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

[jules]

 

hey rob, i am not sure if my question was missed or just skipped it, but i was curious about the untilted writing period. your ep's are always so dope and perfect, why was there no ep for untilted?

really dunno jules.

 

i think papers were saying we had been putting too much stuff out.

 

 

ha wow. thanks. my luck as that is my favorite release. oh well, at least i have the glasgow SOUNDBOARD

[Sean Ae]

 

When doing a remix, do you prefer to work purely with the source material, or do you prefer to take a snippet and build up around it?

 

What is your favorite remix you have done? (mine is HIA - Conoid Tone)

that was our first ever proper remix job.

 

 

the first would have been one of the d'breez ones i think

but the conoid tone was the first to be released

[Rob Ae]

 

 

Hey Rob,

 

I forgot to ask this essential question:

 

Do you already have a plan which countries to visit with the Exai tour (if there is the Exai tour)?

 

More specifically, anywhere in central Europe? Even more specifically the Czech Republic?

 

I know you were in Brno during the Oversteps tour but I don't know how successful it was for you and so if there's a possibility you would visit us again. I missed the show so I would love to have at least one more chance to experience your sonic-battering.

 

Thanks.

Brno was very successful imo. the place almost got trashed because we'd finished, wasn't acceptable.

 

 

So you are basically saying "yeah, we will definitely come this tour again, we will maybe even tour three to four Czech cities". Cool!

 

Seriously, how satisfied with the Czech Republic you were here? No problems with people and services compared to UK?

 

srsly. the ppl were great, welcome was warm, taxi prompt, laundry fine, but yeah they got really really pissed at us for stopping after 1.5 hrs.

[Guest rd1994]

Reposted: because I thought you missed em

hey there sorry multiple questions again
1. are you planning to release quaristice.quadrange and We R Are Why as CDs anytime time soon?
2.any memories of making gantz graf? anything you can tell us about making that track?
3.whats the deal with the near silence on most of your albums intro? something like a climax build up in a weird way?
4.are the hidden tracks on EP7 and LP5 titled? mind sharing the titles? if they don't have any care to make up someß
5.is oval moon (IBC mix) titlewise related to your pirate radio days? would you say it is from that era? sounds like it?
6.are you planning to do some more double albums in the near future? I really would like it
7.the scratching in Goz Quarter "live" recording or software emulation?
8. also I noticed that the main beat of Cipater reminds me of "godfather runnin the joint" by the good ol' james brown...coincidence?

Edited November 6, 2013 by rd1994

[Rob Ae]

Have you ever played a Casio PT10?

 

Do you enjoy much circuit bending? Toys, toy instruments in particular

 

Have you ever heard voices in your heads?

 

A lot of music (rock and dance in particular) emphasises certain kinds of energetic sounds - acid bass, distorted guitar, amen breaks, hard kicks, snares and so on - I notice that your music has a wide variety of sounds in this respect (as well as some of the ones already listed), including thin, small, clipped, reedy, distant sounding sounds (sounding sounds?) - do you intentionally avoid fetishising particular sound qualities at the expense of others, or is it that you get as much excitement from all kinds of sounds? Do you seek out variety in sound qualities?

i think its fair to say we have always fetishised sounds, the right ones.

 

i have a PT-7, really fly bit of portable.

[Guest Refund]

 

another question

 

does being signed to a major label like warp ever affect your ability to do things? like could you release stuff on other labels as AE, and could you decide to jet off somewhere and just do a lowbrow gig under a fake pseudonym?

 

is warp a major label now? when did that happen?

 

if we wanted out i'm p sure warp would let us go without too much of a fight

 

and gigs have nothing to do with warp we can do what we want

 

yeh, successful is probably the better term (as in, warp gets proper thorough distro)

 

I suppose what I was asking is, could you release a record on another label as ae, even while still being signed onto warp?

[Sean Ae]

I'll bump a couple of mine that may have been missed.

 

Interesting thoughts earlier on graff, angularity and architecture and how these influence musical aethetics! Do you like to think about these visual aesthetics when manipulating sound on a wave-form level? i.e. a saw wave can be said to look and sound saw-like, etc..?

Could you please name my Yamaha RS7000?

 

 

yeah waveforms sometimes look like they sound but not when they get more complex, at least to me

slower waveforms tho yeah def, and things like envelopes def have a tangible thing going on for me and my taste in visual shapes is similar to my taste in sound shapes, if that makes sense

 

your rs7000 is now called bartholemu

[Rob Ae]

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

horizontally or vertically?

