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

[th555]

Seeing as quite a few electronic musicians are collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto and stuff like that, what are your thoughts on incorporating the piano in your work?

--or electronic music in general

Edited November 5, 2013 by th555

[Rob Ae]

as in, looks like this:

 

sorry refund, whats this one in ref to? missed the gist

[Frank Poole]

Hey guys! Love the music!

 

I'd like to know if there's any truth to this quote about an ep someone tried to pass off as one of your own.

 

http://www.beatport.com/release/sil-taper-sto-lend-ep/286401

 

What does tie this EP to Autechre themselves (other that it sorta does sound like them) is that some of the sounds where recycled from programed beats that were left on Roland R8 drum machine after a Warp event. Sean Booth & Rob Brown actually borrowed equipment from Derek Marin for the live show Autechre performed at a Blech party in NYC & in the process left beats on the machine. The beats were later used to create some of this recording.

 

You guys are amazing. Please come back to NYC at some point. I bought tickets to your Brooklyn show during the Quaristice tour and ended not being able to go. I'm still crying about it.

[Guest MastaN8]

It's fair to say you enjoy 70's/80's German electronic with kraftwek laying some foundations for 80's hip hop... Do you like anything coming out of Germany now? Ie modeselektor/apparat/siriusmo?

[Guest Refund]

 

as in, looks like this:

 

sorry refund, whats this one in ref to? missed the gist

 

np

 

I just mentioned that I'd hex edited the ugly grey tiled 'demo' screen from the nord g2 demo (aka limited software only version) to a blank background, I've done the VA screen and should have time to get the FX screen done by monday, just curious if you wanted a copy when its done.

 

edit: just for clarification, this demo version doesn't need any hardware and just spits sound outta yr soundcard, unlike (to my understanding) the full version where you need the g2 plugged in.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Refund

[Sean Ae]

When you found out that the Skinny Puppy remix album you were going to be on would feature 50% nu-metal is that when you guys decided to make a very abstract/noisy skinny puppy remix?

 

nah we had no idea what the rest was gonna be like

it was just weird, we didn't get any parts we just had this cd sent to us, and the track wasn't our thing at all, and we had been messing with soundedit a lot so we thought it would be fun to chuck it into soundedit and see what came out the other end

is prob the weirdest mix we've ever done tho

[kausto]

how do you get rid of a hangover?

[th555]

this is aeriffic

[Goiter Sanchez]

Hello Sean and Rob. Just a few quick (hopefully) questions:

1 - Would either of you consider setting up and/or teaching a University course or lecture in any context if approached to do so?

2 - Were Autechre directly involved with the acapella cover version of 'Gnit' found on this Luaka Bop compilation?

http://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Only-Blip-Hop-Record-You-Will-Ever-Need-Vol-1/release/2138139

3 - Have any artists or labels you produced a remix for been like "WTF?!" upon receiving it? I'd be especially interested to know what Skinny Puppy thought of the remix you produced for them.

4 - Have either of you heard any of the experimental music of Canadian inventor Hugh Le Caine? For whatever reason he seems rarely mentioned in early electronic music circles. He made this track in the 1950's from a recording of a single drop of water:

 

 

Thanks! :)

[cebec]

are you guys running your custom software during your .ws shows to manipulate the audio or is it all traditional mixing, etc.?

[Sean Ae]

alien transmission sound design was ben burtt

 

never knew this, awesome

[ascdi]

This thread is so good. Much appreciation

 

1. Any further thoughts on Brian Eno? I'm sure everyone knows the classics, but what I am finding is that even his more obscure stuff is amazing (90s stuff in particular). Just curious if you are `aware` of his stuff (as most people probably are) or actually `follow` it more closely.

 

2. Any thoughts on all the super-hand-holding audio software coming out these days? I'm thinking maybe the weird "automatic drummer" feature in Logic X or things like that. On one hand, I can see you guys laughing and then forgetting about it, but on the other hand, maybe it's exciting to see how far you can abuse something that is clearly intended as a toy/for novices only.

 

I haven't used that plugin myself, I just find it frustrating that all the tech that goes into making the lamest fucking software lately. Like, just open that up a little more and beginners AND experts could really have some fun with it.

[Sean Ae]

would you guys be willing to give out BPM values for some of the tracks on Oversteps?

 

no problem in principle but i don't have the files on here

but yeah later sometime, bug me about it

[awepittance]

 

When you found out that the Skinny Puppy remix album you were going to be on would feature 50% nu-metal is that when you guys decided to make a very abstract/noisy skinny puppy remix?

 

nah we had no idea what the rest was gonna be like

it was just weird, we didn't get any parts we just had this cd sent to us, and the track wasn't our thing at all, and we had been messing with soundedit a lot so we thought it would be fun to chuck it into soundedit and see what came out the other end

is prob the weirdest mix we've ever done tho

 

nice, macromedia soundedit for old mac? You guys ever use Hyperprism around that time too?

[olo]

how do you get rid of a hangover?

 

Sprite. something in it helps nullify the toxins. Pedialyte as well.

