AE_LIVE Poll

has anybody actually listened to all of these?

I've heard good things about these, mainly from the Autechre ILM contingent of fanatics it must be said.

Where to begin? Netherlands?

Utrecht is all-around good, succinct. Dublin is similar, though it's roughly 13 minutes longer than the rest. Krakow is sort of harder, more aggressive for the first 30 minutes or so. the 2015 dates feature some different activity in the latter halves, more deconstructed, though they feel somehow more hasty, less fleshed-out than the 2014 sets.

I've been listening to these a lot over the last few weeks; hard to pick an absolute favourite but both Utrecht & Dublin are contenders... There's some good stuff in them, like the farty bass track about half way in and the wonderful melody that emerges near the end of the early shorter sets, and about 30 mins from the end of the later longer ones.

Would love to hear some of this in a proper album / ep ...

I know these look intimidating to the casual fan but these are a career peak (I've gone through eight of them).

having a favorite one is kind of besides the point for me. it really is the same album nine times, but with different rhythmic fills, melodies and transitions every night (and newer pieces towards the end). their sense of when to transition between tracks & their overall mastery of the aesthetics of editing is one of my favorite things about them -- as you learn the basic building blocks, it's pure adrenaline to be able to hear them play with various anarchic pivot points between them, their cuts are always a rush

still need to check out at least one of these.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Yikes, tomorrow already? I guess I'll just take some tips from whatever the results are.

I know these look intimidating to the casual fan but these are ... the same album nine times

lol, I know.

I guess I'm just intrigued by the clique of the AE fandom on ILM. I mean, I check in with Autechre every now and then, glad they're still making what seem to be interesting records, but they don't seem to be urgent or key at all in 2016. Maybe I'm missing something? Maybe that something is the same album nine times?

I think I could make an attempt at this if I got some good weed.

I need to get back into these, ae_live.xls is incomplete. Actually dreamt I was watching DVDs of the sets last night, they were full of comedy sketches and classic rap, punk, and synthpop tunes, including Clouds across the Moon by The Rah Band. Not sure if the real things will be a disappointment after that.

Listened to Krakow, now halfway through Utrecht.

Q: are these actual album tracks being reinterpreted, or is this straight up live material on a set up especially prepared for these shows? Or does this distinction not make sense at all?

Jeez, almost finished with Dublin. Might need a break, feeling a bit lightheaded and nauseous...

Yeah I just did the first three in a row, all while staring into a screen for work of course :/

It all sounds new to me, haven't heard any echoes of any album tracks.

Going to vote for Nagano because "some hot shit going on in nagano from 50:00", according to me, two months ago.

I'm sure I can hear a bit of the L Event ep in the first half of the 2014 sets, but otherwise I think this is all new material.

they're kinda due for a new album right about now ain't they

Jeez, almost finished with Dublin. Might need a break, feeling a bit lightheaded and nauseous...

― MikoMcha

this was one of my companions at their Denver show, last October.. just like, sensory overload, cowering off to the side. the sound was excellent, however. i managed some type of goldilocks zone, sleep deprived w/a bit o honey. it (autechre live) was glorious, invigorating

not familiar enough with the official 2015 sets to vote here, though the Dublin finale is choice.

https://soundcloud.com/leheron_idletones/ae-dublin-excerpt -- this is the latter part, succeeding one of the high points.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

they don't seem to be urgent or key at all in 2016. Maybe I'm missing something? Maybe that something is the same album nine times?

One of the things about them for me is the fact that no one else is releasing music even remotely like theirs. Their aesthetic, approach, and output is so unique and scratches such a specific and nuanced itch for me that they transcend genres. There are moods I get in where I can only listen to Autechre (especially post LP5 Autechre). My brain parses their music differently than any other type of music. It feels like unlocking some form of puzzle, and over subsequent listens, a fond attachment to every nuanced detail adds to the experience.

They're relevant in that they are on their own island doing something so unique with an intense virtuosity in execution. Each album going back to probably Tri-Repetae or so is essentially them refining an approach to composition over time with slightly varying sound palettes and techniques or presentations. I feel they're the embodiment of a fractal that after each album grows in complexity. I can't think of any other artist as uncompromising yet still wildly creative, addictively listenable, and boundary pushing as they continue to be in the musical medium. Enough fans feel this passionately about them that they have sustained quite the cult following. With the exception of Confield, I've felt every album they've released was their best. Exai and their current live work is my favorite thing they've released and listen to the most. I used to adore their mid 90's records and still do but it's mostly due to nostalgia. If I'm not feeling that mood, I simply find those tracks "boring" and drop Draft 7:30 or Exai instead.

that's exactly it. their (probably unconscious) refusal to adhere into any current trends unwittingly makes them a trendsetter

feel like the best way to approach this AE_LIVE stuff is to kind of think of it as an essentially algorithmic album... ideally you should just play at random and not know the same terrain is going to be approached.

Roly Porter on the uniqueness of Autechre (echoing the above posts): http://thequietus.com/articles/19765-roly-porter-favourite-space-records-interview?page=10

@octobeard That's an impassioned and articulate response that makes me what to spend more time listening to those records. Hmmmm... not sure I can add much other than that at this point.

I check in with Autechre every now and then, glad they're still making what seem to be interesting records, but they don't seem to be urgent or key at all in 2016

Actually I'd say they're experiencing a renaissance in the grime/weird club music circle. I've definitely seen them pop up in a lot of mixes lately (Rabit, etc) and their textures and insane generative rhythmic thing fits perfectly into that context.