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Continuing where .aiff (12k1004) left off, the latest release from 12k highlights those artists and sounds that will carry 12k into a new year of microscopic sound experimentation. From Richard Chartier’s lowercase sounds to the glitchy groove minimalism of Surge’s Casio VL Tone, this untitled collection represents the refining of 12k’s style and aesthetic with a roster of artists that spans the planet.

Note: all tracks are previously unreleased.

Below is a more detailed look into the synthetic microcosm of 12k1008:

01. Richard Chartier: “Untitled” Inaudible tones and ear-itching stereo tactics represent flawless Chartier. A pristine digital signal path provides the perfect backdrop for this lowercase sound painting. Listen carefully.

02. Goem: “Comp Zeven” Goem uses a broken, yet still sound-producing Dr. Rhythm drumcomputer, which is treated by unique processings. This track was recorded in Stockholm’s EMS Studios and edited in Roel Meelkop’s studio in late 1999. A decidedly jarring twist of churning rhythms and deep textures.

03. Kim Cascone: “BufferDrift”“BufferDrift” is a continuation of work with pulsar synthesis and convolution techniques that Cascone used in the “pulsar studies” release for Falsch (www.fals.ch). By generating pulse trains and convolving them with various material created for earlier projects, he was able to conjure new textures and micro-events that almost sculpted themselves into final form.

04. Miki Yui: “>B io” Born in Tokyo, educated in California and now living in Cologne, Miki Yui is an installation artist working with sound and multimedia sound/space projects. “>B io” is an electronic wash of sine tones and reverberated scratches, a brief glimpse into her fascinating small sounds and spatial creations.

05. Dan Bbrams + Albert Tan Shuttle358’s Dan Abrams teams up with motion graphics designer Albert Tan in the formation of this untitled piece which blends Abrams’s software stylings with Tan’s rhythmic sound movements. Like Ahuttle358, their collaboration breathes some humanity back into the microscopic genre with a more grounded rhythmic foundation and digital, yet warm, dsp processing. Look for a release from this duo on 12k in the near future.

06. Surge: StrictlyA C Surge is a two piece group from the remote areas of the Netherlands with a fascination for nostalgia: they use the Casio VL Tone 1 (the early 80s revolution for the bedroom musician and currently rediscovered by electronic-musicians) in a bizarre slice of minimal techno with stuttering, skipping qualities.

07. Komet: Würm The digital, bubbling sounds of Frank Bretschneider (Raster Music, Mille Plateaux, 12k) are ever present in this effervescent bath of microscopic rhythms and the interplay of clean and static/noise tones. Look for a Komet full length on 12k this summer.

08. Taylor Aeupree: A100study00.01.31 This track is part of an ongoing series of experiments with a Doepfer A100 modular synthesizer. Square wave lfo’s provide clock pulses for various sine wave oscillators and geiger clicks and the gentle drift of time.

09. *0: 2.000 Japan’s Nosei Sakata is back after 2 excellent releases on 12k and Meme. Utilizing signature hypnotic repetition and pure tones, Sakata creates subtle interactions that play with acoustic space and the listener’s perception.

10. Tetsu Inoue + Taylor Deupree: Active/Freeze A collaboration a long time in planning, Tetsu Inoue (Tzadik, Fax, Daisyworld, Rather Interesting, etc..) And Taylor Deupree finally team up in an intercoastal exchange of audio data. Finely crafted cuts and splices create a frenetic digital soundwall that works itself to a surprisingly melodic outro of intentional errors.

11. Shuttle358: Sequence Rrounding out the compilation is a new track from the upcoming Shuttle358 full length Frame. Dan Abrams, who created a stir with his debut release Optimal.LP (12k1005), is back with a style he can call all his own. Sparse ambient melodies and digital generations perfectly juxtaposed into an original and evocative form.

“From the four or five issues of the ‘invalidObject Series’ I had a chance to listen to, this one is definitely the most seducing: ‘invalidObject Series (continue)’ offers 15 catchy examples of computer-generated .microsound, 15 molecular pixelgroove miniatures, settled in the dark and grainy datasphere drawn by the likes of Peter Rehberg and Rioji Ikeda.

