Autechre live - what are the essential recordings?

As any Ae fan knows the group is a different beast live, often playing sets which barely seem to touch on their studio material. Given how good some of what I've heard is, I've been trying to construct sort of an "alternate timeline" of Autechre via their live recordings. I've just been poking around the early stuff so far, trying to find at least one quality recording from each year. I know some of you are collectors so maybe you could help out a bit. I don't have much yet, here's what I have so far:

1993 - Oscillate, Birmingham: sort of an ambient techno set, sounds like they're either sampling or taking over for The Orb in the beginning.

1994 - not much, but there's an excellent version of "Kalpol Introl" that lasts 11 minutes here

1995 - Stormy Waters: fairly short but sweet.

1996 - Flex, Vienna: this is what got me started on this, a long evolving piece that eventually ends in a fantastic (and long) version of "Eutow"

after that...?

In general I'm looking mostly for stuff with good sound quality. The bootleg-level stuff where you can hear the conversations in the crowd aren't as interesting to me. Anyone got recommendations in particular?

I don't have my full Ae list to hand, but off the top of my head, the Coachella set around 1999, NYC or Toronto 2001, Glasgow Art School 2005, Melbourne 2010. And obviously their official live releases from 2014-5, of which I like the Dublin, Grafenhainichen and Katowice sets.
When I get home later I will see if there's anything in my collection worth mentioning.

Glasgow Art School 2005

i was at this and didn't enjoy it.

listened to it a few years later and thought it was great

I was at Melbourne 2010, loved it, got home and found someone had recorded it in brilliant quality about ten feet from where I stood. Felt like the universe spoke to me.

Milton Parker to thread please

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU7-yr70ntw&t=763s

classic

https://youtu.be/pU7-yr70ntw

Autechre - Live - Quirky - Brixton - 16. 06. 1994

Peel Sessions 2 - Drane

Coachella 1999 is ok, good sound quality, mostly not too far removed from the studio stuff although there's a couple of tracks in the middle I can't place. Starts off with a pen expers/vangelis (or vangelis-like) mashup and ends with a killer mashup of blifil & microphone fiend, the moment when the vocal kicks in at 3:20 is sweeeet.

Hemsby 2007 is great:

https://www.mixcloud.com/keyfumbler/autechre-hemsby-england-2007/

The thing at the start of the Coachella set is actually the theme from Cosmos, Carl Sagan's version obv.

To pick a set per year from the stuff I have ...
1991 IBC Pirate Radio
1993 Bonds Oscillate
1995 Stormy Waters
1996 Club Flex
1997 Radio Mix (promo release)
1998 Bowery Ballroom NYC
1999 Coachella (Warp 10 is maybe better but not soundboard as requested)
2000 Kriegstanz radio mix, or Sonar, Barcelona (rough quality but the only live from 2000 I have)
2001 so much to choose from, only soundboard is Toronto I think, these sets were great
2003 lots of radio sets, only live is ATP Camber Sands which is also a mix set (but nuts)
2005 Glasgow Art School (an all time great listen)
2006 both Dublin and Zaragoza sound pretty rough (and similar set to the 2005 Glasgow)
2007 Hemsby, Pontin's Holiday Park is the only soundboard (and great)
2008 quite a few but all rough quality - there is an "Amni" remaster of Echoplex in LA which sounds good
2009 only a mix set from Radio Nova
2010 so so many, Melbourne is my sentimental favourite and also sounds best, no soundboards
2011-13 don't have anything
2014-15 obviously official releases crush other options for sound quality - can't remember which I love the most, they're all available for listen on Bleep anyway and worth buying I think
2016 I know there are recordings but I slacked off and haven't sourced them yet.

ATP Camber Sands which is also a mix set (but nuts)

That was the best night of dancing I ever had. Billed as gescom but it was just rob & sean, sean sat under the desk.

How long is your version of that? Mine's only 29:59, I know they played a hell of a lot longer.

same, alas

I would also rep pretty hard for the autechre.ws 12+ hour broadcast mixes they did for the last few album releases, and similar sets for XLtronic back in the day. I learned a lot of interesting stuff from their choices, really tuned my ear for the hip-hop heart of even quite abstract Ae.

Oh yeah - the Autechre ATP was a highly swell weekend.

Is braunld's first one IP there the 1991 Bojangles vid? It won't play.

Of course that and the Quirky set ruled off-side in the OP for being room audio with crowd noises.

should maybe clarify that a bit, these don't need to necessarily be soundboards. the Quirky set is about the lower bound of what I'm looking for, if only cuz the music is so good. I have another from 94 (Fuse, I think?) which is similar, but the crowd is sometimes louder than the band.

Also for an "alternate history" approach, the fan-made "Laxir" remix compilation is 5 discs' worth from about 1993 to 2010 and evolves in many of the same ways their own material did.

my first try was the Quirky set. the Bojangles '91 vid is def inferior (sound-wise) as I recall, lots of crowd noise and incessant whistles. I've got an mp3 of the Quirky '94 set on my mp3 player, it's well-listenable (for the music)

https://youtu.be/rX8NMaGEs6g
Autechre @ Tavastia, Helsinki FIN, 14.11.2016 -- this is an audience recording of their most recent set, haven't checked lately (there are others) but it's pretty decent.

Of course there's MCR Quarter on the Japanese release of Confield, recorded live in Manchester 1998. Rest of the set is pretty good, minimal crowd noise, mostly EP7 stuff but strays a bit more from the studio than Coachella.

Zurich 2001 on the Japanese Untilted otoh is something of a bad joke.

Was at that 1999 Coachella set, coming down off some potent acid. The set was them shuffling around a ton of DACs if I recall, a weird hybrid DJ/live set and unique to any other show I've seen them do. The Vangelis bit mashed up with the Pen Expers beats was Movement 3 the Heaven and Hell LP and was indeed the same tune used for Cosmos.

It's been a while since I heard the recording but I recall they dropped Glitch from Amber and Second Bad Vilbel... Lots of great bits and pieces from Confield/EP7/Peel2 era.

I also vaguely recall they peaked the speakers so badly at one point, I thought they busted the damn stack. I'm sure a small bit of my tinnitus is because of that.

Back when that was my only Ae live recording and I was wayyy into them, I identified most of the tracks on that set. And yeah, early in the first or second track there is something which sounds like a vocal sample that cuts in for 3-4 second, literally triple the volume of what was going on in the track, and I have to dive for the volume control. Must have been a glitch, ha.

1 Cosmos Theme / Pen Expers (version)
2 Glitch
3 ISS::SA
4 Gescom/Hecker - Itiso161/Ae
5 unknown
6 ccec
7 unknown
8 Bike
9 Gelk
10 Gelk (cont'd)
11 Tangle Ill
12 Blifil / Microphone Fiend
13 unknown
14 Second Bad Vilbel
15 Gaekwad
16 Remix of '8'

They did some really wicked stuff in the beginning of their set in Denver 2015, at the Bluebird Theater. Basically a variation on the set (intro/first part) that comprises all of the official AE_LIVE recordings, but it's this unreal sort of warping and re-ordering of the sound events.. kind of hard to explain, I have a recording of it but it's very quiet. I'll mess around w/it in Audacity to see if I can normalise it or make it more presentable. Really, really fuckin wicked. I wish they documented more of the US tour, the set was well-honed by that point, the show was truly awesome.

