IDM Mailing Archive

On Mar 28, 2:37pm, andy wrote:

quoted 22 lines Subject: (idm) Autechre on sale...

> Subject: (idm) Autechre on sale... > Hi all, > This message is for poor chaps like me who > find it difficult to get to a decent record store... > I found Autechre on sale for 14.99$ in a Tower > in New Jersey, I'm not sure how thier sale works > (ie if all the stores have it on sale...), but > it seems worht checking out, I think Ear/Rational > had it for 16.99...eitther way, not a bad price for > two discs(which would be 3 if you bought the imports...) > I'm listening to Autechre now, and it's pretty good, > I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be, this > is my first time hearing them, and after all the hype > on this list I'm a little disappointed. Oh well... > > > Oh, and they also have > the domestic release of Cascade (FSOL) for 7.99$ > > well,. take care > and-e-------------------------------------------------------------->* >-- End of excerpt from andy

Just keep listening (subtleties) when 'amber' came out 6 months passed before it hit me! CHad

At 2:37 PM 3/28/96, andy wrote:

quoted 13 lines Hi all,

>Hi all, > This message is for poor chaps like me who >find it difficult to get to a decent record store... >I found Autechre on sale for 14.99$ in a Tower >in New Jersey, I'm not sure how thier sale works >(ie if all the stores have it on sale...), but >it seems worht checking out, I think Ear/Rational >had it for 16.99...eitther way, not a bad price for >two discs(which would be 3 if you bought the imports...) >I'm listening to Autechre now, and it's pretty good, >I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be, this >is my first time hearing them, and after all the hype >on this list I'm a little disappointed. Oh well...

I personally think they are quite over-rated. They are more interesting than good, in my opinion. I appreciate why they are important to the techno community, but I would liken their music to a lot of the cubist paintings by Picasso: I can respect the skill in making the art and understand its importance but can derive only slight pleasure from it. I have most of their stuff, and like listening to it once or twice, but I've never been able to get into an entire Autechre CD/LP. When they played live in Hollywood their music took a long time to develop. A lot of the stuff they did was very technically unique, but I thought a lot of the stuff they played didn't really go anywhere. Their music is clearly genuine, and this post is not intended to show any disrespect for them. I just wanted to offer a dissenting opinion... Jeff -- Jeff Andrews Globalstar Software Engineer jandrews@qualcomm.com 619.658.4756

Jeff Andrews wrote:

quoted 7 lines I personally think they are quite over-rated. They

> I personally think they are quite over-rated. They > are more interesting than good, in my opinion. > I appreciate why they are important to the techno > community, but I would liken their music to a lot of the > cubist paintings by Picasso: I can respect the skill in > making the art and understand its importance but can > derive only slight pleasure from it.

Couldn't have put it better myself; I feel exactly the same way.

quoted 3 lines I have most of their stuff, and like listening to it

> I have most of their stuff, and like listening to it > once or twice, but I've never been able to get into > an entire Autechre CD/LP.

quoted 7 lines When they played live in Hollywood their music took

> When they played live in Hollywood their music took > a long time to develop. A lot of the stuff they did > was very technically unique, but I thought a lot of the > stuff they played didn't really go anywhere. Their music > is clearly genuine, and this post is not intended > to show any disrespect for them. I just wanted to > offer a dissenting opinion...

I, too, am in awe of their technique--there are specific things that impress me greatly--the tightness and micro-precision of their rhythms, and the sheer discipline and control in general. Unfortunately, that is also (to my ears) their downfall--there isn't a whole lot of spontenaity and emotion, which are two qualities I admire, even (and perhaps especially) in the superficial rigidity of programmed electronic music. I would make the same criticism (to a lesser extent) of recent Atom Heart-- although the high goofiness factor lets him off the hook somewhat when it comes to the spontenaity bit! I know I'm in a minority here but I miss the raw, dark emotion of the early Lassigue Bendthaus stuff. What this really boils down to is individual taste, but I have to say that like Jeff, while I buy all the Autechre that I run into, my heart isn't in it-- it's more like reading an interesting textbook than getting swept away by an amazing story. Ashok

On Thu, 28 Mar 1996, Ashok Divakaran wrote:

quoted 6 lines I, too, am in awe of their technique--there are specific things that impress

> I, too, am in awe of their technique--there are specific things that impress > me greatly--the tightness and micro-precision of their rhythms, and the sheer > discipline and control in general. Unfortunately, that is also (to my ears) > their downfall--there isn't a whole lot of spontenaity and emotion, which are > two qualities I admire, even (and perhaps especially) in the superficial > rigidity of programmed electronic music.

It's funny that you say this because the thing that I find most remarkable about Amber is that it's one of the most intensely personal and emotional records I've ever heard. Teartear is the most obvious example, but the entire album speaks in a very human voice. There's a very subtle statement made throughout about the relationships of people and machines and the mechanisms of thought and consciousness. It's ultimately a much more powerful statement because it's expressed so delicately and subtly. Just listen to all the voices that float very quietly under the surface of the rhythms. This is the reason I'm so much less impressed with Tri Repetae. I think it's an outstanding record, but it's very clear that the muse that inspired Amber is on vacation. It's every bit as accomplished, but it's just so emotionally FLAT.