I've been reading bad reviews of Autechre shows for what seems like ages,
usually with some variation on the theme of "it's just noise, there's no
melody". So I went in expecting an abstract, static-y bit of noise.
At this point, I'm starting to think that most of the negative reviews are
coming from people who didn't like EP7 and Confield (admittedly not their
strongest, but the B-side is gorgeous), and long for the melodic melancholia
of Amber or Tri Repetae. Because what I got was a surprisingly danceable
mess of beats and melodic fragments, with definite funk inside, although
B-complex (which is otherwise the venue Portland's been needing for a
while-- it'll be nice to see MoM-Vert there shortly) was far too sweaty and
packed to allow much moving around. Those few who did carve out dance
spaces at the periphery were unfortunately doing little gothic
pinkie-dances or post-hippie acid lumbers. Myself, I was up near the front,
so I contented myself with (mostly) in-place body-rocking. All in all, a
nice, very dense musical experience, with a commendable sound job by the man
in the back. I missed most of the openers, intentionally, after suffering
through Rob Hall's proto-utopian Depeche-Mode-meets-really-hard-hitting-Yaz
approach to rhythm and sound design-- this is the person Sean and Rob chose
to tour with them? Grammar school chums, I'm assuming, because I just don't
see it.
A nicely intense, engaging show on Autechre's end, though. I was pleasantly
surprised.
M.
"It is the pledges that this place makes to me, pledges that cannot be
redeemed, that will confuse me later."
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