and his company Ballet of Difference gathered on a trip to Japan in September 2022 now find their way into a full-length dance evening. Siegal and his team had set off for Tokyo to learn the practice of Shuudan Koudou, also known as "Japanese Precision Walking". The strictly synchronised group choreographies are astonishing in their radical stringency and have become a secret YouTube hit, not least because of their peculiar subtle humour. Siegal recognises in the extreme disciplining of the bodies an analogy to the training practice of classical ballet. In the mutual exchange of these movement cultures, questions are raised about individual and collective thinking, about personal decision-making power and social responsibility. For this extraordinary project, Richard Siegal has invited a special guest: Nazareth Panadero, long-time companion of Pina Bausch, who has long since become an icon of Wuppertal dance theatre and will be on stage with the BoD ensemble.

The production BALLET OF (DIS)OBEDIENCE is sponsored by Goethe Institut, with the kind support of Sissel GmbH.
CHOREOGRAPHY & STAGE: RICHARD SIEGAL
COSTUME: FLORA MIRANDA
LIGHT & VIDEO: MATTHIAS SINGER
MUSIC: ALVA NOTO
DRAMATURGY: TOBIAS STAAB

more info to: Shuudan koudou

'Shuudan koudou' Shuudan Koudou Is the Japanese #art of Synchronized Precision ...YouTube · Boson TV: Tech Marvels & Cool Discoveries22 Dec 2022

Kottke.org https://kottke.org › shuudan-koud...Shuudan Koudou Is the Japanese Art of Synchronized Precision Walking

On the other hand, hybrid 3 is inspired by Noh Play - Japanese performances and deals with the refusal of rules musically, hybrid three continues the two previous albums and weaves both rhythmic and beatless musical pieces into a holistic work.
The idea for me has always been that these albums are not only perceived as individual tracks, but as a whole piece, which is why I find the possibility of experiencing and listening to these albums in the right order and as a whole particularly important. For me, the pieces are not only closely related to the ballet that was created for them, but also function as individual pieces as pure, musical pieces and mark a new quality for me, which is very strongly focussed on producing electronic sounds and structures in such a way that they can develop a sculptural quality.

12"/EP - Limited

GENRE/S: Ambient/ Electronic

Tracklisting
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 1

Artist: Alva Noto; Martin L. Gore; Willian Basinski
Title: Subterraneans
Playtime: 00:08:56
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719558
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: David Bowie
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 2

Artist: Alva Noto; Martin L. Gore; Willian Basinski
Title: Subterraneans (Instrumental)
Playtime: 00:08:58
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719559
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: David Bowie
---------------------------------------

Born in 1966 in Gifu, Ikeda currently lives and works in Paris and Kyoto. While rooted in electronic music, the internationally active composer and artist also produces art as experimentation. Ikeda’s immersive live performances and installations employ an elaborate orchestration of sound, visuals, matter, physical phenomena, and mathematical concepts. He established his online source as codex | edition. In 2022, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art presented his first major solo exhibition in Japan since 2009. Ikeda has received the Prix Ars Electronica Collide@CERN in 2014, and the 70th Japanese Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts (Media Arts Division) in 2020.

Noton signs Italian-born, Bern-based sound-artist and producer Saele Valese. In ‘ivic’, his debut LP, Saele Valese, distills hauntological noise, droning tonal experiments and minimalist rhythms into a series of electro-acoustic-wave ventures written over five years in Berlin, Saas-Fee and Thun. Drawing influences from the psychoacoustic properties of the live album format, IVIC’s 11 tracks were mixed and recorded live on DAT cassettes and through DAW experimentation, without the possibility to revise the final recordings. Valese adopted this approach to conceptually propose reconciliations between the irreversibility of the past, and acceptance of its residuals in the present.

Limited Vinyl, Box Set with Twelve 10" individually coloured vinyl records

Each featuring 20 unique locked grooves by Carsten Nicolai

Sleeved in twelve custom made archive folders

Housed in a silk covered hand made box with debossed artwork

Including 16-page booklet with exclusive installation photography

Lacquers created by Lupo / Calyx Mastering
Limited edition of 1000 copies worldwide, in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory

- All Box sets are individual packed in a protective outer box -

NOTON and The Vinyl Factory are pleased to announce the release of the new edition of Carsten Nicolai's ? Infinity (Endless Loop Color Edition), under his alias noto.

This new limited edition box set celebrates Carsten Nicolai's beloved interactive installation, bausatz-noto, currently featured at The Vinyl Factory: Reverb exhibition at 180 Studios.

