Raster-Noton founders on 20 years of electronic music at Villa Massimo
The legendary German electronic music label Raster-Noton celebrated its 20th anniversary with a two-day event at Villa Massimo in Rome, featuring workshops and performances by founders Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto), Frank Bretschneider, Olaf Bender (Byetone), and guests Atom TM, Dorit Chrysler, Kyoka, Robert Lippok, and COH. In an interview, Bretschneider noted that electronic music now enjoys greater attention than in the 1990s, when techno helped bring it to mass success. He cited Dadaist and Surrealist approaches as influences on his music-making. Bender announced upcoming projects: an installation called White Circle and a book compiling all label releases over two decades, to be published within two months, plus a collaboration with Grischa Lichtenberger. Nicolai dismissed national divisions in the electronic scene, emphasizing a global community centered on people rather than places. Bender argued that the term "electronic music" has become diluted, as contemporary culture is saturated with it. Nicolai predicted that faster production speeds, mass success, and genre variability will soon lead to a new change or reaction.
Key facts
- Raster-Noton founded in 1996 by Carsten Nicolai, Frank Bretschneider, and Olaf Bender in Chemnitz, Germany.
- Label celebrated 20th anniversary with a two-day event at Villa Massimo (German Academy) in Rome.
- Event included a workshop on the label's evolution and future of electronic music, plus a free public concert.
- Performers included Alva Noto, Byetone, Atom TM, Dorit Chrysler, Kyoka, Robert Lippok, and COH.
- Frank Bretschneider said electronic music now has more attention than in the 1990s, thanks to techno.
- Bretschneider cited Dadaist and Surrealist approaches as influences on his creative process.
- Olaf Bender announced an installation 'White Circle' and a book documenting all label releases, to be published in two months.
- Bender mentioned a collaboration with Grischa Lichtenberger involving three EPs as part of a CD titled 'La Demeure'.
- Carsten Nicolai said there is no national division in electronic music; it is a single international scene.
- Bender stated that 'electronic music' as a term is now diluted because all contemporary music is produced with computers.
Entities
Artists
- Carsten Nicolai
- Frank Bretschneider
- Olaf Bender
- Alva Noto
- Byetone
- Atom TM
- Dorit Chrysler
- Kyoka
- Robert Lippok
- COH
- Grischa Lichtenberger
- Daft Punk
- David Guetta
- Marcel Duchamp
- Grischa Lichtenberg
- Jesse Osborne Lanthier
- Ueno Masaaki
- Kangding Ray
- Dasha Rush
- Claudia Giraud
Institutions
- Raster-Noton
- Villa Massimo
- Accademia Tedesca
- Artribune
- Rastermusic
- noton.archiv für ton und nichtton
- Accademia Tedesca di Villa Massimo
- New York Theremin Society
Locations
- Chemnitz
- Germany
- Saxony
- Rome
- Italy
- Berlin
- Japan
- Austria
- New York