[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

autechre ain't what they used to be



just to add my 2p. on the "autechre ain't what they used to be" debate.

saw autechre at lovebytes as well, "failed to enage" is perhaps the best
description . much like the audience who only took their heads out of their
asses, and got to their feet en masse when the autechre appeared, thought
that shit only happened at rock concerts. honestly I think the best
indicator of the dynamic in any "scene" is to look at the audience, at
lovebytes I was left wondering WHERE are the freaks? even the 2 or 3 freaks
present were not REAL freaks. only saw nice, well groomed, well dressed
"serious young people" with short hair cuts & plenty of disposable income to
spend in the overpriced bars. not a junkie in sight. it did promise to get
interesting when some guy got really drunk and started to kick a chair about
on sunday, but by then it was too late, i am afraid.

nothing else really of note over the whole weekend, though was pretty
impressed by hecker, very harsh set, in contrast to one I saw him play last
year which was a lot more "sculpted" and precise. anyway, imo felix kubin
shat over everybody at the festival on sunday, when he dared to display a
"personality". but then I am biased.

> "multilayered anarchic mix" "sonically deadly mix of noise and beats" that
turn upside down everytime you thought you knew where it was going.

<sigh> gimme a break mmmmm... do you guys get out much? or do you write for
The Wire? come to Glasgow and you can hear this sort of set every weekend
played by drunken neds* at a parties in Glasgow. a few old Chicago & UR
records plus a bottle of vodka usually can simulate the "russell haswell dj
experiance". Only costs 6.75 (for the vodka) as well.

* ned = working class youth with criminal tendancies and drug addiction.

keep on twitching dudes

frances lengel


-----Original Message-----
From: richard chartier [SMTP:chartier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 18 April 2001 17:20
To: microsound
Subject: Re: [microsound] ::: autechre & pals

>i had the chance to see autechre play live yesterday (maybe 3-4 times the
>crowd inside the venue could not get in...). it was the second time only
>they were playing in France (1st time was for Feardrop festival at Evreux a
>few years back, to some 170 lucky people).
>I met a guy saying he had travelled from Bulgaria just for the show.
>
>but
>this was kind of a disappointing set.
>it's pleasing to hear their characteristic liquid-ultradynamic sounds and
>shuffling rythms live, but the performance lacked some restraint (or
>questioning ?)... even changing every ten seconds, the rythmic patterns
>where almost always present, trusting the foreground while some textures
>underneath might have got some interesting exposure.
>they had very few pauses, playing extended slowly evolving explorations on
a
>same set of sounds, never offering some suggestion of a melody or any stuff
>to hang on to, without interaction or permutation between the
>fore-background layers of snd.
>i love sonic experiments but this show was not very rewarding for sure (to
>me at least).
>
>i don't think ae has to be seen live...
>
>russell haswell's multilayered anarchic mix was the peak of the evening.
>
>emmanuel
>




i also saw their set at lovebytes and it was definately not what a
lot of people were expecting .. which i thought was exciting. the set
had a very low frequency thump to it from what i remember... it was
rhythmic but not danceable... but you are right it didnt have a
steady melody and it was constantly changing. and it was very loud
and very physical

i enjoyed it immensely...
i think it will confuse many a viewer/listener

and russell haswell's set afterwards was sonically deadly mix of
noise and beats that turn upside down everytime you thought you knew
where it was going... a surprise at every corner...

also lithops did an amazing set of beats that twisted and turned...
from funky electro to distorted house that frooved with wild
distortions


richard
--
  +                +   r  i  c  h  a  r  d    c  h  a  r  t  i  e  r

http://www.3particles.com
chartier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OUT NOW
series [LINE, usa] CD  http://www.12k.com
"untitled60sec" in Computer Music Journal  (MIT press, usa) CD
"010101" on between two points  comp [12k/LINE, usa] 2CD http://www.12k.com
"filer" on clicks & cuts 2 comp [mille plateaux, germany] 2CD, april
2001 http://www.mille-plateaux.com

OUT SOON
typeof [fallt, ireland] 3" CD, april 2001  http://www.fallt.com
Layeral Intersect #2: imperception  [deadtech/anechoic, usa] 3" CD,
april 2001 http://deadtech.net/store.htm
decisive forms [trente oiseaux, germany] CD, june 2001
http://www.trenteoiseaux.com