Mimikry is the first full-length to emerge from the collaboration between sound and visual artist Alva Noto, a.k.a. Carsten Nicolai, and composer, voice-artist, and former Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds/Einsturzende Neubaten alumnus Blixa Bargeld. For three years they’ve focused on live performance, stressing improvisation in situ, with 2010 seeing the release of an EP, Ret Marut Handshake.

Mimikry, two tracks feature the vocals of artist, model and actor Veruschka. Idiosyncratic in subject matter and by turns melodic, forlorn and disturbingly intense, Mimikry begins with Fall's seemingly endless, high-pitched scream. Over the course of 10 minutes Bargeld and Alva Noto essay a sonic vision comprising characteristic soundscapes from Alva Noto in the form of needle-like electronics while Bargeld's multi-tracked vocals continue in typically intense vein. The track Ret Marut Handshake, first heard on the duo's homonymous EP released in 2010, takes as its subject the mysterious figure of a German actor, journalist and anarchist whose identity has never been fully proven. The track Katze features Veruschka on cat sounds and Bargeld alternating between majestic, disturbed and touchingly human vocals, while Nicolai's synthetic treatments make for a truly stunning foil.

Originaly released in 2010 by Commmons (Japanese Special Edition)

Carsten Nicolai aka Alva Noto, one of the best known minds in the electronic music scene since the 1990s, composed the fourth part of his “Xerrox” series in 2020. Now the Ensemble Modern, together with Alva Noto as soloist, is realizing an instrumental version of “Xerrox Vol. 4” arranged especially for the ensemble as a commissioned work for the Frankfurt Positionen 2021. The multimedia work, which combines music with video and light installations, will be developed at the Frankfurt LAB in early April 2021. Due to the extended event ban, Ensemble Modern will stream the concert recording online as a world premiere on April 17 and 25, 2021 (both at 8:30 p.m.) as part of the “Frankfurter Positionen” and “TONLAGEN – Dresdner Tage der zeitgenössischen Musik.”

Based on the concept of digital replication of source material, the “Xerrox” project deals with the manipulation of data (melodies) by means of endless reproduction. A production process of copies from copies, in other words, whose sounds are altered in such a way that they can hardly be associated with the source material. This creates a sound spectrum of completely new sounds: copies of originals become originals themselves. In 2020, after “Xerrox Vol. 1” (2007), “Vol. 2” (2009) and “Vol. 3” (2015), Carsten Nicolai continued his “Xerrox” journey with “Xerrox Vol. 4”. The idea of an edited version with instrumental line-up already exists since the release of the first volume. After the great success with the work “utp_” (2007) Carsten Nicolai continues the collaboration with the Ensemble Modern in collaboration with Max Knoth.

Tickets for the streams can be purchased via Reservix using a pricing system based on solidarity. Viewers have a choice between the beginner’s price of 10 Euros, the regular price of 20 Euros and the supporter’s price of 30 Euros. Ticket purchases close one hour before the beginning of the digital event. The streams may also be viewed as Video-on-Demand for up to 48 hours after the event’s original starting time.