Autechre - classic or dud

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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

they went on at 1 in chicago, l. people were dancing throughout their whole set, too. i thought the 2001 tour was better, but i was far from disappointed with this one - probably the best show for me this year so far. i am glad they continue to push themselves in new directions. snd were far more "hooky" on this tour, but autechre unflinchingly inhabit a world that is their own - mistakes, missteps, and mostly transcendent shit all included (yeah i am a hippie). i think it took about three tracks for them to hit their groove this time around, but when they hit it, they didn't lose it.

― tricky (disco stu), Sunday, 29 May 2005 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, agreed with Latebloomer. It just kept going up and up, very very intense, very danceable, very beat-oriented. They played in utter darkness.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Sunday, 29 May 2005 17:37 (eighteen years ago) link

i want to see them again!

― charltonlido (gareth), Sunday, 29 May 2005 18:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Incubulae is great, some decent spots here and there after that but overall, Auteche are a giant Dud!

― biz, Sunday, 29 May 2005 18:00 (eighteen years ago) link

actually, its kind of strange, with all this folktronica nonsense of the last few years, that autechre feel more 'folky' than all of them, perhaps not in the use of traditional signifiers, but, in that englishness that is as much a part of them as any electro roots, that pastoral hills by slagheap tops,

the pennines, in other words

― charltonlido (gareth), Sunday, 29 May 2005 18:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Last chance to see them live for a while (afaik) in England see here: http://www.version.org.uk

I'm going, anyone that wants to say hi email me :)
Check out the rest of that line up! :-O

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 11:08 (eighteen years ago) link

i hadnt actually played any autechre stuff in a long while, and have only just got draft 7.30. i was a fan of confield, but it seemed a good place to wrap things up at the time. im in the mood for new stuff from them again now thuogh, but i dont think i like draft 7.30 very much

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 12:49 (eighteen years ago) link

New album is quite nice although I must admit they seem to have hit an artistic rut since the last three albums have been fairly similar.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 12:59 (eighteen years ago) link

i found a liveset on slsk, from april this year (i think in, maybe, lyon?) so im intyrigued to hear that, after what has been sdaid here about live material

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 13:08 (eighteen years ago) link

Can I Get a copy via Gmail or on soulseek? I'm doglatin.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 13:19 (eighteen years ago) link

sure, no problem, when i get home

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 13:26 (eighteen years ago) link

is your username still the same g? i'd like it too...

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:50 (eighteen years ago) link

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

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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