Meanwhile, pendulu hv moda is top elseq material. There ought to be a poll

https://archive.org/details/AutechreOneSixTour-BudapestHU-07-11-16
https://youtu.be/7Lm5e39CPb4

another recording of the post- "AE_LIVE" set.. this might be better quality than the Helsinki recording.

Glasgow 2005 wowowowowowow

feels like discovering a hidden LP between Untilted and Quaristice

I'd never heard Live at Flex Vienna 2/15/1996 before. This is incredible, really didn't expect something this good this far back.

might as well put the link here https://youtu.be/watch?v=pSnkEqbnHhE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2BBmb_0B0k

v good quality (room recording) from Sept. 30 (2024) ... excellent 👌

These recent sets (during the last several months) have been the most straightforward & "banging" (hip hop-esque) expositions--moreso than pretty much everything documented during the last decade.

The audio quality of the Oslo set above (apologies for the double post) is so good that you can hear the fucked up, ep7-esque creak & groan (granular splintering) going on in between the more pronounced percussion sounds (see around 30 minutes into the set)

This is primo Ae. It's unreal

I saw them in 97, so not long after that first video. And I'm seeing them next year (for the tenth time!), not long after the second. I'll check them both out tomorrow.

really wish they would do some North American dates sometime in the not-too-distant future, I haven't managed to see them since they were touring for oversteps.

This '96 show, wtffffff

The metric modulation jeeeeez.

Oscillate 94 + 95 recordings here: https://www.oscillate.club/1993-1996/

I wish I could remember more about the one show I saw here way back when. 2005? 2001? Earlier? Honestly I mostly remember being really tired!

yeah holy shit at '96 Vienna

'96 is indeed banging. '24 for the most part feels to me more like percussive ambient. even when the beat becomes more propulsive they don't hold on to it long enough for it to qualify as 'banging'. the '15 live era was more energetic and coherent than this.

The Sydney '23 show that was going around last year was definitely banging. But that was the first time I actually listened to an AE bootleg, I've stuck to the albums otherwise.

Ironically we were seated in Sydney

'24 for the most part feels to me more like percussive ambient

I was halfway through my second listen when I posted this, to be fair the last 2/5 of the set is fucking banging.

on tour late summer/fall (Europe in August, North America in October, UK in November)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGiq2UAIf1-/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

autechre coming to my town the day before my birthday, I am happy

Shit

Might have to hoof it up for the Philly show

Chicago!! hell right!!!

Just when I thought I was totally over live music… Haven’t anticipated an event this much since slowdive reunited.

Can't believe they are actually coming to Austin, I'm in

frogbs, I've never even heard of Outset. You know it?

Thank god they are playing Birmingham AL...

...

Outset is a new-ish place with a dubious reputation as far as sound and sight lines go (and promotor, iirc) but I've never been. Down the street from Salt Shed.

nah, never heard of it, Chicago's about 2 1/2 hours from me so I don't go often, but for Ae I'll make an exception

lol I literally just described what I've heard of it. About 750 capacity.

So the presale is ... tomorrow?

great...I might have to go anyhow. why is it on a monday. ugh.

wish they were playing the Midway instead of the Regency Ballroom here in SF.

I saw them last week, posted about it on the classic or dud thread - in short see them if you can.

Hard to do with the lights off.

Excited for Minneapolis! Do Ae sell merch? Do you have to feel around for it? Probably only effective for LP5 and the EP box

They have merch online so I'd be surprised if they didn't bring any there.

Curious what wax they'd have on hand, probably just Sign/Plus, but I'd love to get a copy of Oversteps/Move of Ten if they had any extras of those lying around

pretty sure they had records in '22 but I don't know what, didn't look at the merch stand this time.

I'd be surprised if there was anything there you couldn't get elsewhere

hmm I might hit up mpls

OK, so the presale is in about 30 minutes, and there is still no code or anything that's been emailed out ...

Nuts that they’re playing Icehouse in MPLS, figured they’d max out a much larger venue than thst

xp if you find one, please share!

The venue choice in Chicago is odd, too. Last time they were here they played Metro, which is not only a little bit bigger than this new place, but is historically aligned with electronic/dance/club/house/beats.

Presale started, no code sent yet ...

twentytwentyfiveae worked

Seems to be TWENTYTWENTYFIVE or TWENTYTWENTYFIVEAE for most shows

fwiw ends up being $50 a ticket. $35 each plus bullshit.

“Twentyfive” worked for me

Surprisingly affordable ticket price, all things considered

Shocked the presale code was not like ixl23_stent25

Not even on the show listings for the Seattle venue.

not seeing how to get the presale for Chicago, the Ticketmaster link just acknowledges that it exists but doesn't have a link or anything.

oh well, guess I'll just take my chances tomorrow

Am I killfiled or something? The presale code was twentytwentyfiveae in Chicago, might be closed now. (fwiw, the official email with the presale came 25 minutes after the presale started.)

Josh, can you share the artist presale link? Thank you!

lol it's ixl23_stent25

? My ticketmaster page doesn't give me an option to plug in a code. I'm assuming I need the actual link they emailed out?

TWENTYTWENTYFIVE worked for me in Toronto - Thank you!

bought my tickets for Montreal, somehow my girlfriend decided she wants to come with me despite generally not liking autechre whenever I play it in the house, I wonder if she'll regret it

TWENTYTWENTYFIVEAE was the code I got

My ticketmaster page doesn't give me an option to plug in a code. I'm assuming I need the actual link they emailed out?

Can't tell who is being serious, but in the off chance, I believe the presale is now closed, at least here.

Ah, didn't realize it was only an hour. No wonder. Tomorrow it is.

sales still open for LA. thanks for the code silverfish!

there are also locations that don't go on sale until tomorrow

Got seated balcony tix for SF. Sound will probably be better on the floor, but I'll enjoy the show more.

that code worked for Brooklyn. Got 2 tickets, came to about $60 each with all the fees.

I'll also be at the SF show. Looking forward to it! Been way too long since their last visit

Ned's going too - I moot an SF ILX pre-show FAP

It must be done. (I'm on the floor.)

It must be done. (I'm on the floor.)

I got my tickets!

I couldn't get Mpls tickets yesterday and it seems to be sold out. :(

Brooklyn show already sold out (?) at 10 am... wtf

Look like Chicago sold out. Makes sense, it's been a decade since these guys toured here, and they are not playing particularly big venues.

literally only two seats left in the balcony for the Toronto show, get on it folks

Yeah, I tried Chicago too. Got one for Detroit — never been there and seems like an appropriate place to see them, so I'll make a little trip of it.

Chicago must've sold out yesterday or more or less immediately. I tried and was denied within seconds.

ugh, fucking sucks. i missed the presale by like 2 minutes too.

oh cool there's a ton on resale sites for $300, fuck this

autechre are our taylor swift

Lol, when thinking about how I’d explain getting AE tix to coworkers or whoever, my exact thought was “they’re my taylor swift”

Look for tix the week of. October is a long way away, and if people are already selling tickets then those are likely bots or scalpers that will have to get rid of their inventory. And if those are real people, few people know for sure what they are doing in 9 months, so some of them will be selling, too.

NYC, Philly, and Boston all sold out instantly but I managed a Detroit ticket. I'm with you, NJS, seems like a fitting place to see them.

Edit: Goddamn I went to post this and got the "Other messages have been posted since you last looked..." message and immediately went in to panic mode as if I had once again clicked "Purchase Tickets" only to see that they were sold out.

Man if you were to tell me in 2002 this was the general vibe wrt to getting tickets for them I'd have been shocked. Hell I was shocked the last show here was sold out. Previously it was just some niche super nerdy event.

