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Is Autechre relevant anymore?


Guest xpr

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Guest theSun

haven't read the last 2 pages. musically, ae are way more interesting than boc. their progression is a lot more ambitious and innovative.

 

exai > th in a big, big way

 

ae are very popular considering they are experimental and constantly changing.

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I have noticed - through many conversations (and blog/review reading) - that some people (especially some music journalists) don't really listen to the music - as in the sounds that are entering their ears - but hear everything in terms of references, or in some way in terms of what the music is 'about', or where the music is 'coming from', or even in terms of whether something is 'relevant' or not, or they hear/enjoy it in relation to a whole history of other opinions and viewpoints and theories about music.

 

To those people, who aren't really just interested in sound/music for sound/music's sake (and I don't think I'm being unfair here - they really simply don't seem to place a priority on that for their enjoyment of the music), Autechre will probably by now be fairly 'irrelevant'. But to someone who is simply hungry for new adventures in sound and creativity and is too foolish to understand the rest of the baggage linked to outputting music, they will probably always be relevant, providing they don't sell out or get predictable and boring.

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I hate comparing music to music to such an extent that I can't be bothered addressing the issue. TH is great but Exai and such like are totally seperate entities., it's really only their sharing of the same label that brings them close. Joaquin Phoenix at the Oscars summed it up best with his wry disregard for whats 'best' in a certain field. Its a stupid contest. So someone post up that Phoenix gif as a 'best answer'

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I have noticed - through many conversations (and blog/review reading) - that some people (especially some music journalists) don't really listen to the music - as in the sounds that are entering their ears - but hear everything in terms of references, or in some way in terms of what the music is 'about', or where the music is 'coming from', or even in terms of whether something is 'relevant' or not, or they hear/enjoy it in relation to a whole history of other opinions and viewpoints and theories about music.

 

To those people, who aren't really just interested in sound/music for sound/music's sake (and I don't think I'm being unfair here - they really simply don't seem to place a priority on that for their enjoyment of the music), Autechre will probably by now be fairly 'irrelevant'. But to someone who is simply hungry for new adventures in sound and creativity and is too foolish to understand the rest of the baggage linked to outputting music, they will probably always be relevant, providing they don't sell out or get predictable and boring.

 

This brought to mind this epic John Cage rhetoric.

 

http://youtu.be/7m4xkY0WgVw?t=4m40s

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Guest Retrig

OP:

 

Autechre are two dudes who have a passion for composing music with electronic means. That's all there is really - we could stop here, in this very abstract and stupendously obvious fact, yet we'd be 100% correct about it. Everything else is unimportant - if the listener enjoys, that's fine; if they don't, that's fine they can must go f*ck themselves. I mean, when you say 'put your personal opinion aside', what's left is just this 'fact'.

 

If we put some more of this thing called 'personal opinion/judgement' to the mix, I would immediately say that Autechre's musical output is extraordinarily 'rich' (i.e., 'varying'), described by innovation, a tendency for not repeating themselves, a focus on music-making and sound-exploration as opposed to gimmicky/patended sound or relying to one-trick-pony music techniques or cliches, immense sonic craftsmanship and a high degree of originality. Booth and Brown have inspired many composers from various genres as well as musical instrument manufacturers; they are also known to receive a) massive praise as well as b) mixed feelings from the Receptors (press, fans, etc.). This latter point (b) proves once again the band's ingenuity (i.e., composers like Xenakis, John Cage are known for having caused such mixed reactions).

 

Whether Autechre are considered 'relevant anymore' to a 'larger cultural context' (i.e., whether they are still 'worthy of attention/respect' or not) is a problematic question that asks for an even more problematic range of answers. As I said in the previous post, the question is whether the receiving end is mature enough to postpone unnecessary criticism and appreciate the band's music. When you have magazines like Bitchdork in the year 2013 giving records a grade as if we're in primary school, it is very logical to assume that some part of this 'larger cultural context' is still highly immature and promotes immature critical thinking.

 

Anyway, I could go on. Nice topic.

I like this guy.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

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  • 2 weeks later...

they will be relevant to everyone who attends my funeral when i have someone play Altibzz, Nine, KryLon and Draun Quarter in de church of the chre.

PS this thread is relevant

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Guest blsked

I think Autechre will be remembered for their innovative dance music. Because that's all they're about. So you probably won't find an extra section about their music in a 2100 book about the history of music.

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I think Autechre will be remembered for their innovative Drug music. Because that's all they're about. So you probably won't find an extra section about their music in a 2100 book about the history of music.

fixed

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I think Autechre will be remembered for their innovative dance music. Because that's all they're about. So you probably won't find an extra section about their music in a 2100 book about the history of music.

 

Such books are just a reduction of pretty narrow Western tradition in itself. Yes, their music won't be sent into space as part of Humanity's greatest achievements, they're opposite to this. All this legacy bullshit exists for the fear of ultimate death.

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just throwing in my opinion here: I think Ae are more relevant than most other electronic musicians purely because they're always pushing the boundaries in their sound and techniques. They seem to be one of the most innovative out there. I know they keep surprising me with every new album. It's as if they're constantly evolving their sound and approach after each release. The fact that they use digital sound processes really well means that they have this excellent ability to keep up with not only how music can be pieced together today with modern technology/tools, but also making sure it has that distinct Ae style. I don't think many can pull this off so well.

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nobody can pull it off like they do. I can't think of a single electronic artist as consistently innovative as they are.

 

And I'm sure Arthur Schopenhauer agrees as well.

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