A short series of melodic bleeps, static, and white noise fill Elder Hall, and in synchronized timing, the screen behind the performer is bombarded with an array of polygons, geometric lines and shapes. The listener is left with the impression that if these nameless sounds were to have a face, this would be their representation. Slowly the sounds and images are intertwined, with almost a mathematical precision, until the listener is consumed in an ocean of synthetic noise and metaphor. Anticipation of an introduced drumbeat, an extended melody, or even a bassline is built, yet none are to be found, and there you are, stranded within a cloud of uncertainty- intrigued by this journeyman’s intentions. In a instant, two large rectangles, accompanied by a series of geometric lines that almost resemble barcodes, appear from the darkness within the projection screen, and a thundering offbeat bass drum floods the venue. The piece shifts from neutral into overdrive. This description will be instantly recognizable to fans as the work of Berlin-based experimental electronic sound artist Carsten Nicolai, otherwise known as Alva Noto.

Nicolai has performed and created installations in many of the world’s most prestigious museums, with his performances described as ‘sonic architecture’ or ‘static movement’, transforming electronic signals into flickering and evocative video projections. As founder of world-renowned and highly respected experimental record label Raster-Noton, Nicolai has worked with musicians as distinguished as Japanese pianist Ryuchi Sakamoto and compatriot Ryoji Ikeda, and last Wednesday night saw Nicolai present a free, one-night only concert of his evocative minimalist sound works at Elder Hall, as special guest of Artist’s Week.

Beginning the show with in the fashion described above, Nicolai began with what sounded like a sample from Trioon, one of his collaborative works with Ryuichi Sakamoto, before bombarding it with an array of sounds from his earlier, more ‘industrial’ material. A shuddering drumbeat was present throughout the entire show, changing of course in pattern and tempo, and at some stages within the performance, the direction of the piece almost drifted off into electro territory  replacing the synths and basslines with a chaotic array of noise.

It was quite easy to become lost inside of the visual patterns created by Nicolai, but not once did they seem to outweigh the music. The same was to be said on the flipside the performance was balanced so perfectly. The accompanying visuals appeared as if they were ‘the face’ of the music – synthetic, cold and erratic, yet at the same time displaying a beauty so mysterious that it made you think about the science behind the music – sound waves and the patterns they create when illustrated.

Flowing effortlessly from track to track, all his performed pieces were new to my ears. Slowing down the pace in some stages, yet not to a point of nothingness like some might come to expect, Nicolai opted to keep the beats flowing and ecstatic. Finishing the show in the same fashion that it had started, Nicolai actually performed another live improvisation of the piece that had begun the show. He proceeded to slowly strip it back, and then reconstructing it before our eyes and ears, before abruptly cutting it to a stop to signify the end of the performance.

I left the show with a sense of complete absorbtion within Nicolai’s work, even finding it hard to keep my balance minutes later. The overall Alva Noto experience is one that has to be shared to be understood – words cannot come close to describing it. What Nicolai aims to achieve is simply more than just a viewing of sound and images, but an exercise in perception.