Carsten Nicolai

Carsten Nicolai stands out among the many innovative German experimental techno producers by producing visual art as well as music. In fact, his visual art, which ranges from conceptual art to web design, may be more notable, though not as well-known, than his musical output. In 1999, his Noton camp joined forces with Frank Bretschneider's Raster label, resulting in Raster-Noton, a collective focused just as much on music as visual art. Between 1999 and 2000, Nicolai conceived the 20' to 2000 series of conceptual CD magazines; the premise involved the particular artist producing a 20-minute piece in commemoration of the century's end. In 1999 he released Polyfoto, a book showcasing a collection of his visual work that also came with a CD of music recorded under the moniker Noto. A year later, he released Prototypes on Mille Plateaux as Alva Noto. ~ Jason Birchmeier