Autechre: Classic or Dud?

it really is

https://nialler9.com/autechre-conversation-about-music-art-funk-and-emotion-interview/

what i'm getting from that is that they only really like people called Mark.

Autechre actually popped up in the novel i'm reading at the moment, Ian Rankin's 'A Question Of Blood' (2003):

'You're going to tell me you've never smoked or had a drink?'

But of course he wasn't going to say that. Doctors had higher stress levels than cops. One thing she had done - her own initiative - was trying to get into ambient music. Lemon Jelly, Oldsolar, Boards of Canada. Some hadn't worked - Aphex Twin and Autechre; not enough meat on their bones.

I enjoyed that interview, some interesting links/tracks to check out later.

lmao

Sean: Yeah, I mean, Rae was written in a really emotional state as well. I remember exactly what I was doing, where I was and everything when I did that

Droid: It’s funereal, it’s just absolutely stunning.

Sean: Yeah, it was a hangover (laughs) It wasn’t even real sadness, I wasn’t even going through anything. I was just, I was just feeling really fragile that day.

I love these guys so much

OMG "Rae" confirmed Sean solo track??

article got me to go listen to one of the 2014 live sets, which I haven't done since 2016. at the time it all seemed like too much, impenetrable. listening to it now of course, it just sounds like prime lucid stuff.

I guess it would make sense that an Autechre album released at time t+1 would prepare you for the live set appearing at time t. Autechre's music only really legible to time travelers, to the displaced.

I love the 90’s stuff all the way through, but even since then, I often find the emotion in your music to be almost unbearable – going back to tunes like, Yulquen, Overand, Nonima, and some of the stuff on SIGN. I almost can’t listen to it. I can’t even describe the emotion; It’s like a kind of ache, you know, this kind of mix of yearning and joy and loss. And even the happy songs like, Keynell 4 or Chicli seem to be touched with sadness.

This statement by droid nails it for me too. Sean's response was spot on - really touches on the emotional connection both those bands share in terms of that melancholy and sense of longing. The other emotions I'd attribute to Ae are menace and swagger, too. Not enough is written about that.

What a great interview!

Also, humble brag on that hand written letter from Thom Yorke haha

I found the bit about how their focus has shifted to the live dumps to be kinda fascinating but also a bummer, because I really don't like those. I just don't have time to listen to an hour of slowly shifting Autechre at a single sitting. I want an album I can pull individual tracks from as time permits, and occasionally listen to front to back.

Agreed.

I think it would be different if they released these live sets in smaller bunches, or like one every month or two - but 5-25 at once (or whatever) is just kinda psychically overwhelming.

agreed but the live stuff feeds into the studio albums now right? like every time a new album comes out I feel like people are going "oh this is that bit from last year's live set", etc

but yeah I agree great interview, I love how even after 30 years they both come off as very creative and questioning individuals who still don't claim to know the right or wrong way to do anything. I thought it was cool they brought up Lynch so much, they're similar in that their work is also emotional in very hard to describe ways

I guess this means their next album is going to SLAP

was pretty amused that was the one topic where they just went "nope, not gonna talk about it". dont look now but we're coming up on 3 full years since PLUS by the end of the month, the longest gap between Ae releases yet. not that they don't deserve the break!!

Good lord is 3 years the longest gap? Could have sworn it was longer but now that I look, 3 years was the gap between LP5 and Confield as well as Exai and Elseq.

Given they're actively touring and releasing recordings, it's all good - not like they're hinting at retiring just yet (thank goodness). Just hit up Cali soon please!

I think it would be different if they released these live sets in smaller bunches, or like one every month or two - but 5-25 at once (or whatever) is just kinda psychically overwhelming.

I wouldn't mind if they only did live sets from now on, the only thing I would like is that they split them up into smaller tracks rather than just one long hour+ track. I don't always have the one hour to listen to this stuff and sometimes I want to listen to one specific thing from the live sets and not the whole thing.

yeah a studio album culled from live sets would be really cool. similar to what King Crimson used to do. there's a fanmade one called "elseq 6-10" and it works pretty well

yeah, there's also one for the 2016/2018 sets: https://archive.org/details/AE_ONESIX

Both are pretty good, but I wish we didn't have to wait for fan made versions of these things, plus I still would love to have every set they release split up like this

lmao

Sean: Yeah, I mean, Rae was written in a really emotional state as well. I remember exactly what I was doing, where I was and everything when I did that
Droid: It’s funereal, it’s just absolutely stunning.

Sean: Yeah, it was a hangover (laughs) It wasn’t even real sadness, I wasn’t even going through anything. I was just, I was just feeling really fragile that day.

Ha, yeah, I was laughing over that one.

Funny, Rae is my absolute favorite track by them ever.

It's a killer, I always have to stop what I'm doing and pay attention to that one.

Dragging thru old soundboard releases à propos of the interview above (which is great), I put on the Miami 2015 set and damn, it's really hitting today. Familiar elements from all the other sets on that tour but they lock in a bit tighter and go deeper.

The Helsinki set is excellent.

(From 2022, the one they released as part of the set.)

turns out that autechre remixed the black dog.
available via a limited freebie thing on bandcamp.

Appearing at The Hague

(and other places in Europe)

https://autechre.warp.net/shows