Autechre - classic or dud

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Why I Hate Autechre,
A Report By Little Jess Harvell, Aged 24

Just listen to most of the adjectives which get thrown around in discussing Autechre and you see the basic roots of what I find so off- putting about them: mathematical, architectural, scientific. (And the others are usually made up!) Fer instance, here’s Rob Young in The Wire: “Chiastic Slide harbours a maelstrom of fizzing detail, smudgy beats, shredded pulses, church organ, toxic noise hurtling towards the end of its half-life, pumice stones rubbed across the skull.” Now, purple prose aside, it sounds great on the surface, and I’ve certainly not been one to shy away from “toxic noise hurtling towards the end of it’s half-life” (although it’s not necessarily where my music listening resides right now), but the construction of it…using words like architectural and mathematical to describe said noise immediately puts me in the mind of Wallpaper magazine: carefully smudged, immaculately messy, arranged just so. I don’t want to live in the Hemlich homes for hipster bourgeoisie as presented in Wallpaper. Why would I want to listen to same?

Otherwise, if it’s all random happenstance of Akai’s sputtering jargon and MIDI gone wrong, then it’s just Merzbow, and fuck if I have any time for that. Debate the Akita-aesthetic all you wish, but if it’s just a lot of little noises piled up atop one another for no reason at all, then I’ll be down at the pub. Sure there’s the beatz…if that sort of thing doesn’t put you right to sleep so many years after Artificial Intelligence (you reference Pink Floyd and smoking weed on your record cover = you are hippies.) Sure these days the beatz are ripped, zipped, serrated, and otherwise “fizzing” with that “smudgy detail” (thank you Cubase, et al.) But frankly when I want that (and it’s in very small doses), I can get it from Mouse on Mars (or hell, anything in the Koln- Kompakt axis) with more (to these ears) of that supposed warmth and “humanity” (a right fucking odd thing to be looking for in electronic music, admittedly) everyone always seems to hear in Autechre.

Now it’s a very poor argument to dis a band because of their fans, but look at some of Autechre’s more high-profile supporters: The Wire (always suspect when it comes to anything with a beat), post-acid- jazz beatnik tossers like Kirk DeGeorgegegeogogrio (I couldn’t remember his name, which means unfortunately he won’t be able to Google this), and of course, every shit IDM act (and related) from 94- 97. They like to make claims like “well, Booth and Brown have deep roots in hiphop, electro, breakdancing…” First off, who the fuck cares? Does it provide some slight succor against the fact that the moonwalk breakbeats are a. unessential at best and b. if really a “homage” to electro or hiphop, come perilously close to typical IDM- vampirism. Tom really nailed it best: it wouldn’t sound as good as “Lord of the Null Lines” or even fucking “Planet Rock.”

I’ll allow the slightest margin for error, that you’re all hearing something that becomes a garbled mass of noise rather than signal once it passes from my ears to brain. But I just can’t shake this feeling that like a number of artists from the 90s – Tortoise, Beck, Mo Wax – we’re going to look back on Autechre-worship with a mixture of contempt, confusion, and bemusement. Middle-brow mood food for the marginally interesting.

― jess, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i love autechre!

― ethan, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

but jess, surely the sundays act as a better comparison than hyper-on experience?

― gareth, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The Hyper-On comparison was just for Gage-O's 'you need to hear it on a monster sound system' comment. Lots of stuff sounds good on a monster sound-system. I don't know if the Sundays do though really.

― Tom, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Wow, someone was worshipping Tortoise and Beck?

― bnw, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

well, spin editors, although i don't know if they count as people...

― jess, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

(that was posted because a. yes i believe everything said therein, but also b. because the certain someone from above hates my semi- serious ILM manifestos and was exceedingly happy that i didn't weigh in on the subject of autechre. so, just some rain for his sad little monkey parade.)

― jess, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

How is what you say about Autechre not true of BOC, Jess? (Who I think are probably worse than Autechre).

― Tom, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I am no jess, but BOC gets a lot of props for it's 60's hippy vibe which "humanizes" it. (I tend to think the definition of warmth and humanity is way too narrow.)

― bnw, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

late period autechre (certainly chiastic slide onwards) is very BOC like, but more decayed)

who is the person jess is talking about?

