Kerne

by Mark Pytlik Like almost all of Carsten Nicolai's work under the pseudonyms Alva.Noto and Noto, Kerne is more about a suggestion of a thing rather than a thing itself. It's intriguing as its own record because, by employing a completely different waveform as the basis for each individual track, it documents the impressive variation with which those suggestions can be made. While Nicolai's basic working methodology remains simple and uncluttered, even in minimalist terms, the 18 pieces spread out across Kerne vary drastically in form and effect. Some tracks, such as the subterranean crinklings of "Wa," feel barely there and random, as incidental as line noise, absent of any evidence of a creator. Others, such as the simple monochrome rhythms of "Pol" or the drip-drop synth pings of "Gap," are more active and readily display signs of human involvement. With the purity levels of warmth, silence, rhythm, and chaos constantly being changed, the ultimate effect is twofold: Kerne not only works as a sort of catalog of different electronic textures and frequencies, but also as a meditation on minimalism's many potentials.