It seems like everything just sells out here these days, one way or another. There was some act I wanted to see a year or two ago. I got a press release listing the local show as sold out, and the venue said sold out, but iirc you could still buy tickets through the venue link and there were literally dozens of tickets on secondary for less than $10. It's all just a frustrating shell game, at least in the US. How are things looking elsewhere? Out of curiosity I looked at the Leeds AE gig, and there are still tickets, though it says "selling fast." Still, that means it wasn't an instant sell out.

If anyone's going to Bristol, UK in November, holler at me

Look for tix the week of. October is a long way away, and if people are already selling tickets then those are likely bots or scalpers that will have to get rid of their inventory. And if those are real people, few people know for sure what they are doing in 9 months, so some of them will be selling, too.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, February 28, 2025 11:07 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

true it's just a matter of knowing where to find these things. I mean lets face it this is a band whose fanbase now skews a little older and when that's the case there are always folks who can't go. but idk where those people put their tickets up, I feel like the best place would be an Autechre Facebook group or something

Yeah where are middle-aged AE fans sharing cringe idm memes, that's where you want to be

Yeah, I'd say an AE facebook group, maybe, or some other place that can be verified. AE reddit seems pretty engaged. Cashortrade.org might be a good choice closer to the date, or maybe tickpick. The high prices I see scream scalpers, not real persons, especially in February for an October show, so I bet you'll be OK, it's just too early right (literally the day tickets go on sale). Of course, I personally hate uncertainty, makes me anxious, so I hear you.

huh, apparently the watmm forum is shutting down soon. I would imagine it’s still the same people chatting about aphex and autechre for the last twenty years

that's quite sad... is it due to lack of activity?

decline in activity, the guy doesn't want to run it any more, or hand it over. does seem a bit of a shame, it's where autechre did their ama, right?

yes, an amazing moment that

Watmm is going to shut down, but a 'surrogate' forum is being set up. It's called Keyosc.com and will go live in april. It'll be a proper continuation of Watmm.

oh man, end of an era. is watmm going to stay up in read-only mode? gotta be some real gems in those old posts...

yeah - any mention of archiving or transferring past threads/discussions over to the new forum?

69k Total Topics
2.1m Total Posts

this doesn't seem too bad, like it would be scrapeable

Watmm user Ego did a thorough job scraping the forum. I think he managed to get most of it and it's already browsable/downloadable at https://watmm-archive.com/
I believe it will be a integrated part of Keyosc in time.

Btw, the 'decline in activity' is simply not true. I know this was stated as an argument by the site admin, but activity was pretty continuous through the years.

looks like some more tickets got released if you're on their mailing list! I got one for Chicago, don't miss out!!

or maybe not? looks like the venue was moved hence more tickets being available. so hop on that if you didn't before. more shows added too.

DC show added big tix not avail yet!

But

late show added to Brooklyn Steel on 10/25. Just got two tix with the pre-sale code AEACCESSPRE. I so hyped rn I'm floating at work.

^ thank you! Just got mine as well.

Show in ... less than a month? Who is going to be in Chicago? Looks like reasonable prices on secondary, for those that missed out.

I'll be at the 10/9 show in SF

10/29 in Washington

10/22 in Toronto, maybe the most excited I've been for a show this year

tried to buy 2 tickets to montreal date and sent 80$ via interac etransfer to a scammer :(

in fairness to me, their pfp looked like that of an autechre fan so i didn’t question it or investigate further

Wow. That sucks hard. Any recourse from a card provider, bank etc?

10/22 in Toronto, maybe the most excited I've been for a show this year

Yeah I haven’t seen them in at least 15 years if not longer, and I’ve been following how their live shows have evolved. Hope I’m not getting too high expectations of transcendence.

Xp nah basically a “this one’s on you” situation

It's possibly been 15 years for me, too, if not longer. Not looking for or expecting transcendence, tbh, just hoping my older body and ears can take standing in the dark late at night being unable to talk to my buddy.

10/22 in Toronto, maybe the most excited I've been for a show this year

Most excited I’ve been for a show in almost ten years. There are v few music events that still feel important on a personal level, and I’m glad I’m getting the opportunity to experience this, even if it’s not transcendent or anything (though it’d be nice if it was)

standing in the dark late at night

i went to an autechresque live electronic music show where the music was very heady not at all danceable but it was standing only, and it kinda detracted from the experience. i feel like there should be a seating option

I'll be at the 10/9 show in SF

That makes two of us!

I'll be seeing them in Vancouver very soon. Didn't get tickets initially because it sold out pretty quick but a friend is selling me his which is a blessing.

I've got two tickets to the Detroit show on Tuesday 10/17 that I'm looking to sell for face value + processing fees. My email receipt tells me that's $88 for two tickets. I wound up buying two tickets to the second NYC show when they announced those, as the date and location are better for me. Hmu if you're interested!

thanks for bumping the thread. I'd put a reminder in my notes, not my calendar, and just panicked when I couldn't find an email receipt or anything for the Minneapolis show. Looks like the Eventbrite website says I have a ticket, though. October really snuck up on me.

I'll be at the Montreal show, day before my birthday, can't wait. Haven't seen them since they toured for quaristice

Trying to decide whether or not I’m going to the DC show

go

Seattle show sold out so hard to bots on presale that the three tall white guys that queued up separately at the box office an hour before opening the next day got nothing

tbf it was only three minutes before it was due to open, they just made us wait to tell us to fuck off and go to work

Looks like you can get tix for around $50:

https://www.tickpick.com/buy-tickets/7062742?track=true

wish i could make that denver show. how did i not know earlier they were touring... getting patchier about following these things.

Okay looks like they just announced further support spots (beyond Mark Broom, presumably) for individual dates. Looks like Portland and SF are getting Cygnus:

https://cygnusat.bandcamp.com/

I got the email about the further supports and some of the dates were crossed out which at first I thought meant they were cancelled which scared the shit outta me but I figured it meant they’re sold out

was happy to see nnirror added to the michigan date, that’s good stuff

https://evel.bandcamp.com/album/destory

Never heard of Mark Broom or the opener for Washington. But nothing will beat hearing (for the first time for me) Nourished By Time opening for Dry Cleaning.

Mark Broom is great, classic hardgroove techno producer and DJ

Who is Deep Glens?

Deep Glans

cube is a great opener

looks like Deep Glens is a Minneapolis studio guy who has his own project doing max/msp type stuff. Seems like a good fit: https://www.wooo.media/features/building-your-own-friends-with-deep-glens

Ooo Deep Glens is sick, I first heard him because Autechre dropped his tracks in their BBC 6 residency last December.

Tickets are WIll Call Only - Non Transferable - PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE FROM ANY RESELLER. They will not be honored.

does anybody know what this means?

uhh, seems pretty clear to me, what part are you confused about

I am also unsure, unless you're not used to "will call" which means there probably aren't physical tickets and you will just have to say your name and maybe show a form of id that matches the name that purchased the tickets at the entry

Also it means no tickets on your phone I think too.

to me i had trouble understanding the relationship between "will call" and not purchasing a secondhand ticket. like, if there's somebody in my city who can't make it, and wants to sell it to me, is the venue saying we're both SOL?

yeah seems like it

lame

Actually, that confuses me, too. Not even the many vetted secondary sites? It might vary from city to city, too, based on laws. I think Illinois, for example, has no limits on resale. And my tickets are on my phone.

It might vary from city to city, too, based on laws.