[Guest WNS000]

 

 

 

Hey Rob,

 

I forgot to ask this essential question:

 

Do you already have a plan which countries to visit with the Exai tour (if there is the Exai tour)?

 

More specifically, anywhere in central Europe? Even more specifically the Czech Republic?

 

I know you were in Brno during the Oversteps tour but I don't know how successful it was for you and so if there's a possibility you would visit us again. I missed the show so I would love to have at least one more chance to experience your sonic-battering.

 

Thanks.

Brno was very successful imo. the place almost got trashed because we'd finished, wasn't acceptable.

 

 

So you are basically saying "yeah, we will definitely come this tour again, we will maybe even tour three to four Czech cities". Cool!

 

Seriously, how satisfied with the Czech Republic you were here? No problems with people and services compared to UK?

 

srsly. the ppl were great, welcome was warm, taxi prompt, laundry fine, but yeah they got really really pissed at us for stopping after 1.5 hrs.

 

 

You mean like really pissed? Wow, I thought you mean it like "very sad it's over, want more" but in a good way. I hope there was no booing.

 

So 1.5 hour just Ae or the whole show?

[Guest]

today for example i'm listening to a smart playlist which is sorted by bpm

 

 

haha! speeding up or slowing down?

[SUPiERo]

Hi, Sean and Rob. Please answer the following questions:
1. What hath made you most proud of? (track, album, or something other than music). And they would like to forget?
2. What is your favorite place on the planet?
3. Please give a name for my new home audio system
Thank you very much

[Sean Ae]

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

 

what do you mean, african or european swallow?

[Guest Frankie5fingers]

would love to hear your guys' thoughts on one of my favorite artists. Solar Fields, ever heard/listen to him? Aside from you two he's one of my biggest influences to making music.

[Sean Ae]

Have you ever played a Casio PT10?

 

Do you enjoy much circuit bending? Toys, toy instruments in particular

 

Have you ever heard voices in your heads?

 

A lot of music (rock and dance in particular) emphasises certain kinds of energetic sounds - acid bass, distorted guitar, amen breaks, hard kicks, snares and so on - I notice that your music has a wide variety of sounds in this respect (as well as some of the ones already listed), including thin, small, clipped, reedy, distant sounding sounds (sounding sounds?) - do you intentionally avoid fetishising particular sound qualities at the expense of others, or is it that you get as much excitement from all kinds of sounds? Do you seek out variety in sound qualities?

 

circuit bending happens a lot by mistake tbh, we were doing it years before anyone was using that term just by being curious

but nah i'm not one for collecting things that are 'good to bend' and then bending them, seems to be less fun than randomly finding things

 

really i dunno, we just like a variety of things i guess

[Rob Ae]

 

 

 

 

 

...And a good example track is Second Peng - i hear something like evil insectoid alien swarms there!

 

Man, Second Peng is one of the most positive and most motivating tracks I have ever heard - a space highway really. That said, your good/evil thing is absolutely super-subjective.

 

first of all, i probably misspeeched and didn't mean that Second Peng is "evil", it has humor, enegry and "fun" to it, i mentioned is as an example of "speaking music" - it has it's "evil" vibe, but in a fun way

 

secondly i am not implying that my seeing is objective - my subjectiveness is the reason i asked this question to the authors of the subject.

 

yeah we get ya,

 

this kind of evil fun - he can see the insects clearly.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VJK5YpMLZY

 

great example

 

he feels great and having lots of fun, that's for sure

 

http://coub.com/view/3j7oz8db

 

choice! i like how his eyes dart across as that bug flicks past him.

[lumpenprol]

 

 

Crystal Method are now doing an AMA on Reddit. Coincidence?

are they as realtime as us?

 

I didn't even bother opening the thread

 

i felt bad about being glib so i went back and read a bit. They seem like nice guys, but it's all pretty generic as it's being done more publicly rather than in their own private watering hole. Also they have an album to promote, apparently. They use more "!" than you guys.

[Sean Ae]

 

 

Hey Rob,

 

I forgot to ask this essential question:

 

Do you already have a plan which countries to visit with the Exai tour (if there is the Exai tour)?

 

More specifically, anywhere in central Europe? Even more specifically the Czech Republic?

 

I know you were in Brno during the Oversteps tour but I don't know how successful it was for you and so if there's a possibility you would visit us again. I missed the show so I would love to have at least one more chance to experience your sonic-battering.