The exhibition features an expanded version of Nicolai's artwork bausatz noto (1998) - an interactive piece centered around four Technics SL-1210 turntables and a selection of colored vinyl records. Visitors are invited to select and play the records, each of which has been cut with 10 unique locked grooves on each side. As Nicolai explains, "the different colors indicate different sound material, from the very abstract to the graphic" that users can loop and layer to create infinite permutations and combinations.

Previously released as a sold-out signed edition with a hardback book, this 2024 box set edition brings the installation into your own space. Comprised of twelve 10? colored vinyl records, each featuring 20 unique locked grooves (10 per side), the concept remains the same: Nicolai provides the tools to build your own soundscapes.

The records are sleeved in twelve custom-made archive folders, housed in a silk-covered handmade box with debossed artwork. Limited to 1000 copies worldwide, each box set is hand-signed and numbered by Carsten Nicolai himself. The bausatz noto box set will be released on 21 September, 2024 and available on the NOTON and The Vinyl Factory shops.

HYbr:ID Vol. 2 is the second installment of Alva Noto’sHYbr:IDseries initiated in 2021. The new album captures the music commissioned to score RichardSiegal's Ectopia performed in 2021 by Tanztheater Pina Bausch with Shooting into the Corner (2008-09) by Anish Kapoor. Building upon the captivating blend of immersive dub and electronica from the first installment, HYbr:ID Vol. 2 takes the listener on a journey into the realm of intricately manipulated digital production. These ten compositions delve into infinity, drawing inspiration from resonance and elasticity, concepts rooted in Minkowski's four-dimensional spacetime model. Throughout the album, Carsten Nicolai summons precise rhythmic patterns that gracefully hover, reminiscent of celestial bodies orbiting in perfect cosmic unison. The sonic landscape gradually unfolds with somber and brooding tones, incorporating spacious sound design, ethereal atmospheres, and cascading metallic percussions. These elements are delicately crafted with artistic finesse, set against a backdrop of expansive dub textures. At times, the music takes unforeseen turns, as melancholic chords skitter and meander through a digital haze, evoking an atmosphere of introspection and emotion. The ten compositions are accompanied by graphic notations informed by the album’s sonic and acoustic codes.

Release Info:

Released for the first time in 2011, 'Summvs' is the fifth and final installment of Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto's V.I.R.U.S. series. The title 'Summvs' refers to the Latin word "summa" (eng. sum) and "versus" (eng. towards); it serves as a metaphor for the work being oriented towards a collaborative result. The album features "Microon" compositions containing recordings of a 16th tone interval tuning piano - Piano Metamorfoseador Carrillo en Dieciseisavos de Tono. The album also features two covers of the track "By This River," composed by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius in 1977.

In the album's twelve compositions, Sakamoto's haunting piano arrangements coalesce with Nicolai's digital rhythms, creating a sonic aura as magnetic as it is meditative. Remastered in 2021 in collaboration with Calyx Studio, the album's recordings are accompanied by two new compositions titled 'Monomom' (released digitally in December 2021) and 'Kizuna.' Like 'Monomom,' 'Kizuna' is the studio version of the homonymous composition recorded during Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto's 2019 Australian tour and included in the album' TWO Live at Sydney Opera House" (2019, NOTON). The work 'Kizuna' means 'human bond' in Japanese and refers to the title of an animation piece by the Italian contemporary artist Valerio Berruti released in Japan in January 2011.

Album art designed by Carsten Nicolai
Mastering by Bo @ Calyx

Tracklisting
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 1

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Microon I
Playtime: 00:03:06
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719515
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 2

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Reverso
Playtime: 00:07:00
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719516
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 3

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Halo
Playtime: 00:07:10
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719517
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 4

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Microon II
Playtime: 00:02:39
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719518
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 5

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Pionier IOO
Playtime: 00:05:47
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719519
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 6

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Ionoscan
Playtime: 00:04:09
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719520
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 7

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: By This River
Playtime: 00:04:03
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719521
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 8

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Naono
Playtime: 00:11:20
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719522
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 9

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Microon III
Playtime: 00:03:02
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719523
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 10

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: By This River – Phantom
Playtime: 00:08:14
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719524
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 11

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Monomom
Playtime: 00:05:31
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719525
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: 1 // Side: // Track: 12

