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Music

Raster-Noton is an Avant-Garde Institution

IMPRINTS heads to Germany this week for some minimal mutations.

Raster-Noton artist Alva Noto aka label co-founder Carsten Nicolai. Photo via RBMA.

Imprints brings you regular profiles of the most exciting record labels the world over, with input from movers and shakers who contribute to their local electronic communities.

Name: Raster-Noton
Vibe: Like you're a few hours into a Ritalin high: exceptionally detail-oriented, a little bit fragile, and always on the verge of a philsophical breakthrough.
Founded: 1999
Location: Chemintz, Germany
Claim to fame: It's hard to say exactly when over the course of the last 15 years the label became a bona fide institution in experimental techno—but it's certainly been a mainstay for years.
Upcoming releases: In February, Raster-Noton unleashed Solens Ray, the fourth LP form Kangding Ray. Next up is a debut full length from Kyoka.
By the numbers: Raster-Noton has released over 150 projects, which have come in the form of traditional 12" musical offerings as well as magazines, DVDs, prints, books, and art installations.
Artists to watch: Kyoka, the mastermind behind the label's next LP, is the first solo female on Raster-Noton. Don't sleep on her work.

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What's the deal?
If there's ever a history of avant-garde minimal techno in Germany, Raster-Noton will appear front and center. The label's catalogue is a seminal collection in the cannon of experimental electronics, and approaching it can feel like staring into a vast and intimidating expanse. Raster-Noton's output consists of much more than just music, and sifting through it all can feel like browsing a library of technology, art, and culture. I got in touch with the label's co-founder Olaf Bender to learn more about its history.

Explain the names Rastermusik, Noton, and Raster-Noton for us.
Olaf Bender: Frank Bretschneider and I founded our label "Rastermusik" in 1996, and we wanted to focus on the possibilities of the computer, which was a relatively new approach at that time. Basically everything you see on a computer is based on a "raster," or grid. At the same time, we were searching for a word or phrase that has a similar meaning in German and English, and we also liked that this term "raster" has its origin in technology. So that's basically how the name "Rastermusik" emerged.

Some time later, Carsten Nicolai, who at that time already had his own platform, Not on, joined our work and we decided to integrate his project as a sub-label. Then, around 1999, we realized that both our concepts had become more equal and that it didn't make much sense anymore to differentiate between the main and the sub-label, so we decided to unite both.

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What is worth mentioning about "Not on" is that it's an anagram—you can read it backwards and forwards, and you can cut it into two parts and play with its meaning. So, you can have "no ton" meaning "no sound," or "not on."

What's the scene like in Chemnitz?
First of all, it's small—people know each other. I have to mention that we have never been truly rooted in Chemnitz, simply because electronic music didn't play a big role until recently. It's a typical working class city and most people listen to hip hop or indie rock, preferably in a very basic form. We have grown up in this scene, but at the same time weren't able to stage big concerts due to missing interest. But the good thing—like with most provincial cities or regions—is that there's a lot of personal exchange among people. You quickly get in contact with and supported by others. Former staff members of one of the clubs there, the Voxxx, which was an important club for us in the early days of Raster-Noton, became musicians on the label, for example.

What labels, besides Raster-Noton, have you been enjoying recently?
There are some people in this scene that I regard as professional, be it the Norwegian label Rune Grammofon, or Hyperdub from England. These are labels that represent a specific sound that is not copied from somewhere else. They are on the search for their own sound and everything they do is on a high level. To watch this development over many years is what I can actually enjoy.

Connect with Raster-Noton on Soundcloud
Connect with Raster-Noton on its website