»Wave Weave – Sono Obi« is the original soundtrack by Alva Noto, composed for a film by Carsten Nicolai. The project emerged from a collaboration with an 12th-generation kimono textile manufacturer in Kyoto, Japan.

Noton is pleased to announce the release of HYbr:ID III, the third chapter of Alva Noto’s HYbr:ID series initiated in 2021. HYbr:ID III, continuing the trajectory established by its predecessors, crafts a soundscape of meditative and resonant tones. Drawing inspiration from Noh, a traditional Japanese musical drama dating back to the 14th century, the album reflects the genre's distinctive rhythmic movements and its nuanced expression of emotions through subtle gestures. “The HYbr:ID albums are conceived as worlds. My focus has been on crafting them to possess a sculptural quality. Each composition transitions into the next. I emphasize engaging with them in the intended track sequence, allowing sounds and structures to reveal their full dimension”. — Carsten Nicolai

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’.

Originally released in 2005, Insen is the second collaboration album between Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto and the second 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 an unreleased composition titled Barco. Initially composed for Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 2005 Insen tour, the audio material used in this piece is based on the subtle sounds of Barco projectors, whose tonalities served as a ground for the artists’ live improvisation.

The new album captures the music commissioned to score Richard Siegal’s Ectopia performed in 2021 by Tanztheater Pina Bausch with Shooting into the Corner (2008-09) by Anish Kapoor. Building upon the 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.

Alva Noto soundtracks Simon Stone’s theatre piece ‘Komplizen’ with a suite of sci-fi zoners with a romantic, oceanic depth sealed by his prized production methods.

The multi-media work Utp_ by the Japanese composer and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto and the installation artist Carsten Nicolai aka Alva Noto was created in 2007 on the occasion of the 400-year anniversary of the city of Mannheim. Its world premiere was given by the Ensemble Modern at the National Theatre in Mannheim and combined images, acoustic sounds, electronics and improvisation. For the performance the music was accompanied by a visual score projecting computer-generated amorphous structures resulting from complex mathematical colour progressions. The work, whose title is deducted from the word “utopia,” consists in slow-paced tableaux of stretched out octaves and skeletal motives.

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.

The Revenant is a story of loss, revenge and resilience in the face of impossible odds against the furies of man and nature itself. The film is heavily favored to be a critical darling as awards season gets under way. Director Iñárritu has chosen to forgo almost all dialogue in favor of a gorgeous soundscape and a sweeping score. A film of this magnitude deserves a composer who understands creative artistry and unbridled passion. Japanese master and Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Last Emperor) fits the bill perfectly. Along with fellow Yellow Magic Orchestra member and frequent collaborator Alva Noto, Sakamoto has created a gripping soundtrack that is sure to be a treat for the winter crowds. Bryce Dessner (writer for Kronos Quartet and the LA Phil) also supplies additional music.

2017 marked the 85th birth anniversary of Glenn Gould, the solitary composer/pianist from Canada. To commemorate this, an array of special exhibitions and concerts were held around the world commissioned by the Glenn Gould Foundation in Canada, among which Ryuichi Sakamoto was asked to curate an event in Japan.

Alva Noto goes to his “special place” with a return to the vast, cinematic scapes of his ‘Xerrox’ project on NOTON.