::: Autechre & Freeform (Live)
::: Hallamshire Hotel Pub
::: 1 November 1995
This had to be a good gig. Autechre on their home territory (45 secs fom
Warp HQ), with friend Simon Pyke AKA freeform. Those disappointed by their
Decadog set (and I was) should have been there. They DESTROYED about 80 odd
people with the hardest beats and sounds I have heard. Those on
alt.music.techno searching for 'hardest techno ever' should take note. ho ho.
Venue was well small (most of the tour venues are) so there was no escape,
loud, loud, clear sound from all four corners... Stage with the two sets of
equipment at the front, decks at the back... Jez warmed things up with a
warm minimal subbass soundscape, Aphex's _Custodian Discount_ (a big fuck
right off to those calling this a joke track, dark dark bass, go and buy
yourself a 10K rig if you're not convinced) and Disjecta's track off the
Leaf EP (topical eh?). Up to the stage goes Mr. Pyke. This guy is 18, looks
about 16, and is playing his 5th ever live gig.
Beautiful, warm, hard, dark, melodic. He plays all new material (nothing
from Elastic Speakers or the SKAM). It's all better than his previous stuff.
And that was good. Standing, nodding, occasional nervous glances at the
crowd, he carved out some serious electric grooves, marked with glimpses of
funkyness and almost omnipresent subbass, his tracks are beginning to take
on a distintive freeform character, brought up under the Autchre's wing he's
started to take his sound along other routes now. [Look forward to his next
12er...] He finishes to serious applause and bounds off the stage with a
sheepish smile, as if embarrased...
Chantal drops a few tunes before the main event, plaid's clear jungle outing
sounded better than ever, _Custodian Discount_ gets a reprise (whoops?) And
then off we go...
A certain prominent member of the sheffield music community mentioned after
autechre's set that it was the best trip he'd ever had without tripping...
Understandable. Thank god no one was tripping (I hope) 'cos they'd a been
scarred for life... Nasty, really nasty.
Started slow and quiet (like all serial killers), with a new track,
building, before the second newie, a bleep [Yus!] monster which gathered
it's beats and distortion and autchre synth line(tm)... building... then
hands in the air... _Eutow_... but not as we know it. This is Eutow meets
_Djarum_ in a dark alley, and it goes on and on and on and on... Sound
engineer behind me mutters 'take cover' and we all know _Second Bad Vilbel_
is up next, that evil evil static blast, those beats.... this is the only
track that stay's close to it's original form, but on the breakdown we get
an even funkier almost hip hoppy bit, gorgeous synthy bit follows errr then
it gets hazy in the hardness static beats static, Incunabula noises, another
track follows (or is it still Second Bad Vilbel) who cares, more static,
wild beats....................................
And it's over.
Near flawless freeform electronic nastyness.
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