IDM Mailing Archive

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.

He doesn't mean 'a primitive boom bap beat' in a degratory way guys, rather as a way of saying fundamental drum skeleton of the electronic music folk story. вт, 16 апр. 2024 г., 04:53 kent williams <chaircrusher@gmail.com>:

quoted 59 lines That sounds really cool. I hope they release some of the live sets

> 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: > > > > 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. >

Absolutely, that makes you enjoying the moment moving relentlessly and connects with their "street beats" culture. On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 4:49 AM Aleksas Tunikas <mail@aleksas.ru> wrote:

quoted 66 lines He doesn't mean 'a primitive boom bap beat' in a degratory way guys,

> He doesn't mean 'a primitive boom bap beat' in a degratory way guys, > rather as a way of saying fundamental drum skeleton of the electronic music > folk story. > > вт, 16 апр. 2024 г., 04:53 kent williams <chaircrusher@gmail.com>: > >> 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: >> > >> > 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. >> >

Yes, this is the concert and I hope to buy a pristine souvenir someday ! Thanks for the link, which gives an idea of the power of the Trianon soundsystem, as those controlled and measured drums sounded like the Transformers fighting to the death just in front of you, it was really huge. I was worried that my wife would be bored by some GRM-like brain fiddlings but, as you point out, thanks to this permanent "boom bap" thing, in the middle of a rhythmic massacre, she told me "this is actually pop !" - to which I replied "yes, that's what they say themselves" (I read that from them in an interview a long time ago). Your description sounds as if you were there too ! On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 3:53 AM kent williams <chaircrusher@gmail.com> wrote:

quoted 59 lines That sounds really cool. I hope they release some of the live sets

> 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: > > > > 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. >

Had the privilege of seeing them at Moore Park in Sydney a few years ago ‘In The Dark’ as well. Had no idea that a concert with zero lighting could be so awesome. Autechre really are “those guys”. Glad you had a good time my friend.

quoted 15 lines On 7 Apr 2024, at 7:41 PM, Laurent Knauth <laurent.knauth@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 7 Apr 2024, at 7:41 PM, Laurent Knauth <laurent.knauth@gmail.com> wrote: > >  > 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.