AAA - Ask Autechre Anything - Sean and Rob on WATMM!

[logakght]

 

Hello Sean, Rob just wanted to say hello, been a while, hope you guys are well.

hey Rich

 

just thinking about first time we met….

 

hope alls well at u 2

 

 

No phukin way

[Sean Ae]

I keep asking questions when you guys go to sleep so no sure if you answered or not?

 

DO you like doing the Sound On Sound and Future Music interviews where you talk more about your gear? Its always a great insight to see the studio and read about the gear, kind of like what you are doing now.

 

not really its kind of hard to get into details with anyone cos there are too many details and just knowing 1% is a bit weird cos it slants everything brutally

 

but we do em from time to time, not as often now but i think they get that we're not offering tips on what compressor to use to get that kick drum sound

[Guest limbae]

Wanted to express deep gratitude to you, Rob and Sean. Your works have led me to self-criticism and deep self-analysis when I was 19. Your music and works of Tolstoy are, as of yet, my most important selections.

Question: with the influx of powerful software and limitless possibilities, would you advise a starter to, at least, familiarise oneself with the functions of the older gear? Not just buy it and stash somewhere, but learn what is does. Reading through the thread, I noticed discussions of how nord synths and old casios work and how you had used them... I'm becoming extremely interested in this territory, but, obviously, have no access to such things. Should one just stick to contemporary stuff and not bother?..

[nizzleone]

Devine posting about this AAA on twitter is how I heard it was happening.

[amnesia]

Oh yeah I keep meaing to ask and I know you touched on it at the start but why not just put your live stuff out on DVD like Farmers Manual did? Or maybe just the better recordings if you are worried about quality control? I am sure us fans would eat it up.

[Sean Ae]

do you guys ever get out in the desert, like in southern Utah? Experience the park areas? Camp? Do you prefer to remain in the mostly temperate, overcast, humid zones?

 

never been there, not really a huge fan of warm and dry places but i guess it prob looks ace

i like oregon, when we go there i like that drive from sf to portland, and up to seattle

[Guest]

As consumers:

Are you also infected by that vinyl records nostalgia? It seems like many people want vinyl releases. I don't...

Or maybe do you prefer lossless/highest available quality downloads plus maybe booklet pdf's?

 

Bleep btw is IMO not perfect in that department.Best labels offer direct PDF conversions from Quark/AI booklet sources...

[Rob Ae]

I keep asking questions when you guys go to sleep so no sure if you answered or not?

 

DO you like doing the Sound On Sound and Future Music interviews where you talk more about your gear? Its always a great insight to see the studio and read about the gear, kind of like what you are doing now.

i'm not averse to nosing at some others' features, and from reading things about say 808state in mags like MT way back in the day for us, then newer mags SOS and FM approaching us was both weird cos it was me and my mate, but totally normal because it was inevitable eventually, but still am a bit freaked out by it. sometimes a chance to be sort of warmer and open about things…. and then 'no way, no ones coming in ere'

 

this approach feels way more 2sided right now.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Rob Ae

[Sean Ae]

Oh yeah I keep meaing to ask and I know you touched on it at the start but why not just put your live stuff out on DVD like Farmers Manual did? Or maybe just the better recordings if you are worried about quality control? I am sure us fans would eat it up.

 

its just tons to go thru and we don't have decent copies of most of it

but thats not a bad idea in itself, cheers

[hoggy]

WIll you ever make different kinds of music?

 

(It's hard to pin down the things that hold all your music together exactly, but something about the approach to process is very consistent, and there's something about your music that is so easily recognisable as yours - literally nobody as far as I know does close to the same thing)

 

Does Eutow sound sexual to you?

 

Do you think porn is destructive or fine?

 

Are you into Throbbing Gristle? The Tuss? The Melvins?

 

Tesco have started scanning faces to target adverts, the UK has more surveillance cameras than any other country, the NSA and Google are watching everyone - is it the beginning of the end? Is there anything we can do?

Edited November 6, 2013 by hoggy

[Guest fhisch]

What percentage of your time awake per week would you estimate is spent doing some activity (research, daydreaming, experimentation, or active production) related to your music?

 

Have you found yourself in situations where you have to reject certain obligations (such as earning money, or going on dates, or spending time with family) because they would get in the way of your projects?

[Rob Ae]

what's the most common mistake you see younger upcoming artists make?

 

what's turned out to be your most fortunate mistake?

nothing unusual, experience just shows u a few more cycles further back.

 

plugging CV gate cables in my mouth, to taste the voltages, turned out to enhance my skills.

[Sean Ae]

As consumers:

Are you also infected by that vinyl records nostalgia? It seems like many people want vinyl releases. I don't...

Or maybe do you prefer lossless/highest available quality downloads plus maybe booklet pdf's?

 

Bleep btw is IMO not perfect in that department.Best labels offer direct PDF conversions from Quark/AI booklet sources...

 

really depends on the stuff

like for someone like UR the vinyl cut is totally different to the digi version, i prefer the sound of the records personally

but i think for someone like luc ferrari the clean digitals are way superior

[Sean Ae]

What percentage of your time awake per week would you estimate is spent doing some activity (research, daydreaming, experimentation, or active production) related to your music?

 

Have you found yourself in situations where you have to reject certain obligations (such as earning money, or going on dates, or spending time with family) because they would get in the way of your projects?

 

for me prob about 80-90% most days, day or two off each week, usually one

depends tho i take weeks off randomly sometimes

[triachus]

Was the "wob" bit near the end of jatavee C intended as an intentional play on what people call dubstep these days? Tongue in cheek, if you will?

 

Probably not, but many people dropped that word a lot when talking about jatavee C

 

Did you guys ever incorporated tongue in cheek bits on albums? Did that happen on every album?