Probably. But it seems like, wherever possible, they (Autechre) want you to purchase your ticket online and then show up at the venue box office on the night with photo ID in order to claim it.

okay. that makes sense to me. i guess if it's done to ward of scalpers, i can get behind it, although it's annoying because i only heard about the show yesterday and it's already sold out. maybe i will just try to sneak in

ftr i do remember will call from when i was a little kid, but it seems to me like it's been a while since it's been the norm

that was the ad hoc standard at my favorite local music venue up until they shut down in 2020 (rip). if you allow pre-sales and it's a small venue, it's just not worth doing physical tickets at all. I think you could email or call and ask for your ticket to be transferred, though

the non-transferable thing isn't usual, but it's definitely autechre doing an "absolutely no scalping" thing

From this happening again and again, I want to say Illinois, New York and Colorado (?) are the most free for all, no restrictions on resale states, which is bullshit and why tickets by any means are so fucking expensive here. Hell, there have been some shows I've scoped out recently that cost *more* on secondary than from the venue or Ticketmaster or whatever.

isn't that ... the whole business model of scalping

I think Josh is getting at the fact the tickets are on secondary markets for more money, even before the comparable tickets have sold out on the official channel

ah. well anyway, yeah i agree it's outrageous and really frustrating. i don't see as much live music at "official" venues as some here, but anytime i interact with these companies it's incredibly dispiriting

Yeah, like here is Kathleen Edwards at Lincoln Hall, direct:

https://lh-st.com/shows/10-29-2025-kathleen-edwards/

Not sold out, $39.50, all in.

And here's the same show at Stubhub:

https://www.stubhub.com/kathleen-edwards-chicago-tickets-10-29-2025/event/158939980/?quantity=1

One ticket left ... $12,596, all in (wtf!?)

Fortunately, there is competition at Tickpick:

https://www.tickpick.com/buy-kathleen-edwards-tickets-lincoln-hall-10-29-25-8pm/7265211/

Only $84, all in! A bargain, compared to $12,506.

Not even the many vetted secondary sites?

Vetted by whom?

this topic is utterly engrossing

Vetted as in proven reliable, with recourse. Relatively speaking, of course. As opposed to facebook marketplace or craigslist, where it's just people selling stuff privately.

But I have my tickets, so your call, not mine.

c reider, one of the local openers, and I follow each other on Mastodon -- says a good time was had at the show the other night he played at and added: "autechre’s new set is very heavy and intense." Works for me!

i’m at the venue 😎

Awww yeeeeah

I visited the venue they are playing in Austin the last nights. Does that count?

*the last 2 nights

credit

how was it mh

Thought the Minneapolis show was killer, my only gripe is that I would have edited it down by about 15 minutes, by the end I was sore from standing on that hard ass floor and it was quite warm in there.

oh yeah that show was near me, i forgot to walk by. usually you can see the stage from the street.

how long was the Autechre set?

I’m not sure exactly what time they went on, didn’t check my clock, but I’d say it was every bit of 95-100 mins.

Vetted by whom?

Vetted as in proven reliable, with recourse. Relatively speaking, of course. As opposed to facebook marketplace or craigslist, where it's just people selling stuff privately.

Proven by whom? With recourse to what? What does "relatively proven" even mean? I had literally never heard of TickPick dot com in my life before you posted that link.

(I have also never bought or sold a second-hand ticket in my life that wasn't below face value and on the way in to the venue.)

I mean, if you honestly care, "vetted" as in countless people have used those sites with no problem, "relatively proven" meaning there are always exceptions, and "recourse" as in if something goes wrong there is ... recourse. Reliable customer service, guarantees, refunds etc. If one buys from a rando on craigslist or facebook, it's strictly honor/trust bases. So Stubhub, Vivid, Seatgeek (have you heard of those?), they seem like the big ones. Plus Ticketmaster operates its own secondary market, too. I thought you said you missed out on tickets, so brought that Tickpick site to your attention, if you wanted to buy tickets. Just trying to be helpful.

Secondary ticket prices here, at least, are often inflated because brokers/bots/scalpers seem to sell out anything almost instantly, and therefore secondary is often the only way to get tickets at all. Even the day of shows I rarely see ticket prices dip.

Slim’s in the right ballpark on the set length.
Deep Glens was a good opener and Mark Broom’s set was great and very danceable. Got me ready to awkwardly sway during Autechre’s set.

Enjoyed them in Vancouver. It felt more unrelenting than I was expecting. Was also annoyed by a guy in the seat in front of me playing shitty recipe reels 50% of the show (which only annoys me because otherwise it was fairly dark.)

People are incredible

like, for cooking?

he was watching short videos about cooking? is that what that means

phones got everyone's brains scrambled fr

lmao guy watching instagram recipe reels during autechre

it's the new "toothbrush during Merzbow"

anyone got a spare ticket for the montreal show?

I would probably feel different if I was there, but yeah, guy watching IG recipe reels during an Autechre show is kinda hilarious

anyway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yXBKJev7uM

great bootleg, when does one cheer and "wooooo" at an Autechre show

yeah he was just watching recipe videos on his phone full brightness. it was kinda funny at first but got old fast.

They should make everyone wear a pair of headphones streaming the board mix, lol. I dunno, I get it, but also the band doesn't make it easy. It's aggressive, abrasive music, it's in the dark, you can't talk to someone next to you, there's nothing to see, no place to sit ...

I will document the awkward not-social audience interaction I had during the blacked out room Autechre set one day, once I stop cringing and make sense of it.

so is the general consensus that people are not having fun at these shows? I saw some people on twitter saying they were underwhelmed, which I find almost difficult to believe, but as I must live vicariously through the people attending these US shows, I'm desperately eager to hear any and all impressions

I would say dancing to Mark Broom was fun, but I don't think people are going to Autechre for fun, per se? More like "this is esoteric synthesized noise that will unlock the gate within my brain" and I would say that it accomplished that

Maybe about fifteen minutes less would have been good but that may have been me running out of steam.

I enjoyed myself. It was unrelenting and kind of punishing but textured and fascinating. I do wish they could have blocked out the emergency exit lights too but understand why they couldn't.

yeah, doing the show in the dark is enough of a hazard (one that I'm knowingly getting into) that if they turned off the emergency exit lights too? I'm out, no thank you

underwhelmed

The vibe I've been encountering in reviews has actually been "overwhelmed." Like, relentless pretty busy beats that don't offer you many breaks, so you have to sort of go into zen mode and just ride it out. I guess I'll see, but it seems similar to MBV's noise section; you can't do anything but endure, so you might as well force your brain to shift into the right gear to make the ride easier.

that is like the point of their entire artistic output

there have been at least a few people on the internet who were only familiar with their 90s more melodic work who have been very disoriented by the live show. I know this because google took me to reddit where that one guy posted such.

i for one love that an act can still "leave behind" some people in 2025.

i'm jealous of the show goers but then i'm not at my best at 8-9 pm so it would probably be a bit of a slog for me too.

i for one love that an act can still "leave behind" some people in 2025.

Several years ago I saw many in a crowd that loved John Zorn walk out on Cecil Taylor when he came on.

relentless pretty busy beats that don't offer you many breaks, 

I don't know why people don't just dance instead of going into standing still chin stroking mode - except for the unpredictability of said beats. I bobbed my head as much as I could in a crowd of chin strokers at their Manchester show earlier in the year.

I once attended a performance by Francisco Lopez where not only were all the lights off, but we were issued blindfolds and were instructed to lie down on the floor (carpeted IIRC).

