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Sounds of the system: the emancipation of noise in the music of Carsten Nicolai

This is the first academic investigation into the sound art of Carsten Nicolai, highlighting the significance of Nicolai’s work in relation to contemporary practice in electronic music. A historical survey of the use of noise in the sound arts from the beginning of the Twentieth Century by artists as diverse as Luigi Russolo, Louis Armstrong and Jimi Hendrix contextualises Nicolai’s practice, highlighting extra-musical commonalities.

Taking Nicolai’s Autorec CD as a case study, it shows how the fascination with technology goes hand in hand with a sonic art practice where noise is at the forefront, both conceptually and phenomenologically.