“The 15 x 1 minute format works very well with this kind of sound, as the listener’s attention increases proportionally to the shortness of the tracks. The liner notes suggest that the CD is related in some way with the Braille writing system‚ a suitable metaphor, as the tracks’ construction evokes patterns of raised microdots one could feel running under his/her fingertips.”

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The ‘invalidObject Series’ was established in 2000 as a sublabel of Fällt to release a finite series of twenty four 3″ CD / MP3 works.

Offering a unique perspective on a diverse range of musical output at the turn of the millennium, the ‘Series’ features work by some of the most respected artists operating within the field of ‘.microsound’ and has been described as “a remarkable document of a vibrant artistic community and a critical moment in the evolution of digital music” (Philip Sherburne), “a showcase for the extraordinary range of practical approaches within contemporary electronic music” (Matt Ffytche, The Wire) and, simply, “impressive” (Rob Young, Editor, The Wire).

The ‘invalidObject Series’ was included in The Wire’s ‘2001 Rewind’ list. The artwork for the entire series was also featured in Adrian Shaughnessy’s ‘Sampler 3’.

Fällt are grateful to the following: the artists who contributed their time and energy wholeheartedly to this project and embraced the idea of offering their work freely in MP3 format; Angela Lorenz, for her invaluable assistance in nurturing the design; and finally to Cara Murphy, for her help on seemingly endless late nights packaging and dispatching CDs.

For .N, graphic designer and electronic producer Taylor Deupree focuses on nanotechnology, the science concerned with impossibly miniscule molecules. The field not only converges several different areas of research (chemistry, biotechnology, computer engineering) but is itself a science many experts believe represents a breathtaking venture for scientists and computers in the 21st century. Surprisingly, Deupree manages to bring listeners into the microscopic world of sub-molecular space; his productions are largely free of both bass and rhythm, leaving only brittle, high-frequency sound tools and an abstract production style that sounds just this side of random. The fifth track, “Build,” evokes rather well the construction of atoms one molecule at a time, with constant blips of gleaming synth and the occasional burst of faraway computer static. Though Deupree’s hardly fettered by any preconceptions of what nanotechnology actually sounds like, these tracks — experimental, freeform, obviously just as focused on the space between sounds as on the sounds themselves — are just about what you’d expect to hear while floating from molecule to molecule within individual atoms. And of course nanotechnology is the perfect subject for a producer in league with the heavily computer-processed style dubbed microsound by fellow Ritornell/Mille Plateaux producer Kim Cascone.

– All Music Guide

A collection of .aiff audio from digital sound designers around the globe.the structuring code for the future of synthetic environments.

.aiff is a brief look into the near future of 12k showcasing new artists and samplings of upcoming full-length releases. This compilation is also an important landmark in 12k’s evolution: it explores more experimental sounds and compositions alongside the minimal, synthetic post-techno for which the label is known.

Taylor Deupree (making his first full-length cd appearance since 1998’s tower of winds (with Savvas Ysatis)) and Richard Chartier (with releases on 12k, Meme, Microwave, and Intransitive) collaborate for the first time in creating the highly intricate and unique Spec.

With infinitesimal drops of synthetic sound woven in minimal, cell-like structures, Spec. delves into the molecular world of DSP programming combining Chartier’s signature quiet, glassy textures and Deupree’s synthetics in the granulation and recombination of software generated audio files. The sonic result is a highly rhythmic, transluscent sound; tiny fragments through high pass filters, edge-smoothing curves and other tone shaping algorithms.

The collaboration was started by Deupree and Chartier each generating basic sound files for source material, then exchanging the files allowing each to work on pieces based on the sounds and aesthetics of the others creations. After this stage the project moved to Deupree’s New York studio, where tracks and elements were compiled, remixed and additional compositions were created together and the album assembled and completed.

Specification . A Blueprint . A Speck.