That sounds really cool. I hope they release some of the live sets
Is this the concert you saw?
https://youtu.be/DJnCO04GXoQ?si=wIWFZSfOkKeCWZZv
They do a thing live where the skeleton of the beat is a primitive
boom bap beat, but even the simple beat gets continuously mutated with
delay and stutter effects.
Some of the things that are going on in their sets aren't hard to
replicate with modular synth hardware or software. But Sean and Rob
have made it their full time job to program and re-program and
re-re-program perhaps the most complex Max/MSP patches ever made.
It's their full time job to hack on Max/MSP to try and come up with
structures that reflect the music they want to hear. People regard it
as complex and abstract, but they approach their music with a
simplicity that's hiding in plain sight. In their live sets there's
maybe 3 or 4 parts going: Drums, background weirdness, and drones. It
sounds highly detailed because there's layers of random changes that
are imposed either manually or free-running. But the way they mix and
have different sounds interact, there's a unity. It's like Bach suites
for solo instrument. There's really a single through line, albeit
fractally distorted and warped,by hands on manipulation and programmed
chaos.
A briefer version: They're using the trackpad on their MacBooks for
all the live input from Rob & Sean. That means no matter how busy and
apparently complex the sound is, it's mostly the product of two
fingers controlling one thing at a time.
On Sun, Apr 7, 2024 at 5:41 AM Laurent Knauth <laurent.knauth@gmail.com> wrote:
quoted 13 lines Although I must be the same age as them, I'd never been to an Autechre concert and di
>
> Although I must be the same age as them, I'd never been to an Autechre concert and didn't know what to expect.
>
> Despite the lack of show - all the lights were off - I have been overwhelmed by the sheer power of this concert.
>
> The concert hall was probably equipped for World War III, but everyone here knows that Autechre is no avalanches of noise or tunnels of sub-bass.
>
> On the contrary, every transient is generously delivered, especially when you least expect it, as you're often caught off guard. The "snare drums" were in the spotlight, and despite many a techno night, I'd never felt such intensity : my muscles were tense and fluid at the same time, and sometimes I got liberated giggles. 1h30 of a rhythmic rollercoaster that James Brown would not have disowned.
>
> I came away with the feeling of having witnessed a masterpiece skilfully laid out from start to finish.
> I'd been following them from a distance since "Confield", which I hadn't really appreciated, nor the following albums, but I'm going to dive back in. They are their own best evangelists !
>
> It was a splendid, ech-straordinary evening.