Me too! Was it at Tonic?

No, some loft in the Village.

Maybe about fifteen minutes less would have been good but that may have been me running out of steam.

I really locked into the no-thoughts zone in the last fifteen minutes, could have happily taken another 30 minutes. (But it was already 1am when they finished.)

either sic hasn't been to an Autechre show, or sic is secretly sixteen and then ILX has a bigger problem

sorry non sequitur from another thread, i'm trying to delete it

I'm gonna start a mosh pit when I see them in November

brb setting a reminder to check back in come november

that was excellent

It was indeed.

Muggy ass room though. Dudes left and right of me were having trouble standing. Hydrate, people!

set list?

(arf)

set list?

dunno but I caught a sound from Basscadet getting used in there

In terms of sounds - I definitely picked up on some drums from the intro to Under BOAC and some sounds from 19 Headaches off of Peel Session 2. Also heard a few bits that might have originated in the NTS sessions as well. My favorite segments were the opening 10 mins, closing 5 (I was mad digging that stretch and they sadly ended right as I was hoping for a good bit more of it) and a few spots in the middle, especially when they did have a breakdown (which was rare!). Went by quick! I recall looking at my phone thinking it was half over, and it was past 11 and they were about to wrap.

I've seen them 4 times now and this was the most intense, by far. A ton of uptempo rapid fire beats, a lot of maxed out leveling, fewer dynamics, but that takes you places and makes it meditative in an "All End" way cranked up. My only complaint of the night was how stuffy the room was with so little ventilation. Maybe that's how the Regency always was, it's been a minute, but thankfully I was hydrated enough. Show was indeed packed!

Yeah when the show ended my wife said "that can't have been 80 minutes" - and she was new to Autechre! did go by quick.

I had the same favorite parts as you seems like. Hope they release this set.

It was remarkable for sure. I was at back next to the sound and lighting desks figuring that by default it was going to sound great there. It did of course, plus there was just enough space around me and I had something to lean on. Ideal!

That said: a writer friend of many years, a short woman I’ll note, said she had a bit of a panic attack when the notice came up and had to leave, and was very pointedly outraged at a setup which could very easily lead to groping or other abuse. (I’ll add she’s been a fan since the beginning.) So it’s worth keeping that perspective in mind; I’ve seen a couple of other comments saying similar.

Yeah honestly static lights wouldn't have ruined the vibe at all. It is a bummer that not everyone got to enjoy that.

Ned, did she not know that the show would be in the dark? or was the panic attack something she didn’t anticipate?

I can't say for sure on the first point but I think we have to allow that not everyone would have known this going in (otherwise why project the message in the first place; based on some comments I overhead afterward among the crowd, others didn't either). No, she didn't anticipate that reaction, but I'm not going to speculate as to why that was her reaction and what it grew out of. We also have to allow for personal experience here, and if she felt the way she did, that's her business.

This was where the Throbbing Gristle reunion show was … yeah, the ventilation sucks if it’s packed and you aren’t in the back, close to the doors, or on the balcony…

I completely get that reaction and I had a couple awkward dark room interactions that made me kind of re-situate my position as best as I could see.

xxp my question wasn't meant to sound judgmental or anything! it's totally within the realm of possibility that she didn't know that it would be in the dark (they really should say so on the listing or in the ads for the show, somewhere people can know this info prior to buying)! I was just wondering if it was that or something else, I know I'm being nosy here and this is really none of my business

I mean, you can read something and think it’ll be ok, and then the reality of the situation kicks in when you’re in a crowd. I don’t think you came off as judgmental and I think some general protocols around the whole dark room situation would be sound. And not on the artist.

I think Autechre shows are relatively benign spaces and I don’t wish them to be scared off touring in this way but it is a hard thing to implement in practice

lol my main concern is that I'll fall asleep and fall over on the person behind me, the volume they perform at is no match to my ability to fall asleep once the lights are off

I guess it's been a long time since they've been to the states (a decade!) or they have a lot of newer fans, but every time I've seen them (other than '99 Coachella), it was in the dark with no lights. Twice at the Mezzanine, in 2008 and 2015. I remember the Mezzanine had too many lights that had to stay on near the rear and side bars so it wasn't as dark as the Regency, but it's their thing. They've been doing this 20ish years now! I definitely noticed people in the crowd and certain friends of mine who didn't go were surprised at the notice when they saw photos of it in their feeds, so I suppose not too many people have seen them perform before? In addition to two dudes near me who nearly passed out or had issues standing, I did notice other people leave the crowd once they saw the notice or turned the lights off. Sucks, perhaps they or the venue could have done a better job informing people beforehand - I know some friends who would have loved to have gone.

I don't understand why they don't use seated venues. It's better suited to the music and to the darkness.

Occurred to me that when I last saw them (2001?) I was lucky enough to have had a seat, or small table But I remember it being pretty late and I was pooped.

I don't understand why they don't use seated venues. It's better suited to the music and to the darkness.

― bryan, Saturday, October 11, 2025 5:54 AM

This. I was fortunate to attend AE-show in their 2022 run in a seated concert hall and it was definitely an ideal setting to take in the details. (However, the space geared towards acoustic performances resulted in the bass boom threatening to overtake other frequencies.)

Xp to Octobeard—I saw them maybe 15 years ago in DC at the Black Cat but I don’t remember total darkness at all, but my memory is fallible.

as someone with chronic back problems I am not looking forward to standing up for 80 minutes, as much as I want to hear the music

bring a lawn chair

At the LA show I thought, I'll just sit on the floor but people were packed in so tight that wasn't possible.

does north face make any of those chairs that's just a frame strapped to your legs that locks into chair mode? seems like it'd be brand appropriate

It may just be their background as DJs, or how they see themselves. I'm trying to think if I've *ever* seen any beat-based/dance/electronic set in a place with seats. Maybe DJ Shadow once?

https://astride.io/products/lex-wearable-bionic-chair

At the LA show I thought, I'll just sit on the floor but people were packed in so tight that wasn't possible.

Didn't stop the dude to my right from doing so for a good 15 mins, but yeah, that's going to be a challenge if you aren't getting a bunch of people around you to do the same.

BTW I actually lightly danced for a good chunk of the show. But for anyone with any anxieties or physical sensitivities, be very hydrated, and consider popping a couple acetaminophen or ibuprofen. I often do the latter before shows to significantly diminish lower back pain

jvc was that show in Sydney? because I had that exact experience seeing them a couple of years ago

The show I attended was in Helsinki. Good stuff and nice to sit down in darkness, but it is a concert hall and the acoustics are echo-y. Ilpo Väisänen (from Pan Sonic) was the warm up act and he managed to blow something in the PA (it was LOUD) and Autechre's set had some unintended crackles. You could only perceive that they weren't supposed to be there when a couple of tech guys were running around with flashlights for a moment.

Was that the one where they sent ticketholders a recording afterwards because of venue issues?

That's the one, yes.

This seems to be the Regency Ballroom set

https://archive.org/details/autechre-regency-ball-room-10-9-25

I feel like I can only listen if I'm instructed by some authoritative missive of what i can and can't do in the total darkness.

Anybody going to be at the Philly show next weekend?

Autechre set was a wild ride, but kind of enjoyed Mark Broom more. Didn't realize he was going to do a deep dive into old school dubstep. I think Austin may have missed out on that 20 years ago.