 

I recall an interviewer once asking about the "humour" in some tracks or something. He took Sublimit as an example for some reason. Can't remember what your response was.

[amnesia]

Last 2 questions I promise :-)

 

Your live sets, say Oversteps,each year sound quite similar from town to town so how do you approach it? You have a foundation and then tweak over the top?

 

I kind feel bad for you guys at the moment although I am sure we are all enjoying chatting to you, but I cant help feeling like you are doing tech support.

So my final question is ,my Windows 8 computer isnt working. What should I do?

[Guest ZombieLincoln666]

 

As consumers:

Are you also infected by that vinyl records nostalgia? It seems like many people want vinyl releases. I don't...

Or maybe do you prefer lossless/highest available quality downloads plus maybe booklet pdf's?

 

Bleep btw is IMO not perfect in that department.Best labels offer direct PDF conversions from Quark/AI booklet sources...

 

really depends on the stuff

like for someone like UR the vinyl cut is totally different to the digi version, i prefer the sound of the records personally

but i think for someone like luc ferrari the clean digitals are way superior

 

 

How about your (newer) stuff?

[Franciscus]

 

 

 

do you enjoy Nutella spread?

yeah too much, that stuff's deadly

 

Have you tried Speculoos (aka Biscoff) spread? Perhaps even deadlier...

 

 

Yes, very deadly. If you're ever in Belgium again, look/ask around for Lotus Speculoos pasta

 

 

 

in the netherlands as well! it's delicious!

[Sean Ae]

WIll you ever make different kinds of music?

 

(It's hard to pin down the things that hold all your music together exactly, but something about the approach to process is very consistent, and there's something about your music that is so easily recognisable as yours - literally nobody as far as I know does close to the same thing)

 

Does Eutow sound sexual to you?

 

Do you think porn is destructive or fine?

 

Are you into Throbbing Gristle? The Tuss? The Melvins?

 

Tesco have started scanning faces to target adverts, the UK has more surveillance cameras than any other country, the NSA and Google are watching everyone - is it the beginning of the end? Is there anything we can do?

 

 

i thought we were doing that

half joking there, really i mean yeah i do stuff that i think sounds nothing like me and it gets spotted straight away if i've got a mate round. so nah probably not. i mean i might think it's really different but whatever, everything we do sounds like us, it would do i suppose cos we don't know any different.

 

i dunno is the sea sexual? it sounds like the sea to me

 

both

 

tg yeah bits, tuss yeah, melvins yeah, random bits i picked up - (houdini, joe preston ep, bootlicker)

 

most of the ones in the uk are privately owned

 

nah you can't do anything, but they're not in charge either

 

 

As consumers:

Are you also infected by that vinyl records nostalgia? It seems like many people want vinyl releases. I don't...

Or maybe do you prefer lossless/highest available quality downloads plus maybe booklet pdf's?

 

Bleep btw is IMO not perfect in that department.Best labels offer direct PDF conversions from Quark/AI booklet sources...

 

really depends on the stuff

like for someone like UR the vinyl cut is totally different to the digi version, i prefer the sound of the records personally

but i think for someone like luc ferrari the clean digitals are way superior

 

 

How about your (newer) stuff?

 

 

i think exai sounds good on vinyl but the digitals are what we delivered so.. i like both for different reasons

i prob slightly prefer the vinyl but purely cos of the novelty of it sounding all new

Edited November 6, 2013 by Sean Ae

[Guest cult fiction]

 

What percentage of your time awake per week would you estimate is spent doing some activity (research, daydreaming, experimentation, or active production) related to your music?

 

Have you found yourself in situations where you have to reject certain obligations (such as earning money, or going on dates, or spending time with family) because they would get in the way of your projects?

 

for me prob about 80-90% most days, day or two off each week, usually one

depends tho i take weeks off randomly sometimes

 

 

Do you have set times when you both go to the studio? Or is it just like a "Rob: I need u" txt

[Guest November]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob Ae]

 

I don't remember seeing an answer to the piano question(s?), but I'm sure you have heard this:

?

Quite fitting IMO.

You should do a piano-only track one day. Worked out great for Clark and afx and whonot.

 

yeah i really like this

 

:o 3'52'' - 3'55'' yeahhhs

[Schlitze]

When you guys are on tour do you ever get to an unfamiliar venue, look around the place and have any concerns about how good it's gonna be? or do you put all your faith in the organisers to get the right venue? or get pissed off at a venue change at towns you've played in previous years? I saw you in glasgow 2005 and 2008 which were at the Art school (organised by Numbers i think), great venue, and the sound was massive. Then in 2010 at Sub Club, still a great gig, but a much smaller venue, more intimate and more subdued atmosphere (lots of chin strokers there that night / monday night, in comparison to Art School where the crowd can get a bit mental down the front {chanting ''one more tune'' i recall, lol}). I guess if i was on tour and had played a couple of gigs in a great venue, and was ready to go back there a coupla years later only to be told ''we're moving you somewhere less epic, you'll have to turn the volume down a bit, it's a monday night'' i'd be a bit pissed off. Any grumbles about that kind of thing?

[soundwave]

What TV shows have made you laugh the most?

Edited November 6, 2013 by soundwave

[olo]

 

 

What percentage of your time awake per week would you estimate is spent doing some activity (research, daydreaming, experimentation, or active production) related to your music?

 

Have you found yourself in situations where you have to reject certain obligations (such as earning money, or going on dates, or spending time with family) because they would get in the way of your projects?

 

for me prob about 80-90% most days, day or two off each week, usually one

depends tho i take weeks off randomly sometimes

 

 

Do you have set times when you both go to the studio? Or is it just like a "Rob: I need u" txt

 

 

lol