2LP | 2 × 12 Inch ‘Black’ Vinyl, 33.3 rpm, Tip-on Cover, Special Varnish

Available in the following Territories: Wordwide minus Japan & Korea

NOTON is pleased to announce12 Conversations, a collaborative album by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto to be released on 18 September 2026.

The partnership between the legendary musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and the German artist Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto) has produced some of the most distinctive and enduring works in contemporary electroacoustic music. Beginning with Vrioon in 2002, the artists spent more than two decades fusing and expanding their disciplines, with Sakamoto's evocative, sustain-drenched piano compositions finding their counterpart in Nicolai's skilful and sensitive electronic detailing.
Each successive project further deepened their artistic dialogue: from the five studio albums of the V.I.R.U.S. series (Vrioon, Insen, Revep, Utp_ with Ensemble Modern, and Summvs), to their score for Alejandro G. Iñárritu's The Revenant; Glass (2017), a wholly improvised performance inside Philip Johnson's iconic Connecticut landmark, in which the pair fixed contact microphones to the glass walls, playing the architecture itself as an instrument; and Two (2019), a document of their live performance at the Sydney Opera House.

Across these works, their distinct approaches achieved a rare synthesis, a brilliantly sustained dialogue between piano and electronics, Sakamoto's warmth and melodic finesse meeting Nicolai's abstract electronic formalism to invoke a mesmeric quietude as deeply satisfying in its melodic resolutions as in the merger of its filmic romanticism and meditative subtlety.
12 Conversations brings together musical exchanges recorded in November and December 2022. Rooted in the same creative period that gave rise to Sakamoto's final solo album 12, these recordings were not originally intended as a standalone release. It was only after the completion of 12 that Sakamoto and Nicolai decided to present these exchanges as a work in their own right.
The album reflects the vitality and curiosity that defined more than two decades of shared inspiration: fluid, exploratory, and forward-looking. Created with openness and trust, it captures a creative process in constant transformation - sounds expanding, altering, and evolving through attentive listening.

Conceived as the continuation of an artistic dialogue extending beyond the physical, 12 Conversations honours Sakamoto's wish that these encounters should exist beyond the archive, offering an enduring testament to one of contemporary music's most revered collaborations.


Carsten Nicolai writes:
"A heavy breath can be heard in the recordings. Yet this work is not about remembrance but continuation, vitality, curiosity, and the spirit of experimentation that shaped an artistic relationship over decades.
The twelve pieces we exchanged in November and December 2022 possess extraordinary density: sounds expanded, altered, recontextualized. Initially, every intervention felt almost inappropriate. Yet this was part of our openness and trust: adding, shifting and radically yet softly transforming.
Even in these final exchanges, plans for future projects continued to take shape, mindful of finite yet firmly believing in the power of new ideas. We chose the name Conversations, which has become a space of memory and vision, where past, present and future intertwine.
For a long time, releasing this music seemed impossible. The loss felt too sudden, and the emotional connection too profound. As time passed, it became clear that these twelve musical encounters should have life outside the archive. To honor Ryuichi's wish, these pieces are now being released as the continuation of a dialogue that extends beyond the physical."

The first single, Conversation 3, will be released on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The second single, Conversation 6, will be be released on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
12 Conversations will be available worldwide on vinyl, CD and digitally. A Japanese edition will be available on Ryuichi Sakamoto's commons.

Tracklist

1. Conversation 1
2. Conversation 2
3. Conversation 3
4. Conversation 4
5.Conversation 5
6. Conversation 6
7. Conversation 7
8. Conversation 8
9. Conversation 9 Part I
10. Conversation 9 Part II
11. Conversation 9 Part III
12. Conversation 9 Part IV
13. Conversation 9 Part V
14. Conversation 10
15. Conversation 11
16. Conversation 12


Album art designed by Carsten Nicolai & Nibo.

Mastered by: Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering, Berlin (2026)
Voice on Track 07: Emma Maeda
Texts: Rainer Maria Rilke, Primal Sound
Press release text: Maria Orciuoli
Special thanks: Norika Sora, Alec Fellman, Sherry Kennedy, Erin Gleeson
© & P: 2026 NOTON. Archiv für Ton und Nichtton. All rights reserved.

Tracklisting
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 1

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 1
Playtime: 00:06:50
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600003
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 2

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 2
Playtime: 00:05:42
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600004
(P):
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 3

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 3
Playtime: 00:05:53
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600005
(P):
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 4

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 4
Playtime: 00:08:56
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600006
(P):
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 5

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 5
Playtime: 00:06:26
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600007
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 6

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 6
Playtime: 00:07:26
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600008
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 7

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 7
Playtime: 00:10:31
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600009
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 8

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 8
Playtime: 00:03:20
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600010
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 9

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part I
Playtime: 00:01:12
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600011
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 10

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part II
Playtime: 00:03:27
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600012
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 11

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part III
Playtime: 00:00:51
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600013
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 12

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part IV
Playtime: 00:02:15
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600014
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 13

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part V
Playtime: 00:00:39
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600015
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 14

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 10
Playtime: 00:03:01
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600016
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 15

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 11
Playtime: 00:04:35
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600017
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 16

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 12
Playtime: 00:02:41
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600018
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------



Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

CD | Tip-on Cover, Special Varnish

Available in the following Territories: Wordwide minus Japan & Korea

NOTON is pleased to announce12 Conversations, a collaborative album by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto to be released on 18 September 2026.

