Autechre: Classic or Dud?

Like some heavy stoner riffing done with tuned feedback and comb filters instead of guitars.

just saw this on the youtube comments thread ama that someone spreadshot (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n9ZMCbzld6EvMVr0u7P3OBQNiUfmV9CNF53cKpIq_iQ/edit#gid=0)

"you know, this could be a funny question but like we're just asking you stuff, but are there any questions you have for us?"
"yeah i really need to know if the ship of theseus is fungible or not. asking for a friend."

i lolled.

I only listened to a little of the AMA (because it's really long lol) but someone asked him if he would ever consider vocals in Autechre and he laughs and says some people will hate this answer but ... yes! And he suggested *he* would want to sing! But he also seemed to recognize that want and should are different things, so I doubt we ever get that (at least as recognizable singing). However, I would love to hear a collaboration with a good/expressive drummer improvising around their melodies while they simultaneously sample, chop up and rearrange the playing. Not sure how it would work, but could be cool as a one-off or something, like the time I saw Yo La Tengo with Susie Ibarra.

? I have cichli on vinyl from its original release

I have nothing to back up what I said, cichli just feels digital to me

Which I know was tlg's point.

But late 90s idm ... people were buying that stuff, by and large, on compact disc, is what my infalliable intuition tells me.

don’t think you’re wrong, but assume that was the case in all genres outside of, like club-oriented dance singles and diy punk or hardcore!

yeah I get that, I spend a lot of time in CD stores in the late 90s and I don't remember ever seeing vinyl unless it was like, a stack of dollar polka records in the corner. I have a copy of Big Willie Style and it kinda freaks me out b/c that CD was everywhere and it never occurred to me that they made a vinyl version as well. I guess it was for DJs.

I was on a DJ promo mailing list for a few years and was sent Anvil Vapre, Envane and EP7 12"s but I bought the CDs cos they were easier to play. No point or argument, just privileged times I guess.

One of the early records, I think it was the Anti EP, said “incomplete without surface noise” on the sleeve

Tri Repetae I think -- they make a big deal out of that on the Gonkcast podcast

also fuck this dimension, take me to the one where the completed Autechre soundtrack to Metroid Prime saw the light of day pic.twitter.com/mgLMxGyDRU

— Good Willsmith (@GoodWillsmith) August 8, 2022

really crazy thing from the AMA is this bit, what the hell

Fantastic show, accurately summed up by this tweet:

was so awesome to find out how it feels to be a terrified little mouse under some mysterious machine in a huge factory, thank you autechre i loved every minute

— Toby (@_toby231) October 7, 2022

I’ve hallucinated at both Ae shows I’ve seen (nothing beyond alcohol in my system). And the sculpting comment is otm.

I had my eyes closed for a lot of it and near hallucinated - not seeing but imagining, without trying, forms moving and changing.

anyone go to the second set? to both?

So ... it was a gig played in darkness and if you had to leave your seat you couldn't go back? Or have I misunderstood Twitter?

that is correct. it wasn't dark for the support and you could go for a piss before the main event as long as you were back in time but with ten mins to go the queue for the gents was huge.

and autechre's set was only 65 minutes.

this sounds like the kind of diva behaviour that puts me off people

went to design museum on tuesday and they had tri-repetae vinyl on sale in their tiny, curate shelves (£20). it was like they'd picked them for the covers.

Sending thoughts to all the 50-something males.

I’m jealous of all of you who got to experience this

The Helsinki set from Sept 11th has dropped.

The set ends when the last person has to go to the bathroom

lol

think i might have to go without fluids for 24 hours before i went to one of these

i don't think it's diva-ish tho, it's part of creating an event

djh ouch but otm in my case

Sending thoughts to all the 50-something males.

Jugs under their sound rig

The Helsinki thing is great - they sent a lossless link to all the ticketholders after there were sound problems at the gig. Intriguing set too.

they got a review: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/09/autechre-review-barbican-london

that's a good review! I went on Friday and though I enjoyed the experience I must admit that my attention did wander a fair bit, it seemed to me that their sound has completely slipped its moorings from being music into something closer to sound design if not pure abstraction. I saw them 20-odd years ago (ages I know!) and their set then was more recognisably techno rollers, even if very wonky techno rollers.

it seemed to me that their sound has completely slipped its moorings from being music into something closer to sound design if not pure abstraction

Know what you mean of course, but SIGN/PLUS were released recently and are much more song-oriented.

doesn't song imply singing?

you have to really turn it up

possibly discussed elsewhere, but Autechre put out a 5.5hr mix of 1992-ish stuff that contextualises the newly-reissued Artificial Intelligence compilation. It's akin to that marathon electro mix they did a while back and is great:
https://autechre.mixlr.com/recordings/1977679

it was mentioned on a thread called "autechre - classic or dud"

:-)

what we didn't mention was the tracklist, which is this work in progress (not my work)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fy1mZkeMTI1CvLWmPy7NOAwFkFu-a6FHrx2EMgt4_3w/edit#gid=0

ah the perils of two C or D threads! thanks for the tracklisting sheet...

nice, hope they keep going. I'll get these but Untilted/Quaristice/Oversteps/Exai are the ones I really want

https://www.treblezine.com/autechre-announces-vinyl-reissues-of-confield-draft-7-30/

Will definitely be picking up the Confield reissue. I want both, but I'm trying to buy fewer records this year. It's not going well so far.

Very happy about this. Wish I could get my hands on the rest of the EPs on wax though. Would love Envane, Cichlisuite and EP 7.1 (I have 7.2).

They seem to have forgotten the CD editions.

They seem to have forgotten the CD editions.

The idea of listening to Autechre on vinyl is completely baffling to me. "You know what this ultra-pristine collection of 100% digital crunches and pings needs? Some hiss and crackle! You know, to add 'warmth'! Oh, and less bass!"

What is life without Plumtree's potted meat? incomplete

unperson I assume you know they put this sticker on the Tri Rep CD:
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7TCF8SlZcMQ/W-LlsMHTAAI/AAAAAAAABlg/ATiFT3Ry4PAHM1889JNer2WR9_D4ggJqACLcBGAs/s640/autechre1.jpg

tri rep is the only one I felt like I should own on vinyl. Got it as birthday gift to myself last year. For all the rest I'm fine with CDs or digital.

LP5 has so much bass it causes the needle to jump around if your turntable’s cheap

I have to remember that I’m no longer part of whatever “the demo” is now, and what the demo wants is vinyl reissues.

To hell with "listen to this on vinyl" pointers on CDs

CDs will come back, bring on retro-futurism