NOTON, the label of founded in 1994 by Carsten Nicolai (a.k.a Alva Noto), has signed Italian-born, Bern-based sound-artist and producer Saele Valese.

IVIC, Valese’s debut album, distills droning tonal experiments and minimalist rhythms into 11 electro-acoustic-wave ventures written over five years in Berlin, Saas-Fee, and Thun.

Each track draws influences from the psychoacoustic properties of the live album format. They’ve been mixed and recorded live on DAT cassettes, 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.

We’re told that the music possesses a “dilated, shuffling rhythmic base,” much like the “firm traversal of a tanker against a storm of jangling components.”

The track titles cite the works of American photographer Francesca Woodman and the poet Sylvia Plath.

“In Your Rosary ́ and “You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself” were previously released on vinyl via Valese’s own imprint, JSMË.
“You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself” is dedicated to the memory of Marco Bacher.

Artwork is designed by Carsten Nicolai, with mastering by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios, London.

Tracklisting

01. In Your Rosary 1
02. In Your Rosary 2
03. You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself 1
04. You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself 2
05. You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself 3
06. You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself 4
07. Horse The Color Of Rust 1
08. Horse The Color Of Rust 2
09. Horse The Color Of Rust 3
10. Horse The Color Of Rust 4
11. Kept In The Night By The Light Of The Moon

IVIC LP is scheduled for February 5 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself 1” and “You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself 4” in full below, and pre-order the record here.