although derek pulled him up tight, well, autechre
threads i find most interesting...
here it is again:
"Why do autechre fans seem so polarized in opinion?"
-- their music is complex, cryptic, innovative and not
easy to pigeonhole. This combination of aesthetic
properties blended with the reclusive, recalcitrant
public image of the creators leads to all sorts of
vociferous posturing.
"What do you mean by complex, cryptic, and
innovative?"
-- autechre is complex in the arrangement of sound
layers and the harmonies that these layers produce. In
dealing with odd frequencies, accessed through fourier
control, the harmonies can be extremely subtle and
shifting, though always harmonious. The music is
cryptic in the sense that the timbre of the sounds are
often unavailable with presets! This leads to the next
adjective innovative which describes these timbres,
their production and finally their alignment in
complex rhythms and harmonies.
"Why do some dismiss autechre as musique concrete or
aleatoric/generative chaos?"
-- this has to do with the manner in which hype,
mathematics and computer culture collide in the
presentation of electronic music. computers, math and
music are inextricably linked and excursions into
technical construction are often needed to explain
'how' a sound was obtained. With the nature of
electronic sound synthesis being mathematical and the
listening experience of autechre's music being
confrontational, their sounds are often shelved as
being chaos, aleatoric, when with a simple
understanding of synthesis and a sharp ear, the music
could be appreciated as such. This phenomenon is often
called the Peter Principle....any group of people will
always defer to the least competent practice. In a
nutshell, this is lazy thinking.
"Wow, with all this controversy and misunderstanding
it seems autechre may be worth listening to.. where
should one begin in their prolific catalogue?"
-- that all depends on what sort of listener one is.
Many like to experience a new old group as though
their first album were just now arriving. Take heed,
though, as the modern ear may be tainted with the
'update principle', where older art isn't as welcome
due to the lack of latest and greatest in
technological achievements. Many youth refuse to watch
older films as the actors aren't as familiar and the
effects not as advanced as modern tinkering. This is a
fatal error, as the concepts and encapsulated time
period of these older works can be just as interesting
and valuable for that very lack of control which
technology enables. Creativity thrives in the face of
obstacles, such is the nature of existence and
adaptation. If one has an adventurous ear, Confield
would be the starter's kit for autechre. It was
possibly the most alien and esoteric record produced
in 2001. The beats are misleadingly complex, the
melodies are both frightening and lovely, while the
transitions are nothing short of amazing. Gantz Graf
is quite simply a masterpiece of aural pleasure. They
take you to places noone would dare conceive and
somehow make it a seamless, gratifying and
enlightening experience. Autechre ups the ante with
each new release. Their music is quite entwined with
technology and they apparently have the very best of
gear in terms of providing absolute control over
discrete and integrated quanta of sound. Cavity Job,
their first release is somewhat juvenile and
definitely dated. Incunabula is an interesting if
uneventfull experiment in melody and beats. Amber is
the first masterpiece. Garbage is anything but. Anvil
Vapre and Tri Repetae are fabulous sonic landscapes,
evocative synaesthetic complexes. Cichlisuite is
amazing synth work, with tilapia as the highlighted
pinnacle of pristine beauty. Envane is unbelievably
groovy and enjoyable with 902 Quarter providing and
uncontested melody toward the end, you'll be in tears.
Chiastic Slide is a feast of excellent cut and paste,
mechanical ratchetlike organisms. LP5 simply must be
heard to believed, again ridiculous synth work here,
noone has done this before or synse. Peel Sessions 1
is a spiritual experience culminating in the droning
majesty of drane. EP7 is such interesting and clever
music, it'll stay in your player for years. And Peel
Session 2 is delicate beauty constructed for shifting
reality. All of autechre's singles and remixes are
stellar with the highlight being the remix of
Stereolab's Refractions in the Plastic Pulse. Just
note the timbre of the beats and the gorgeous synths
as well as a very human bass line.
"ok, it looks like i've a road of pleasure ahead,
thanks for the info!"
-- right, just form your own opinions, while factoring
out envy, trend hopping, complacency and all the silly
wankers you'll encounter. Like a photographer taking
thousands of photos to capture that one glimpse of
perfection, you'll tread through thousands of
personalities before you find the one or two worth
speaking with. Cheers and luck!
fuck the punters, fuck the radge cunty baw simps
fuck the spastic slighted daft pickles that masquerade
as real. You stew in the pot you made for yourself.
5l33
and so, good ole slee put the top on, its really quite
simple when you consider the lot of them.... like
those who cannae distinguish from colours, there are
quite a few with difficulty in differentiating tones
whose harmonics are not conventional(ie: pop)
Grotesque art, visionary music, steven stapleton...
those who defend 'just good music, likes... no that
mr. dsp shite...' are a type of lazy habitual
listeners
for whom music must be in the mid c or the g. I can't
imagine a world without those challenging conventions,
you need no listen to fans, you make something and
throw it out, if it flyz, righteous! if no, we enjoyed
it, the process and the creation... maybe try again.
elementary me dear bronson, ya cunt.
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