Artist: Alva Noto; Ryuichi Sakamoto
Title: Kizuna
Playtime: 00:05:42
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: UK6821719526
(P): 2022 NOTON
Country: Germany

Composer: Carsten Nicolai, Ryuichi Sakamoto
---------------------------------------------------------

Released for the first time in 2009, ‘utp_’ is the third installment of Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s V.I.R.U.S.'s series. It was commissioned for the 400th anniversary of Mannheim, Germany. The flowing 10-section multimedia work derives its shape from a rasterized structure of the southwestern city, founded in 1608. The recording documents the work’s debut performed by Ensemble Modern at the National Theatre in Mannheim. The music embraces the electronic, piano-based palettes, an expanded array of avant-garde chamber instrumentation and natural timbres. It combined the digital visual score created by Carsten Nicolai and Simon Mayer, and lighting design by Nigel Edwards.

Initially released in 2006, ‘Revep’ is the third collaboration album between Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto and the third installment of V.I.R.U.S.’s five albums series. Remastered in 2021 in collaboration with Calyx Studio, the album’s recordings are accompanied by three new compositions titled ‘City Radieuse’, ‘Veru 1’, and ‘Veru 2’. ‘City Radieuse’ was composed for the 2012 short cinematic essay titled ‘Cité Radieuse’ and part of Carsten Nicolai’s ‘future past perfect’ series. The video shot at le Corbusier’s Unité D’Habitation in Nantes (called ‘cité radieuse’) takes the viewer through the modular system and design applied to the residential buildings. The film’s narrative unfolds through a sequence of images tracking the apartments’ indoor space and details, and points to the different benchmarks of standardized production as they correlate to their environment and its inhabitants.

The album’s original recordings resulted from musical exchanges that began with ‘Vrioon’ and revolved around a collaborative arrangement of Sakamoto’s classic ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,’ the theme music to the 1983 movie starring David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, and Ryuichi Sakamoto himself. In ‘Revep,’ the piano takes the lead while the padded bass and pitched electronic frequencies mark sudden change. Deeply evocative and effortlessly colliding worlds of analog beauty and digital mastery, this album is considered another indispensable record from the duo’s ongoing collaboration.

Sealed copy with small seam split!

NOTON is pleased to announce the release of Xerrox Vol. 5, the final installment of Alva Noto’s Xerrox series.

For anyone who has been following the series since its inception in 2007, the concept of Xerrox no longer requires introduction. Originally, it aimed to create copies of images—both visual and acoustic—that are more memorable than the originals. The exploration of the relationship between the original and the copy, along with the invention of the copier, not only inspired the series name but also informed its underlying concept. In 2024, this series comes to an end, marking the culmination of a journey that began with the first recording in 2005/2006. Over nearly two decades, the five albums in this series have accompanied the artist's evolving perspective and conceptual approach.

Initially characterized by rawness and a conceptual focus on seeking resolution in white noise, the later works engage with themes of dissolution while shifting their emphasis toward acoustic particles. The copying process is now less visible through software manipulation; rather, it unfolds as the artist describes melodic and acoustic images that are then manipulated, copied, and transformed into new patterns during composition.

Nicolai describes this evolution as a journey encompassing buildup, exploration, and resolution, drawing parallels to the Odyssey and the stories of Jules Verne, particularly those featuring Captain Nemo.

The conclusion of this album holds a sense of finality for the artist. “I aimed to create a whole cycle of tracks that frame both the beginning and the end,” Nicolai explains. “The motif of the journey continues, but this time, the story reaches a dissolution through a conceptual object that embarks on its own journey into infinity. The word “dissolution” (“Auflösung” in German) is a wonderful concept. On one hand, you can solve a riddle, on the other hand, a pill can completely dissolve in water. Here, I am deliberately describing the process of dissolution.”
In crafting Volume 5, Nicolai has evolved his compositional process, eschewing samples in favor of original melodies. “This album probably took the longest to complete,” he reveals. “I first created melodic sketches, which became the foundation for the pieces. These recordings are created entirely from scratch. Based on these sketches, I constructed the process of copying, manipulating, and reshaping.”

Drawing from his recent experiences working with film and larger ensembles, Nicolai's approach to composition reflects a growing influence of classical instrumentation. “This experience of working with acoustic classical instruments has flowed into the compositional process for Xerrox Vol. 5. Certain instruments are designed with potential orchestral translation in mind.”