Or, hair of the dog.

[Rob Ae]

Hi,

 

Were you using both the g2 and the lead rack on the same tours. Previously, I thought it was one or the other.

 

What role does the g2 play? I only have the g1 and rack but they are both so special. Even now after many years I cannot get enough of them. You seem to share the same love. General thoughts on the nords?

 

You seem to stay focussed on a certain set of gear for each project/tour/lp - but do you also keep a room full of gear around for general fun?

 

Being into early hip-hop, do you find it hard to not fetish the eps, s900/950, sp1200, etc. - you both seem to do a good job of staying on focus and not getting too nostalgic - or does that happen behind the scenes?

 

speaking of the eps, did you use the asr much - seems most of the use was the eps. i have the eps classic and oh how i longed for a 16+ back in the day!

 

Thanks for your time!

we had the eps16+ kbd then the asr10s rack. rinsed them both.

 

we didn't really want any akai samplers for some reason american samplers like EMU seemed better architecture/OS, no money and owning an ensoniq was better. never got hold of a SP12/00. by the time they were more available, we had the EPS, and because they were so much deeper, with hardly any gear it was a functional choice.

 

sean used the nord rack on his side, i used the modular on my side, for a few tours starting with the first models around 2001 then the second models later on.

how do you get rid of a hangover?

fresh air, or games

this is aeriffic

 

this is aeriffic

yeah dope, i like the HF usage

[Sean Ae]

 

 

What kind/model bicycles do y'all ride these days?

ah i sold mine when i moved about a year ago

was a marin nail trail, hard tail thing, p good, light but a bit stiff

 

might get something more roady soon tho

Yeah I recommend you go one of two extremes, super leet (read Elite) £1000 carbon fiber road warrior like maybe Rob your Haro is fashioned, or look for something from the 60's-70's, road, and spend the money on components like dérailleur, the latter being one of my favorite things to do...Raleigh in particular is a tank of a machine and surprisingly light sometimes even being made of steel from the 60's...

 

Re: Tempest 2000

 

I dunno actually, I was gonna ask you!

 

 

cheers yeah i was thinking steel again, the frame i had before was steel and i dunno why i even switched, i just assumed i would be able to hop higher but wasn't really true

[awepittance]

 

would you guys be willing to give out BPM values for some of the tracks on Oversteps?

 

no problem in principle but i don't have the files on here

but yeah later sometime, bug me about it

 

if you could be so kind to provide just the bpms for these when you get a chance:

 

redfall

known(1)

O=0

yuop

 

thanks for giving me the go-ahead to bug you about it

[Sam]

^ have to listen to "IO" after watching that vid

[Sean Ae]

What where you thinking about when making SURRIPERE?

Is there a main topic in Oversteps like space or deep sea?

Do you play the releases to close friends to see if they like them before you release them?

 

for me oversteps is about memory

but i'm not gonna say much more than that

[Herr Jan]

Were you aware of the fact that there was a whole course on a university in the US mainly about Autechre? Weekly homework consisted of studying a few albums at a time. It was posted on watmm a few years ago, but for the ones who haven't seen it yet, I attached the syllabus.

MUS109Syllabus.pdf

[Sean Ae]

You seem to enjoy playing with the CD medium - the hidden squelches at the end of Drane2, track '0' on EP7 (of which, does it have a name ?), the near silence for the first 20 secs of Draft7.30. Is there any other 'tricks' you'd like to do or has the popularity of this sort of thing gone now ?

 

 

ah yes, that popular trick silence

 

you have to watch those silent people, always trying to trick you with their silence

[jules]

when working with tdr, do they give you formal presentations on their thoughts about the art they produced according to your guidelines or is it more of a PDF back and forth collab of sorts?

[Rob Ae]

Thanks for doing this marathon, it's practically a full time job just keeping up.

 

I wonder about your approach to playing live. It would be cool if you could say something about your practical experiences regarding these issues:

 

- prepared material vs on the spot inspiration

- long buildups of layered dynamics vs abrupt cuts into something new

- playing together, surprising each other, leading, following

- letting the gear/prepared materials surprise you

- repeating "rehearsed" stuff vs going into unknown territory

- fear of failure

- how "modular" are the different prepared parts, with regards to allowing new combinations (rhythms, harmonies, mixing wise)

- other aspects?

- prep a system, partly material partly conditions with room for on the spot adaptation , appropriate control

- both really

- yeah

- finding things, not really surprises

- unknown territory, but i will try to nail a previous nights near miss the next time

- wouldn't turn up if so - hahah

-

-

[Guest Letryps]

Trying to keep it short....

I discovered you 2 years ago for the first time. Imagine that.

I listened to your album Oversteps and couldn`t relate much. Then i read

and interview where someone mentioned Incunabula. Now this i really liked!

 

When you where unknown, did you ever feel like you don`t exactly know

where the whole thing is heading and ask yourself how much time you would invest in making music

(which you need to take out of your "real" life) if no one was listening?

Asking cause sometimes i feel bad if i don`t make-practice music-making all the time even if not many people are listening to my things.

 

thats it.