― gareth, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

off to bed now, but some thoughts on boc vs. autechre before tomorrow:

-fetishization of "process" over "feeling" (we're verging on "use other terms" territory here, but even booth and brown have admitted that much of ther output arises from equal parts a.d.d. and a tinkerers interest in what machines can do [and of course what noises they can make.])
-in keeping with the tinkerer metaphor: boc have seem to have staked out a particular patch and have obsessively - some might say until it's run fallow - worked it over. autechre have their patch too, but they seem far more likely than boc to throw you a curve which upends the whole apple cart and laugh while doing it. to me it's just more IDM-as-petulant-childs-crayon-box, free to smear their marks all over the clean, white walls of "proper notions of song." which leads into...
-ambience vs. assault (aka minimalism vs. maximalism? probably not, but hopefully you get what i'm barely getting at. ambient tone washes vs. static, clicks and noise. windham hill vs. evan parker?)

― jess, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i have a feeling tom dislikes boc more owing to the "nostalgia" red- herring, which i'm beginning to understand more and more. no more feeling in electronic music! or something.

I am no jess

i think this is a joke or a taking of my piss. i hope to god it is.

(and gareth, if you must know, it's sometimes lurker/poster/troll dr. funk - my first critic! - who apparently (to read his blog) thinks i'm dumber than pigshit, although he's yet to have the guts to say it on the board.)

― jess, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i just heard the new Autechre ep "Gantz Gtaf" and it's the worst, most unlistenable piece of crap i've ever heard........

but when it comes out, the press (Wire specifically) will be heralding it as the new-sound... blah blah blah blah...

― Baxter Wingnut, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

what new ep? more info please!

― gareth, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

there's no news on warp yet, but there has been an ep's worth of material floating around in mp3 format lately that has the autechre sound and is labeled in such a way.

all signs point to a new ep, as they need to keep their name out here after their tour, i guess.

― Todd Burns, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

come on you wusses they're more man parrish than derek bailey. "whinge whinge whinge disappeared up their own arses" etc. they've always seemed like quite chipper fellows to me. david toop however makes all music sound like wanky shit in print by getting far too excited by music we will mostly all be bored with once we've played the cd a few times

― bob snoom, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

as for the new EP, there is already a review at absorb, here:

http://www.absorb.org/reviews/eps_10.html

i've listened to it a few times through already. it's ok enough i suppose. i can't tell if it's supposed to be a joke or not.

― jason m., Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

it's a damn fine joke, if it is. i like it.

― Todd Burns, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

from architecture, to wallpaper covering, to crayons coloring on -- if Autechre is all these things, per Jess' comments above, then the focus on 'process' isn't so far from the 'feeling' evoked: that of a child with blocks, building up and then sending it all tumbling down. That's entertaining enough for me.

― Dare, Thursday, 18 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one month passes...

Modern music is largely about atonal soundscapes which create abstract structures beneath the sometimes complex sounds. Autechre has in my opinion moved closer to that territory closer to the likes of modern experimental composers like Stockhausen or John Cage. If one is to attack experimental music because it isn't appealing then one would be better off listening to the Beatles or even Mozart which is waste deep in tonal melodies. If not don't bitch about absract sound music because we live in a postmodern world were the truth has become abstract so don't expect music to fall short of that either, because if you do your stupid and conservative and you have no valid knowledge on which to judge experimental electronic music.

― JOnjjOnnjoN, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Dag. Consider my mind blown.

― adam, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

The truth has become abstract? What was I doing when that happened, watching Perry Mason reruns or something? I wish people would at least call me when these major paradigm shifts happen, it sucks to feel out of the loop.

― John Darnielle, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

JOnjjOnnjoN is my new god

― mark s, Sunday, 26 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Saying that Autechre are atonal is a fallacy. A lot of their tracks (Garbagemx, Cichli, Arch Carrier, Pir, Goz Quarter etc) are at first impenetrable, but this is usually due to an alternative choice in time signature or instruments. It is not musically atonal. Get on Audiogalaxy and download the following tracks. Then listen to them all at least 5 times in one week.

Silverside, Slip, Piezo, Pen Expers, Uviol, Maphive6.1, Zeiss Contarex, Pir, Rae, Fold4 Wrap5, Arch Carrier, Cichli, Garbagemx, Leterel.

Then come back, change your above comments about Autechre and go out and buy their entire back catalogue ;-)

― dog latin, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

dog latin is my new god

― mark s, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Anvil Vapour" fucking kick butt. I was never excited by Autechre until that track.

