Byetone - Biography
German producer Olaf Bender is a founding member of the Raster-Noton collective. The group’s activities have essentially defined a strain of rhythmic, minimal post-techno that sits somewhere in between glitch, abstract electronica, classic ambient music and conceptual art. While not as prolific as his peers Frank Bretschneider (aka Komet) or Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto, etc), Bender’s work under the Byetone alias neatly carves out its own aesthetic niche in the world of minimal electronics. More accessible and groove oriented, each Byetone release sits on the fence between cerebral soundart and the dancefloor.
Bender formed Rastermusic in 1996 with Bretschneider and later joined with Nicolai to form Raster-Noton in ’99. Bender not only manages the label but is also responsible for Raster-Noton’s distinctive graphic design. The label has been the major tastemaker in the minimal electronica scene since the end of the ‘90s, challenging and inspiring fans and producers alike with its unique focus on hyper-distilled atmospheres, clipped, reduced rhythms and musique concrete inspired spatial dubwise production.
In 1999 Bender released his first music as Byetone as a contribution to Raster-Noton’s now legendary 20’ To 2000 series. Twelve artists contributed a release for each month as a countdown to the new millennium. Bender’s EP for the month of May is a collection of clean, cyclical rhythms and pure-tone drones.
In 2002 all three members of Raster-Noton contributed a 2CD set to the Staalplaat label’s series of live electronic music, Mort Aux Vaches. Each member contributed solo music as well as three tracks from their collaborative project called Signal. Byetone’s five tracks expand on the minimal funk and sine wave melodies of his previous EP.
The following year saw Bender release what might be considered the first proper Byetone album, Feld. Recorded for the excellent Bine Music as the label’s debut release, Feld is a collection of glitchy, hypnotic grooves, sine wave bass pulse and atmospheric clicks and whirrs. The pointillist dub of “Fremd” remains a high point in Bender’s discography as does the spectrally melodic throb of “Europa 70.” Feld truly captures Bender’s aesthetic, deftly merging the conceptual digital minimalism of Raster-Noton with classic dance beats.
Following five years of silence, Bender returned in ’08 with a stunning EP and full-length. Starting with the Plastic Star EP, Byetone came back in full force. Backed with remixes from Sleeparchive, Alva Noto and Dr. Walker, the title track is easily the most dancefloor minded release in Raster-Noton’s history. Merging Pan Sonic inspired distorted saw wave bass with a Kraftwerk style melody and super minimal clipped beats, “Plastic Star” boasts a huge sound that could stand well on its own in a club. The brilliant full-length Death Of A Typographer quickly followed. Still wielding the cold, alien atmosphere that Raster-Noton’s ultra-minimalism is known for, the album somehow manages to work in an almost organic grit that’s utterly compelling. On these tracks Byetone’s drones boast a live-wire crackle, the bass is heavier and the melodies more direct while the grooves are still locked to a rigid grid in the best minimal style, making Death Of A Typographer the ultimate statement of the Byetone style and a unique variation on the overall Raster-Noton aesthetic.
By merging classic dance rhythms and direct melodies to a radically reduced minimal aesthetic, Bender has taken the Byetone project into unique territory. As he shifts the focus from the process oriented conceptual music of his peers to simply incorporating the sonic language those processes produced into the continuum of melodic dance music, Byetone has truly found its own aesthetic ground within the Raster-Noton microverse.
