ANBB: Ret Marut Handshake (Raster-Noton)

Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva/Noto) with Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten? Sign me up. It’s nothing so off what you might expect – Noto’s signature buzz and pulse is here in full effect, and Bargeld’s crystal-clear German vocals provide a unifying thread. I don’t understand a word personally, but that’s never deterred me. “Ret Marut Handshake” and “Electricity is Fiction” have more of a visceral rhythmic quality, whereas the other tracks veer more into a more “musical” region that Bargeld is clearly more comfortable in, based on Neubauten’s recent output. It’s outstanding.

Watch/listen: “Ret Marut Handshake”