 

Thanks.

Brno was very successful imo. the place almost got trashed because we'd finished, wasn't acceptable.

 

 

So you are basically saying "yeah, we will definitely come this tour again, we will maybe even tour three to four Czech cities". Cool!

 

Seriously, how satisfied with the Czech Republic you were here? No problems with people and services compared to UK?

 

 

comparing it to the uk might not tell you anything

it's not like the uk is perfect in any way

or even that good at all tbh

[Guest Refund]

just before you two go, I just want to say thanks for all the music, between:

 

aphex (lush melodies)
bogdan (homeless, and still pumping out amazing tunes)
and you guise (lush pads, slick percussion mulch)

you are 1/3 of the main reason I took the path to become a full time musician, and my life has been enriched as a result, so keep doing what you do.

[Sean Ae]

It's pretty well-known that you guys use MAX. I was wondering what some of the other languages you guys use are.

 

I'm a Linux head and tend to fiddle around with PD when I'm not using Renoise.

 

just c, used to use lisp a bit (kyma and symbolic composer), and as a kid i was all about bbc basic and dabbled with pascal

i don't even use c much since gen arrived tho

[Rob Ae]

Hello guys,

 

Firstly, very generous in subjecting yourselves to 5 days of WATMM ask anything.

 

Secondly, could either of you please fill the [blank] in below? Cheers.

 

You know society has lost all manner of sensibility when as an upstanding, law-abiding citizen you can no longer [blank] in public.

[wear farah's]

[poplock without smiling]

[make TIE Fighter sounds]

[triachus]

You are influenced by a lot of hip-hop, mainly 80's. Do hip-hop artist that listen to your music hear that influence? How do most hip-hop artist or fans react to your music?

 

 

Outkast praising Squarepusher, Kanye West sampling Aphex Twin... Were there ever any big rap/hip-hop names that approached you for collaborations/productions, or wanted to sample you (or have?)?

 

Any well-known rapper that you want to be approached by?

[joshuatxuk]

 

 

 

Crystal Method are now doing an AMA on Reddit. Coincidence?

are they as realtime as us?

 

I didn't even bother opening the thread

 

i felt bad about being glib so i went back and read a bit. They seem like nice guys, but it's all pretty generic as it's being done more publicly rather than in their own private watering hole. Also they have an album to promote, apparently. They use more "!" than you guys.

 

 

Reading that is like being around a crowd of people I would never, ever actively hang out with and have nothing to talk about, but there's free beer and everyone's friendly so it's ok, just very dull.

[Moon]

The Stereolab remix is awesome, how did it come about? Are you fans of theirs or did they approach you or what?

[pyramidpanes]

hey, you forgot to answer this & reckon u could name my juno 6 & korg delta? thx!

 

Hey Sean & Rob! just wondering if you would be interested in doin something here next summer? -

 

briefly it's a sculpture park in a car park in south london which has been havin some increaseingly aural based projects, (acoustically it sounds amazing like a echo chamber) im a visual artist but in close contact with the organisers, would b mental if you did something & could be any project/experiment u guys have been wanting to do but having got round to doin,-

 

anyway some links - http://boldtendencies.com & http://lcmf.co.uk/ (just realised its called London Contemporary Music Festival)

 

give me a shout if you would b interested or need anymore info, is this the best way to contact u about it? lol

 

ps would be happy to send you guys a small artwrk/painting to say thanks for the soundtrack over the years, peace!

[Guest WNS000]

 

 

 

Hey Rob,

 

I forgot to ask this essential question:

 

Do you already have a plan which countries to visit with the Exai tour (if there is the Exai tour)?

 

More specifically, anywhere in central Europe? Even more specifically the Czech Republic?

 

I know you were in Brno during the Oversteps tour but I don't know how successful it was for you and so if there's a possibility you would visit us again. I missed the show so I would love to have at least one more chance to experience your sonic-battering.

 

Thanks.

Brno was very successful imo. the place almost got trashed because we'd finished, wasn't acceptable.

 

 

So you are basically saying "yeah, we will definitely come this tour again, we will maybe even tour three to four Czech cities". Cool!

 

Seriously, how satisfied with the Czech Republic you were here? No problems with people and services compared to UK?

 

 

comparing it to the uk might not tell you anything

it's not like the uk is perfect in any way

or even that good at all tbh

 

 

Well, yeah I mean, we were de facto a soviet republic so differences are definitely there. But I am not idealising UK.