The partnership between the legendary musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and the German artist Carsten Nicolai (aka Alva Noto) has produced some of the most distinctive and enduring works in contemporary electroacoustic music. Beginning with Vrioon in 2002, the artists spent more than two decades fusing and expanding their disciplines, with Sakamoto's evocative, sustain-drenched piano compositions finding their counterpart in Nicolai's skilful and sensitive electronic detailing.
Each successive project further deepened their artistic dialogue: from the five studio albums of the V.I.R.U.S. series (Vrioon, Insen, Revep, Utp_ with Ensemble Modern, and Summvs), to their score for Alejandro G. Iñárritu's The Revenant; Glass (2017), a wholly improvised performance inside Philip Johnson's iconic Connecticut landmark, in which the pair fixed contact microphones to the glass walls, playing the architecture itself as an instrument; and Two (2019), a document of their live performance at the Sydney Opera House.

Across these works, their distinct approaches achieved a rare synthesis, a brilliantly sustained dialogue between piano and electronics, Sakamoto's warmth and melodic finesse meeting Nicolai's abstract electronic formalism to invoke a mesmeric quietude as deeply satisfying in its melodic resolutions as in the merger of its filmic romanticism and meditative subtlety.
12 Conversations brings together musical exchanges recorded in November and December 2022. Rooted in the same creative period that gave rise to Sakamoto's final solo album 12, these recordings were not originally intended as a standalone release. It was only after the completion of 12 that Sakamoto and Nicolai decided to present these exchanges as a work in their own right.
The album reflects the vitality and curiosity that defined more than two decades of shared inspiration: fluid, exploratory, and forward-looking. Created with openness and trust, it captures a creative process in constant transformation - sounds expanding, altering, and evolving through attentive listening.

Conceived as the continuation of an artistic dialogue extending beyond the physical, 12 Conversations honours Sakamoto's wish that these encounters should exist beyond the archive, offering an enduring testament to one of contemporary music's most revered collaborations.


Carsten Nicolai writes:
"A heavy breath can be heard in the recordings. Yet this work is not about remembrance but continuation, vitality, curiosity, and the spirit of experimentation that shaped an artistic relationship over decades.
The twelve pieces we exchanged in November and December 2022 possess extraordinary density: sounds expanded, altered, recontextualized. Initially, every intervention felt almost inappropriate. Yet this was part of our openness and trust: adding, shifting and radically yet softly transforming.
Even in these final exchanges, plans for future projects continued to take shape, mindful of finite yet firmly believing in the power of new ideas. We chose the name Conversations, which has become a space of memory and vision, where past, present and future intertwine.
For a long time, releasing this music seemed impossible. The loss felt too sudden, and the emotional connection too profound. As time passed, it became clear that these twelve musical encounters should have life outside the archive. To honor Ryuichi's wish, these pieces are now being released as the continuation of a dialogue that extends beyond the physical."

The first single, Conversation 3, will be released on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. The second single, Conversation 6, will be be released on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
12 Conversations will be available worldwide on vinyl, CD and digitally. A Japanese edition will be available on Ryuichi Sakamoto's commons.

Tracklist

1. Conversation 1
2. Conversation 2
3. Conversation 3
4. Conversation 4
5.Conversation 5
6. Conversation 6
7. Conversation 7
8. Conversation 8
9. Conversation 9 Part I
10. Conversation 9 Part II
11. Conversation 9 Part III
12. Conversation 9 Part IV
13. Conversation 9 Part V
14. Conversation 10
15. Conversation 11
16. Conversation 12


Album art designed by Carsten Nicolai & Nibo.

Mastered by: Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering, Berlin (2026)
Voice on Track 07: Emma Maeda
Texts: Rainer Maria Rilke, Primal Sound
Press release text: Maria Orciuoli
Special thanks: Norika Sora, Alec Fellman, Sherry Kennedy, Erin Gleeson
© & P: 2026 NOTON. Archiv für Ton und Nichtton. All rights reserved.