So, now that her piece is published re her experience at the San Francisco show -- here's Tamara Palmer on what happened:

https://48hills.org/2025/10/panic-at-the-the-autechre-disco-why-i-couldnt-review-popular-electronic-act/

thanks for the link

yeah, they really should put somewhere on show posters and listings etc that it's in the dark

I agree with the notion that these should be seated shows. I prefer to stand especially when it comes to electronic music but this isn't really stuff you can dance to and I think in total darkness I'd be too hyperfocused on my body and surroundings.

did inzanejohnny do a meme based on the goofy flyer?

it reads like a bondage or sex club TOS.

having finally discovered his memes, I would not be surprised if

stupid autocorrect. that “if” surprised me when I saw it in my post

My guess is Autechre don't want their shows to be seated ... I was sitting in the balcony at the Regency Ballroom show though, and it was real nice.

I understand wanting it to be seated if you're disabled or are just old (like me) and can't stand for long, but I can't imagine wanting to sit if you're able-bodied, Autechre's live sets are so dynamic that it being standing only feels appropriate

so, the thing I alluded to

I had been near the area of the crowd that was having fun dancing to Mark Broom, drifted off and came back right before Autechre and we were all relatively in the same spots, so no one has felt uncomfortable

I’m swaying a bit when AE starts, I am getting into the vibe, and the young woman in front of me is kind of bumping into me. nbd, but I’d had a large drink during the prior set, and I feel like she might have been a bit more chemically enabled. I move up a bit to her side because I could not get a read on the situation and she’s shorter, kind of moving backward, and I was directly behind her and.. well, I was not up for inadvertently enabling an awkward situation where a woman was unwittingly grinding her butt into my groin

damn I feel like either the world’s biggest prude or pervert here. also it may be one of the funniest musical experiences to be scared to be aroused.

Never thought of Autchre as baby-makin’ music but it takes all kinds.

yeah who am I Sting

Songs For Swinging Puatrescurs

Got my earplugs, got my comfy shoes, be there in a couple of hours. I'll be the guy with the beard and the hoodie standing around in the dark, so you'll know it's me.

Middle aged too?

Oh, that's a given! Maybe my arms will be crossed, maybe they won't, you'll never know because it will be dark! (But they will probably be crossed.)

good for keeping space, rude if you’re putting sharp elbows in someone’s space

Starting to get psyched for their Toronto show on the 22nd--good call on earplugs, J in C!
Putting them in my backpack right now so as not to forget.

I went to the Regency show. (Was looking around for you, Ned!) Other than that I suffered some minor back spasms over the next few days, I loved the show. Seeing them has been a bucket list concert for me for a long time so I'm happy I had the chance. I hate the Regency and almost bailed because of the venue, but I'm glad I went. An unforgettable show.

Got lucky and snagged a spot on a cushioned bench on the second floor, totally comfy.

Fwiw, I abandoned my earplugs several minutes in. It was loud but not too abrasive, mixed well and too muddy with the plugs in.

Some person just posted a recording of (most of) the Chicago set, which hit around 90 minutes:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A1e2wV890dSTImqHJA4j49EQ20GeoO_v

just got a ticket to friday's show :)

yeah, that was the most intense and overwhelming live experience I've had in years, maybe ever

also Mark Broom perfect opener

Very cool experience last night in Toronto. One thing I’d never really appreciated about autechre is how physical their music is - hearing it loud, and feeling the bass thump, underscored that dimension of it.

Yes! There were points where the various layers of bass felt like something physically crawling over me.

The bass was definitely a presence, admittedly perhaps at the expense of whatever note (if any) it was intended to convey. That's one reason I took out my earplugs. All they were doing was magnifying but further blurring the bass, while at the same time muting the high end stuff bouncing around and balancing out the low end.

pdx show was at a strange venue, part 'club' club (performance calendar is basically all DJs) and part event space? like a 'hold the annual board-staff reception for a mid-sized nonprofit'-type event space

anyway, the sound was pretty tame, a little disappointed by that

incredible show, totally unique experience. felt in some ways similar to the records but also completely different (bass and volume being a huge factor). so intense lol

hard to describe most of it, but it was relentlessly percussive throughout, almost no ambient stuff. lots of twisted abstract sound sculpture but almost always accompanied by a galloping thwacking stampede of beats. there was a pretty banging relatively straightforward techno section somewhere in the middle (i also swear there was a minute of what sounded like dubstep?) but overall very abstract, unstable, dynamic

i completely astral planed and have no idea how long they played for—maybe 90 minutes?—but i could’ve listened to another hour easily. i was sad when it ended!

niiice

"Arch Carrier"/"Jumpin' Jumpin'" mashup when?

First 30 minutes of Montreal last night were just about the most sublime thing I've experienced live since Deathprod some years ago. Surprising straight-ahead techno in the middle stretch with quite overwhelming abstract texture buildup. Seemed to meander a bit after that but only in comparison to what had already happened... Lots of 7/8 time going on (shades of early 2000's Venetian Snares almost)... Good sound system but the room acoustics at SAT are kind of echoey, a lot of detail seemed to get lost. Listening to a recording of the the Denver show from Oct 1 now and it's pretty similar structurally. Didn't care much for Mark Broom - pretty generic rave pastiche for the most part, not much imagination, though throwing in 'Bedsitter' at the end was nice - but at least he contrasted nicely (I vaguely remember his early records from the 90's as kind of austere in a sort of MPlant or Mills kind of way, maybe inaccurate?). Opening guy (can't remember his name) was just blatant Ae imitation, not a single original idea, and in context seemed kind of pointless, like having a Led Zeppelin cover band open for Led Zeppelin.

I was also at the Montreal show last night. First 15-20 minutes was just this intense pounding and was honestly a bit much for me and making me wonder if current live autechre was for me but after that it settled into a nice groove. There was a bit in the middle there with the repeated sound of what sounded like clanging on a metal rod where most of the people around me actually started dancing and then it just kept going from there and while there was lots of detail and stuff happening at once the underlying beat was pretty straightforward. It ended a bit abruptly, I could have kept going a bit more at then end, despite my legs and feet being sore from mostly standing in the same place for the last hour and a half.

seems like they've leveled up again. early brooklyn set tonight was incredible.

Agreed. I went to the early set last night in BK, it exceeded all expectations. I hope they release it at some point.

man. wishing i'd gone to the toronto show. opted to save money for world series tickets (that i wound not being able to land) and regret it. saw them in detroit 24 years ago and they were so good

I saw Toronto resale tix for as low as $20, you missed out

the ny set was so relentless and propulsive, kinda like an endlessly building untilted with their current tech, god i loved it

I keep on hearing about how amazing the NYC sets were and idk if that's just because it's NYC and they would have the most attendees etc or if they were actually that good last night

i think they're playing more or less the same thing each night, based on little snippets of recordings i've heard from detroit/toronto/montreal/nyc

there are recurring elements for sure, but there is still enough differentiation that I would call it a stretch to say they are more or less playing the same thing each night, based on the bootlegs I've heard

they're pushing that "randomize based on gps coordinates" button

xp

absolutely incredible, even better than 2015. greatest electronic musicians of all time https://t.co/f7w5zY67Vm pic.twitter.com/5wkd3nNJpg

— d'Eon (@ddddddeon) October 25, 2025

Omg this happened in Detroit too pic.twitter.com/Kcvvh2NK9Z

— ( ͡° ͜ʖ (@nickjohnf) October 25, 2025

there are recurring elements for sure

sure, clips are not dispositive, and it's possible they put some special nyc sauce on it and played a unique amazing show that night, but my guess is it's more or less the same and nyc people were just posting superlatively. i was listening to AE_LIVE 2015 and often subsequent nights are pretty indistinguishable. friend of mine who saw them in nyc is following them for two or three more night, will ask how different they are and follow-up on here