― phil, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

search: evan parker records.

destroy: euro-english newspeak.

― jess, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Its not for want of trying. Too many people I respect rate them. I've listened very intensely to Incubula, Tri Repetae and Confield all and each time have been left completely cold. Obtuse, introverted, over elaborate, self-indulgent and just dull. They gave me, quite literally, a headache.

― stevo, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

that's because you picked the three albums that are worst to start with. They're quite good, but you're tons better off getting into LP5, EP7 or Amber. Lovely.

― dog latin, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

eight months pass...

"Waste Deep In Tonal Melodies" = Schoeneberg's long-deleted death metal record?

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 28 January 2003 11:27 (twenty-one years ago) link

Classic, clearly. Even if you DON'T like them, just look at all the soul-searching at the mere mention of their name here! You don't even have to hear their music to know that they've changed the world.

― matt riedl (veal), Monday, 3 February 2003 21:12 (twenty-one years ago) link

heard a track off the new alb: its rilly rilly 1997 folks.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 13:08 (twenty-one years ago) link

What, as in 1997 Autechre or 1997 in general?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 13:12 (twenty-one years ago) link

it reminds me of a lot of electronic stuff that I was listening to round that time.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 13:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

Autechre can make Merzbow listenable to the average electronic music nerd.

― Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 13:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

two years pass...

I am going to see them tonight. Tell me your live experiences.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Saturday, 28 May 2005 13:13 (eighteen years ago) link

hm, i'm considering seeing them Sunday but i hardly listen to them anymore. post if the show is good or not to help me decide! kthx? (and is SND good live? and who in the hell is rob hall?)

― Amon (eman), Saturday, 28 May 2005 14:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Look near the end of this thread:

New Autechre album - April 2005

In short: they've been amazing on this tour.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 28 May 2005 14:49 (eighteen years ago) link

from that thread:

it also boasted the highest male-to-female ratio i've ever seen at a show.

i totally forgot about this aspect. think i'll save my money then.

― Amon (eman), Saturday, 28 May 2005 14:59 (eighteen years ago) link

:-( You so lucky Roxy! Every time they play near me it's either sold out or I've had no money.

― dog latin (dog latin), Saturday, 28 May 2005 15:06 (eighteen years ago) link

JOnjjOnnjoN's post upthread is awesome, but Jess' is even better. I used to kind of like them, but I can't see the appeal anymore for some reason. I always used to use 'em as background music, I must admit, and I don't really listen to anything as background music anymore. Not dud, anyway, but I don't think classic either.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 28 May 2005 15:28 (eighteen years ago) link

as a long time follower of autechre, i'd say that i have been disappointed by the last 3 albums. the mid nineties work, repetae, chisatic slide, lp5 are superb, both musically and sonically. there is a deep understanding of melody and harmony there, and the sonic constructions are often breathtaking. recently , however, i feel they have abandoned the emotion of their earlier work and are nto making the bold statements they once did.

however, i wouldn't write them off; i think they will come up with the goods again one day.

― james thompson (nimhbus), Saturday, 28 May 2005 22:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Missing Autechre on this tour = not catching Miles Davis in 1975. Ignore the haters and shoulder-shruggers: They killed it in Seattle.

― Blightersrock (Da ve Segal), Saturday, 28 May 2005 22:57 (eighteen years ago) link

That is, AUTECHRE killed it in Seattle.

― Blightersrock (Da ve Segal), Saturday, 28 May 2005 22:59 (eighteen years ago) link

I heard that in Chicago, ae weren't onstage till at least 4am. Also, I don't like the last three records.

― L (Leee), Saturday, 28 May 2005 23:01 (eighteen years ago) link

should I go see them if I haven't yet caught up on Confield, Draft 7.30 and Untilted?

(I'm probably going to anyway... they must be at least semi-classic then)

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 28 May 2005 23:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Autechre are not the kind of band that reproduce their album material in a live setting. They improvise. On hardware. And it is as thrilling as experiencing a seasoned free-jazz outfit in their prime.

