Following a string of stunning co-releases, legendary experimentalists Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto are once again teaming up for a new collaborative album. Called Glass, the full-length is set to arrive on February 16 via Noton.
The duo recorded the album during a live improvisation at architect Philip Johnson's Glass House in Connecticut. The project stems from 87-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who provided an installation at the house to mark the 110th anniversary of Johnson's birth. Sakamoto and Alva Noto (a.k.a. Carsten Nicolai) then soundtracked Kusama's work, rehearsing only one day before the performance.
"When I was offered to perform at the Glass House, the first idea that came to my mind was to use the house itself as a musical instrument," said Sakamoto in a statement. "It was completely musical and 100 percent improvised, as that's what we usually do. Looking at the beautiful landscape through the glass wall with Kusama's dots was something, and it affected me, affected us, I should say, a lot. It's a strange mixture of natural, nature, and artificial things, art."
Glass will mark the first collaborative effort from Sakamoto and Nicolai since they worked on their award-winning soundtrack to The Revenant. It also comes in the wake of Sakamoto's stellar 2017 solo album async, which made Exclaim!'s recent list of the best improv and avant-garde albums of the year.
The duo recorded the album during a live improvisation at architect Philip Johnson's Glass House in Connecticut. The project stems from 87-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who provided an installation at the house to mark the 110th anniversary of Johnson's birth. Sakamoto and Alva Noto (a.k.a. Carsten Nicolai) then soundtracked Kusama's work, rehearsing only one day before the performance.
"When I was offered to perform at the Glass House, the first idea that came to my mind was to use the house itself as a musical instrument," said Sakamoto in a statement. "It was completely musical and 100 percent improvised, as that's what we usually do. Looking at the beautiful landscape through the glass wall with Kusama's dots was something, and it affected me, affected us, I should say, a lot. It's a strange mixture of natural, nature, and artificial things, art."
Glass will mark the first collaborative effort from Sakamoto and Nicolai since they worked on their award-winning soundtrack to The Revenant. It also comes in the wake of Sakamoto's stellar 2017 solo album async, which made Exclaim!'s recent list of the best improv and avant-garde albums of the year.