I kept seeing references to "sets," and I think I get it now. The guys have basically a five+ hour megamix, and each night they focus on one particular chunk of that. I think many nights so far have been set E, but sometimes set D?

this page gives a pretty good breakdown of what each set is : https://aepages.org/wiki/AE_2022%EF%BC%8D

looks like they've been mostly doing the same thing lately, though they did a different set in New York

And by the "same" thing, that means same general framework that they fuck with.

xp - yeah fans have been meticulously identifying sets and that link is great. They're playing a set they have performed a lot at the end of last year and beginning of this year in Europe on 2nd dates in Seattle, LA and NY. Leave it to NYers to think they're extra special though ha. The rest of the sets, including NY A, seem to be the "new shit"

FWIW my favorite "set" of their recent tours are the bits performed for Sydney: 9-25, which remains a unique combination amongst all their shows to date.

So it looks like a totally different set from the one I heard in Manchester on a lot of those US dates, will have to check it out asap (which might not be for a while, it's half term week so on family duty all day every day).

Stevie D: omg I saw Autechre last night

Me: that’s funny, last night I googled “max/MSP patch demo youtube no talking”

lol

got their asses

psssh it only counts if you play the demo vid in total darkness

One day I’ll make a Pepsi Challenge style playlist and ask listeners to guess if it’s “an officially released Autechre track” or “audio of somebody doodling around on a YouTube with a Nord Modular” and science will prove me right— also I type all this without derision, synth doodles are high quality content

I did remark to Stevie that the thing I appreciated most about Autechre is their commitment to the bit, that is, they’ve never released an acoustic album or a track “feat. Beth Orton” afaik

been thinking about how the set i caught (in new yaaawk, babyyy, best damn idm in the WORLD!) had a similar feel to what they were playing for this glasgow 2005 set (classic! a real high water mark for them imo) but further abstracted, more organic, and even more propulsive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSpS3TFS3P0

like, i love all the sets from the last few years, nts, etc. but this felt less meandering, more focused and aggressive

xpost: I dunno, seems awfully derisive (or not derisive, just petty) to come into a thread where people are sharing their positive experiences of a beloved artist to make zings like "hurr hurr, noodly music is noodly"

I was kinda amused at how "2002" fgti's post sounded, complete with a Beth Orton reference.

Screams "electronic music isn't music" and "all techno sounds the same" nonsense I fielded a lot in the 90's.

No one makes music like Ae does even if they try.

Anyhoo, a lot of punk/goth looking people at the DC show such that I panicked that i was at the wrong place or wrong night.

Nevermind the fact that my tickets scanned correctly and I walked past the merch booth with my eye on a tshirt that very clearly said “Autechre”.

this shit is noodly and I laugh at every crack along those lines tbh

one of the young people near me was wearing a Dead Can Dance shirt, regarding the goth angle

Idk I spent all day yesterday listening to Pal Joey and it was delightful, it’s not anything like a bias against “electronic music” just decades of fence-sitting as to whether or not my enjoyment of Autechre extends past the Tri Repetae/LP5 era— and it comes from a place of understanding of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. I’m always putting NTE and the AE live discs on as soundtracks to domestic activities, and I remain flummoxed nevertheless as to what I am getting out of it— with AFX I’m always aware of an intention and a thesis on every single track, with AE I’m usually struck by the new sonics of every track as it begins and then left cold when there’s no development, and instead a sensation of “we built a machine and this is how it sounds”. The static nature of their music creates a sensation akin to looking at works of abstract art, like, I enjoy it and move on, and the uniqueness of this feeling of digestion makes me respect the duo for such a specific oeuvre, and believe that this effect is intentional. The 2002 references were deliberate, thinking of other 90s electronic acts who went on to make acoustic albums and/or albums that had Beth Orton as a feature artist

I posted my comment to Stevie because I thought it was funny but sorry if it was taken as derisive— I spend many hours of my month every month enjoying Autechre in the way I enjoy them, as many hours as I also enjoy listening the modular synth jams that people post on their Vimeo accounts

damn i strongly disagree with all of that. i just wanna put it out there that you can know a lot of stuff about how they make their music - or think that you do (without access to rob / sean themselves i have my doubts) - and still completely miss the magic. it happens to me all the time. it happens to literally everyone. it's possible you might want to come into a thread like this with a little less of a hardline decision about them. but also i don't think your criticisms are accurate, like at all. their music isn't static. literally every second is different. it changes literally every second. there isn't a loop anywhere. not a hard facsimile loop. not an ableton loop. loops appear as an element but they're always congealing and dissolving. there are always a lot of things appearing and reappearing in slightly different form in sonically mutating ways, ways i'm excited by. i will say that there is some truth to your "static" argument if you consider that their tracks don't develop in the valley-climax-valley-climax kind of way that most percussive electronic music does. it's more like a slow slide from thing to thing to thing, with occasional drastic jerks between longer-form "sections" or "jams". "ecol4" is a good example of how their tracks follow different rules. it starts out kinda mellow and then over the remainder of the track gets quieter and quieter, without losing tension.

as far as their sounds and what they're doing moment to moment, the reason why i enjoy them is essentially they're funky. are you a fan of funk? do you have a feel for it? an ear for it? they're basically a funk band. a progressive funk band. which is what electro is - their roots. they're an update of that. a wildly imaginative and synaesthetic update of it. if you don't hear that and enjoy it, that's cool, but i'd put it out there that maybe you want to consider having less inaccurate criticisms before you talk about how and why you don't enjoy them.

The concept of “development” is extremely overrated and is responsible for some of the worst sins committed in the name of ambient/weird electronic music. Make music less like movies.

I’ve been listening to mostly field recordings of water lately though so nevermind me

I think you can criticize music in a way that is catty, critical, and entertaining and be wrong but funny in the way you’re doing it. If anything, it is a failure of the modern era that we take takes as literal, essential, and the word of law.

On the other hand, I remember criticism fgti has had that was personally devastating so it’s a hard line to walk

I dunno I just listen to tunes and vibe out at concerts

map and brimstead otm

Post LP5 Autechre to me express a similar beauty that a desert sunset or a mountain range does. Or looking at a flower or insect up close. Or like watching an ant colony collect food or a school of sardines moving in concert then suddenly scattering. The comparison to listening to water or the sounds of nature in general was very otm. There is an organic elegance to their soundscapes and tracks no one else can quite capture adequately coupled with this abstract, electronic and bass forward sound palette. And all the while they're still projecting raw emotions through this immense texture like melancholy, menace, and joy.

Live it is a bit more meditative and abstracted, but simultaneously sensual and tactile, like a sound bath. Coupled with the lack of lighting and it's a very unique immersive experience, moreso than a traditional concert.

Or like watching an ant colony collect food or a school of sardines moving in concert then suddenly scattering.

Well said - and it's the moments where you can sense human intention expressing itself through fluxing logic chains that are especially thrilling to me, like a cyborg with prehensile nanotech appendages.