So not liking the last few albums--or being unfamiliar with them--is almost a moot point.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Sunday, 29 May 2005 00:31 (eighteen years ago) link

2001 show in Oakland: one long 90 minute piece. arrythmic kick drum patterns & high hat sounds, and nightmarish bass line drills. one long evolving texture. very loud: in the back of the room, the kick drums made you feel like you were getting punched in the chest. at the front of the room, it was actually difficult to breathe regularly. 800 people at the beginning of the show whittled down to 200 within about 15 minutes; maybe about 100 people by the end, wild sustained applause from the survivors. made confield seem like a radio playlist. athough there were moments my attention wandered, by the end the sheer duration had totallty won me over, fantastic show.

2005 show last week: absolute 4/4 non-stop dance party, many pieces strict-tempo dj'ed together into one long mix. madly syncopated (seldom straight out four on the floor), but you could tap your foot or dance like a madman at all times. the recent abstract digital sounds of the last three records have been isolated and poured onto the grid, no multiple time-signature experiments. way, way, way more straightforward than untilted, and 100% new material -- absolutely nothing recognizable from any record. No traceable melodies, but tons of layered ambient sections and crescendos. once again, my attention wandered a bit in parts, but the end was rewarding and I sure hope mp3's turn up of this show, or even a release.

still doesn't quite sound like anything they've done before, but definitely way closer to 95/96 than 01/04. liked it.

― milton parker (Jon L), Sunday, 29 May 2005 08:29 (eighteen years ago) link

I just saw Autechre play in Asheville, NC last night. It was pretty amazing, they just kept notching up the intensity more and more. It was funny seeing people trying to keep up with it. But it was all surprisingly danceable.

― latebloomer: B Minus Time Traveler (latebloomer), Sunday, 29 May 2005 16:09 (eighteen years ago) link

i WAS AT THAT oAKLAND SHOW. dhs WAS BETTER.

― L (Leee), Sunday, 29 May 2005 16:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Skipping 279 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

xp probably the Tortoise remixes too

― assert (matttkkkk), Friday, 30 December 2022 22:14 (one year ago) link

xp was that streamed live today? how did you hear about it?

― ledge, Friday, 30 December 2022 22:16 (one year ago) link

^^ mixlr link is "a dj set of some old stuff for a bit of streaming" said sean_ae on Mastodon

― StanM, Friday, 30 December 2022 22:17 (one year ago) link

https://www.reddit.com/r/autechre/comments/zz2ub6/anybody_here_excited_about_this_link_below/

― StanM, Friday, 30 December 2022 22:18 (one year ago) link

Well, that’s tonight’s listening sorted.

― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 30 December 2022 22:18 (one year ago) link

one month passes...

5pm GMT tomorrow, https://t.co/UW6sG0bGqg pic.twitter.com/F9YgsDq7lU
— NTS Radio (@NTSlive) February 4, 2023

Hello

― what have I done to deserve you (lukas), Saturday, 4 February 2023 22:24 (one year ago) link

I remember the shock of the first one … “I think this might be an unreleased track!” “wait this is another unreleased track!” ”oh my god”

― assert (matttkkkk), Saturday, 4 February 2023 22:47 (one year ago) link

Lol yeah and “surely the next 3 will be DJ sets”

― frogbs, Saturday, 4 February 2023 22:58 (one year ago) link

I looked at the NTS schedule and it's programmed as "17:00 - 22:36 AUTECHRE - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - 1992 CONTEXTUAL MIX"

― assert (matttkkkk), Saturday, 4 February 2023 23:12 (one year ago) link

those pals need to add more vocals on their composition to reach a new sonic dimension

― CerebralCaustic, Monday, 6 February 2023 03:06 (one year ago) link

I don't necessarily disagree. In my headcanon "Bryan Ferry Sings LP5" is an actual thing. It's never going to happen outside of remixes though. I 100% feel that Plaid ought to go back to doing more vocal collabs

― the forces of darkness making making us laugh ourselves into DEATH?? (dog latin), Monday, 6 February 2023 04:09 (one year ago) link

autechre must follow the mouse on mars path: getting an mc like mark e smith

― CerebralCaustic, Monday, 6 February 2023 05:13 (one year ago) link

The NTS set is the same set as the Mixlr one from December, for anyone interested.

― assert (matttkkkk), Monday, 6 February 2023 07:39 (one year ago) link

the description did seem familiar

― koogs, Monday, 6 February 2023 09:06 (one year ago) link

― what have I done to deserve you (lukas), Monday, 6 February 2023 17:07 (one year ago) link

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