Tracklisting
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 1

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 1
Playtime: 00:06:50
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600003
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 2

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 2
Playtime: 00:05:42
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600004
(P):
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 3

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 3
Playtime: 00:05:53
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600005
(P):
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 4

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 4
Playtime: 00:08:56
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600006
(P):
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 5

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 5
Playtime: 00:06:26
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600007
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 6

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 6
Playtime: 00:07:26
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600008
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 7

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 7
Playtime: 00:10:31
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600009
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 8

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 8
Playtime: 00:03:20
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600010
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 9

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part I
Playtime: 00:01:12
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600011
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 10

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part II
Playtime: 00:03:27
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600012
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 11

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part III
Playtime: 00:00:51
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600013
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 12

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part IV
Playtime: 00:02:15
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600014
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 13

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 9 Part V
Playtime: 00:00:39
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600015
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 14

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 10
Playtime: 00:03:01
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600016
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 15

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 11
Playtime: 00:04:35
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600017
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------
Medium: // Side: // Track: 16

Artist: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Alva Noto
Title: Conversation 12
Playtime: 00:02:41
Explicit Lyrics: No
ISRC: DE1N62600018
(P):

Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Carsten Nicolai
---------------------------------------------------------




Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Rights: World excluding FR & UK

Packaging: 1 x CD, 6 page 4/4 , 12 page booklet, marketing sticker

SHORT BIOG & PRODUCTS INFOS
'Renascent' marks the long-awaited return of legendary Manchester outfit The Durutti Column, their first new studio album in over fifteen years, produced by Keir Stewart.
Around the guitar work of Vini Reilly, the album plays between sonic atmospherics and structure: warm ambient washes, piano, beats and guest vocal turns by a new generation (Caoilfhionn Rose on " Agonistes" and Lucas Elliot on CD bonus track "All they See is Fire ).
Both contemporary and otherworldly, and with a swathe of new champions citing the band as an influence (Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches, Mark William Lewis), 'Renascent' is a timely and vital rebirth for The Durutti Column.
Artwork by long-time collaborators 8vo (who have worked with the band on many of their releases) and have joined forces again for this project

- CD : features an exclusive additional bonus track 'All They See is Fire'.


TRACKLISTING:

CD
1. Echoes In The Memory
2. Your Shadow At Morning
3. Time Present And Time Past
4. Agonistes
5. Liars
6. Vapour In A Matchbox
7. Your Shadow At Evening
8. Sargasso Sea
9. Scammer
10. For Friends Everywhere
11. All They See is Fire (bonus track)


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Rights: World excluding FR & UK

Packaging: 1 X Transparent Yellow Vinyl, 3mm spine sleeve, printed inner sleeve, marketing sticker.

SHORT BIOG & PRODUCTS INFOS
'Renascent' marks the long-awaited return of legendary Manchester outfit The Durutti Column, their first new studio album in over fifteen years, produced by Keir Stewart.
Around the guitar work of Vini Reilly, the album plays between sonic atmospherics and structure: warm ambient washes, piano, beats and guest vocal turns by a new generation (Caoilfhionn Rose on " Agonistes" and Lucas Elliot on CD bonus track "All they See is Fire ).
Both contemporary and otherworldly, and with a swathe of new champions citing the band as an influence (Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches, Mark William Lewis), 'Renascent' is a timely and vital rebirth for The Durutti Column.
Artwork by long-time collaborators 8vo (who have worked with the band on many of their releases) and have joined forces again for this project

- 1LP Yellow - standard edition : transparent yellow vinyle , 3mm spine sleeve, printed inner sleeve.


TRACKLISTING VINYL:

Side One
1. Echoes In The Memory
2. Your Shadow At Morning
3. Time Present And Time Past
4. Agonistes
5. Liars

Side Two
1. Vapour In A Matchbox
2. Your Shadow At Evening
3. Sargasso Sea
4. Scammer
5. For Friends Everywhere


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Rights: World excluding FR & UK

Packaging: 1 X Coke Bottle Green Vinyl, gatefold sleeve printed on uncoated stock with 2 additional pantons, 12 page booklet glued on inside wallet,marketing sticker.

SHORT BIOG & PRODUCTS INFOS
'Renascent' marks the long-awaited return of legendary Manchester outfit The Durutti Column, their first new studio album in over fifteen years, produced by Keir Stewart.
Around the guitar work of Vini Reilly, the album plays between sonic atmospherics and structure: warm ambient washes, piano, beats and guest vocal turns by a new generation (Caoilfhionn Rose on " Agonistes" and Lucas Elliot on CD bonus track "All they See is Fire ).
Both contemporary and otherworldly, and with a swathe of new champions citing the band as an influence (Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches, Mark William Lewis), 'Renascent' is a timely and vital rebirth for The Durutti Column.
Artwork by long-time collaborators 8vo (who have worked with the band on many of their releases) and have joined forces again for this project

- 1LP Coke Bottle Green - deluxe edition : exclusive alternative artwork, gatefold sleeve & large format 12 page booklet, printed inner sleeve.


TRACKLISTING VINYL:

Side One
1. Echoes In The Memory
2. Your Shadow At Morning
3. Time Present And Time Past
4. Agonistes
5. Liars

Side Two
1. Vapour In A Matchbox
2. Your Shadow At Evening
3. Sargasso Sea
4. Scammer
5. For Friends Everywhere


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More