If we are introducing comparisons, I almost think of the group as watching fractals. You could know what it's doing, but it doesn't make it any less interesting or appealing, especially when you have human beings messing with their own bespoke generative programming. I don't think it's necessarily unfair to make fun of the noodly aspect, or indulgent aspect, but one of my takeaways I got from the most recent gig was the sheer ... I don't know if talent is necessarily the word, but skill for sure, at generating and orchestrating a 90-minute long set that is not based on spinning other people's records or standard dance loops or other tropes that can be leaned on. It was a full-on 90 minute expression of for lack of a better phrase intentional abstraction.

Kind of like jazz, in a way. Here's the foundation, now what are you going to do with it? Not comparing these nerds to Ornette Coleman, but I was recently reading some reactions to his early shows, and boy, so much dismissal of it and other free jazz as bullshit. Which is not what fgti is doing here at all, imo, but there are some echoes of that.

loops appear as an element but they're always congealing and dissolving. there are always a lot of things appearing and reappearing in slightly different form in sonically mutating ways, ways i'm excited by.

yep. for me this is THE defining trait of their modern era.

tho i love how they still give ya these thick, heavy grooves to nod your head to. funk comment otm as well. feels like the boom bap and electroacoustic sides are pretty organically fused at this point.

I enjoyed tonight’s show ;)

map otm (though i also sympathize with fgti, since if i’m not in the right mood/headspace the recordings can leave me cold). i found the live experience extremely compelling though

i also strongly vibe with this by andy cush

autechre live set was psychedelic in that you have this enormous wave of sensation crashing over you, and you can choose to experience its totality or focus on any detail, and through focus it seems possible to change not just your experience of the thing but the thing itself

I think after 30 years of listening to their work that we share a common headspace for listening, and when I'm "in" one of their tracks or performances I feel a visceral pleasure, like the universe is right and these arrangements of sound are good for me in some abstract way. I think that what pleases them in sound is also what pleases me, no doubt through a long process of shared attention - like if I had the ability to make music of this type, I would seek out the things they're seeking. It's a real joy when they offer up something intense and esoteric and I think yeah, I totally get this. Like great writing, or lots of structured aesthetic experiences I guess.

Josh in Chicago otm! I've often tried to explain to non fans their catalogue as a fractal evolving an additional layer of complexity each album release, and that it's best to listen to it in chronological order to truly understand them.

And totally appreciate the jazz analogy too; I have also used jazz as a touch point how they make me feel on this board in the past as well.

btw I must confess ILM's Autechre discourse has been pretty amazing over the years, by far my favorite music space to talk about them. And the passion and enthusiasm during their ballot poll was an all time moment for me here. It's wonderful seeing this energy bubble up again for this US tour. You are all amazing.

touch point to describe how they make me feel

I feel obliged to respond to map— introducing sends on to a looped sample, automating modulation so that the sample (in relation to its sends) is constantly changing, slowly fading up scene changes so the treatment of the fundamental elements of the machine get a gradual fade-in of a new perspective, this shit is known and audible and (oftentimes) appreciated. I don’t need intercourse with the creators of the music to understand the foundation of its creation any more than I need tabs to learn a bit of guitar

ok

I think you can criticize music in a way that is catty, critical, and entertaining and be wrong but funny in the way you’re doing it.

i just feel the need to respond that i'm a hard "hell no" on this. i don't think catty is entertaining at all. it may be funny but not in the way the catty person thinks it is.

fair!

I know you're all gagging to know how the Autechre gig in Bristol was last night, so here's my hastily-written capsule review:

They took no prisoners. Incredibly dense, fast and complex through the whole 90 or so minutes.
Close your eyes and you go into the hole.
I wish I had a record of all the things that flashed through my mind during their set.
Mark Broom played an absolutely storming proper rave set beforehand, almost as a reminder that, yes, this is DANCE music, not art music.
For some people Broom stole a show that Autechre couldn't quite recover. But as a mega-stan I really enjoyed it. We did deplore some of the audience members who just stood stock still without even at least nodding their heads a little. I get that this is "Braindance" or whatever, but our gang were grooving with our bodies nevertheless. Not moving at all to this music must be like eating a sugary doughnut without licking your lips.
While I enjoyed the intensity and the density, it was relentless, and I'd have preferred a bit more space and dynamic range. Even the most die-hard, technical jacket-wearing dweeb would have been forgiven for finding it a bit claustro and exhausting after an hour.
I left to go for a piss about twenty minutes before the end and heard a fair few people outside grumbling about the sound quality (I thought it was fine). One person said it was like "trying to eat dry bread", which made me laugh and I totally get.
A couple of friends questioned the decision to be in pitch dark, saying they found it a bit pretentious and an actual barrier to enjoyment. I don't agree, but Autechre is such a subjective experience and everyone comes at it from their own angle.
When I saw them about 10 years ago I remember it being a lot less furious, a lot more spacious - a sensuous, almost romantic experience. This was not that. This was a maelstrom you had to fling yourself into the middle of or gtfo

I loved the dark because it encouraged you to just close your eyes and take it in.

Which is pretentious, sure, but what else are you going to look at, Rob and Sean for all appearances checking their email and vaping?

Absolutely. Had my eyes closed for about 70% of the set. My friends, who are dance/electronic music fans but not necessarily Ae heads weren't sure. For me it makes sense: I don't want or need a lightshow to influence my experience of the music. This is a deeply immersive and subjective experience being experienced collectively

The only thing is the fire exit lights are pretty bright, so it wasn't thst dark really. Health n safety gone mad!!

I was unnecessarily at the front of the stage at the show I was at and the stage lights were still on but covered I think so I was at the "brightest" part of the floor (exit signs excluded)

I should have moved to the centre of the floor or something

I didn't love the dark because it wasn't very dark and the people at my show absolutely did not stay in one place, there was a constant stream of people moving around in the club and bumping into each other

Yeah, I was by a door to a stairwell that kept opening and shutting like a really slow strobe light.

There were also plenty of people on their phones at my show

you mean like, taking videos/recording audio or like, scrolling through Instagram?

sorry, the former was me, I took a few videos surreptitiously

Shut Yr eyes people. And feel free to groove so long as you're not deliberately jostling anyone

If anything the Montreal show wasn't dark enough, thought the real barrier to immersion was people talking continuously, phones lighting up - a guy near me was watching Tiktok videos half the time, WTF?

I meant scrolling on their phones

xxp

What I would do to experience Autechre out in the middle of the desert, under a new moon sky, performing in the dark and in the open air. They're the type of artist that would make more sense at Burning Man than Tycho hah

I like their performances in the dark because I hallucinate/visualise/synesthese a bit, and wouldn’t have realised if it hadn’t been dark. Now I quite often close my eyes for other immersive-listening artists.

We did deplore some of the audience members who just stood stock still without even at least nodding their heads a little

i couldn't tell what any of the people around me were doing, or where they were, for the entire set

I just can't imagine it being that dark, don't all venues have bright exit signs by law? The mixing desk is like a big christmas tree too. it's never been much darker than the average gig when I've seen them.

i could see the mixing desk and could make out the stage and exits, but the people around me were only occasionally perceptible, and only ever as vague forms, not as clearly demarcated silhouettes

TheDaddyO44's latest mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtbgUBqFGkU

oh nice. i was thinking i would like to give an Ae mix a go myself

ooooh - please do, there's plenty of opportunity for wildly different mixes here :-)

that mix is ace!

Love that, is that available as a file?

only if you download the youtube audio (youtube audio downloaders, youtube to mp3 converters, there's all kinds of stuff that can do that)

got presale tickets for london in october next year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaHxNt0lCEc

^very high quality bootleg from their north american tour this fall, for those who missed or want to relive the experience