The sonic atmosphere of Xerrox Vol. 5 is one of profound dissolution. “I wasn’t initially interested in strong, emotional melodic aspects,” Nicolai shares, “but I realized that the fragment plays a central role.” This shift leads to an emotionally charged experience, imbued with melancholy and the bittersweet essence of farewell. The passing of Ryuichi Sakamoto, an admirer of the series, has further deepened the album’s emotional resonance.

“Xerrox Vol. 5 has a lot to do with farewell,” the artist explains. "Not only the farewell to the series itself, which I’ve nurtured for almost two decades, but also there have been many farewells to people who were close to me. I believe these people are recognizable in the music. It’s a very emotional, personal album.”

Listeners can expect a visual dimension to the music, though Nicolai intentionally leaves this open to interpretation. “I prefer to allow the music to evoke personal experiences and images rather than dictate a specific narrative,” he states. The result is a layered listening experience that invites tenderness and introspection.

Xerrox Vol. 5 will be released as a limited edition vinyl, digitally, and on CD by NOTON on November 29, 2024.

Album art designed by Carsten Nicolai & Nibo.
Mastering by Bo at Calyx.

Cover is close to NM.

NOTON IS PLEASED TO RELEASE RAY COLLECTOR - A LIMITED EDITION VINYL FEATURING RECORDINGS SOURCED FROM TAPES PRODUCED BY CARSTEN NICOLAI' FOR HIS 2023 SOLO EXHIBITION STRAHLEN/RAGGI AT FONDAZIONE MODENA ARTI VISIVE.
IN FEBRUARY 2022, CARSTEN NICOLAI DISPATCHED TEN PARCELS FROM BERLIN TO VARIOUS DESTINATIONS. EACH PACKAGE CONTAINED A BLANK MAGNETIC TAPE CASSETTE, AN ILFORD DELTA 3200 ISO 1000 BLACK-AND-WHITE FILM, AND A KODAK ISO 800 COLOR NEGATIVE FILM. ALL PARCELS WERE ADDRESSED TO THE SAME RECIPIENT, MR. NEMO, THE UNFORGETTABLE CAPTAIN OF THE SUBMARINE NAUTILUS IN TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. THE IDEA WAS FOR THE RECIPIENTS TO RETURN THE PARCELS TO THE SENDER. EACH PACKAGE HELD MAGNETIC TAPES AND PHOTOSENSITIVE FILMS THAT WOULD BE EXPOSED TO ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES AND RADIATION DURING THEIR JOURNEY. UPON THEIR RETURN TO THE SENDER, THE LATENT IMPRESSIONS WERE DEVELOPED, DIGITIZED, AND THUS MADE BOTH VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE.

CD:
1. Ritual (04:39:00)
2. Confrontation 1 (00:06:50)
3. Village 1 (00:05:14)
4. Confidential Information 1 (00:03:33)
5. Confidential Information 2 (00:01:40)
6. Confrontation 2 (00:05:01)
7. Death Laguna (00:05:05)
8. Information Policia (00:03:29)
9. Sarayaku Hidding (00:07:52)
10. Information (00:02:19)
11. Demonstration (00:03:44)
12. Info Resistance (00:02:55)
13. Sicario (00:03:50)
14. Village 2 (00:01:50)
15. Storming Camp (00:03:10)
16. Legal Process (00:02:10)
17. Trail (00:03:55)
18. Swat (00:01:40)
19. Ritual Reprise (00:06:40)

Release Info:
Alva Noto’s award winning score for the 2022 German documentary film ‘This Stolen Country of Mine’ directed by German filmmaker Marc Wiese features nineteen compositions to be released on NOTON in April 2023.

The documentary film explores the question of a state's sovereignty in the face of foreign powers. The film portrays Ecuadorian resistance fighters and journalists who oppose the sell-off of an extensive part of the country's resources to Chinese investors.

Alva Noto's music subtly accompanies the struggle of a mountain village, immersing us into the film’s narrative and pathos. Across nineteen compositions, the music exposes and holds back when the images and statements of the protagonists speak for themselves, reflecting the dark shadows and the glares of hope of communal resistance.

The documentary was the recipient of the German Documentary Film Music Award 2022.

Focus track #19

'Ritual Reprise' is the closing composition of Alva Noto's award-winning score for the 2022 German documentary film 'This Stolen Country of Mine.' The piece merges minimal digital textures with emotional resonances, taking the listener to a sonic path filled with a serene tenor. The tone is set on the slow-burn haze of gloaming ambient-electronica scapes, compounding under a unified cinematic soundscape of warm digital ambiances and liquified electronics.