Autechre
Autechre performing at Princeton
Background information
Origin	Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England
Genre(s)	Electronica, Experimental, IDM, glitch, ambient, industrial, hip-hop, electro
Years active	1987–present
Label(s)	Warp, Skam, Wax Trax!, TVT
Associated acts	Gescom
Website	Autechre at Warp Records
Members
Sean Booth Rob Brown

Autechre is an English electronic music group consisting of Rob Brown (born c. 1971) and Sean Booth (born c. 1973), both natives of Rochdale. The group is one of the most prominent acts signed with Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music artists. Some journalists consider Autechre to be a paragon of IDM and one of the driving forces behind its development,^[1] though Booth and Brown are ambivalent in relating their sound to established genres.^[2] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Rochdale (disambiguation). ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Electronica refers to a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; but unlike electronic dance music, is not specifically focused on the dance floor. ... For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Intelligent dance music (commonly IDM) is a genre of electronic music derived from dance music of the 1980s and early 1990s which puts an emphasis on novel processing and sequencing. ... Glitch (also known as Clicks and Cuts from a representative compilation series by the German record label Mille Plateaux) (See Clicks & Cuts Series) is a genre of electronic music that became popular in the late 1990s with the increasing use of digital signal processing, particularly on computers. ... Ambient music refers to a kind of music that envelops the listener without drawing attention to itself [1] // The term ambient music was first coined by Brian Eno in the mid-1970s to refer to music that can be either actively listened to with attention or as easily ignored, depending... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Electro, short for electro funk (also known as robot hip hop and Electro hop) is an electronic style of hip hop directly influenced by Kraftwerk and funk records (unlike earlier rap records which were closer to disco). ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Warp Records is a pioneering independent UK record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. ... Skam Records, based in Manchester, is an Electronic/IDM record label founded by Andy Maddocks around 1990. ... Wax Trax! Records was a record label in the United States. ... TVT Records is an independent record label founded in 1985 by Steve Gottlieb. ... Gescom is an electronic music project based in England with close ties to the band Autechre. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rochdale (disambiguation). ... Warp Records is a pioneering independent UK record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... Intelligent dance music (commonly IDM) is a genre of electronic music derived from dance music of the 1980s and early 1990s which puts an emphasis on novel processing and sequencing. ...

History

The two members formed the group in 1987 when they both lived in Rochdale. They began their career making and trading mixtapes between each other, and gradually moved on to their own compositions^[3] while collecting a handful of cheap equipment, most notably a Casio SK-1 sampler and a Roland TR606 drum machine.^[4] Since then they have employed a wide variety of electronic instruments to create an evolving style. For other uses, see Rochdale (disambiguation). ... For the album by Los Abandoned, see Mix Tape (album). ... Musical composition is a phrase used in a number of contexts, the most commonly used being a piece of music. ... The Casio SK-1 is a small sampling keyboard made by Casio in 1985. ... An AKAI MPC2000 sampler Playing a Yamaha SU10 Sampler A sampler is an electronic music instrument closely related to a synthesizer. ... Roland Corporation ) TYO: 7944 is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Telharmonium, created by Thaddeus Cahill 1897 Luigi Russolo and his assistant Ugo Piatti with their Intonarumori, 1913 Léon Theremin and his Theremin, 1919 Trautonium, 1928 An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. ...

Booth and Brown pronounce the name Autechre with a Rochdale accent (IPA: /ɔːˈtɛkɚ/ — approximately "awe-teh-ker").^[5] However, they have explained that the name can be pronounced in any way one sees fit.^[3] Booth explains: "The first two letters were intentional, because there was an 'au' sound in the track, and the rest of the letters were bashed randomly on the keyboard. We had this track title for ages, and we had written it on a cassette, with some graphics. It looked good, and we began using it as our name."^[6] They are also commonly referred to by the abbreviation "Ae".

Autechre have also recorded under various pseudonyms. One of the duo's earliest recordings was a 12" under the alias "Lego Feet", released in 1991 on Skam Records. The majority of Gescom releases, most of them on Skam, have been attributed to Booth and Brown, among other artists. Autechre helped initiate the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in 2000, and were responsible for curating the 2003 festival. Skam Records, based in Manchester, is an Electronic/IDM record label founded by Andy Maddocks around 1990. ... Gescom is an electronic music project based in England with close ties to the band Autechre. ... All Tomorrows Parties logo projected at festival. ... A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. ...

Music

Sample(s)

"Slip" Image File history File links Autechre_-_Slip. ...

from the 1994 album, Amber

Problems listening to the file? See media help. Amber, released by Warp Records in 1994 (see 1994 in music), is the second full-length album by the electronic music group Autechre. ...

Many describe Autechre's music as cold and austere, whereas others perceive a warmth and sentimentality that touches even the most cerebral pieces. Much of Autechre's music has a strong focus on complex rhythm, driving percussion, and meticulous sequencing. Often unusual rhythmic loops repeat and change incrementally, with the music constantly in transition. Sometimes patterns are set against one another, implying several time signatures at once. Later work has been notably experimental and abstract, in contrast to the more club-friendly and conventional early 1990s releases. For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Abstract music may mean: Abstract electronic music, a genre family of electronic music including techno, glitch and ambient that involves significant sampling and sound processing Absolute music, a term used within the classical music field to describe music that is not explicitly about anything, non-representational or non-objective This...

Reactions to their music have varied. Many of their tracks contain complex or chaotic rhythms and close harmonies which some hear as random and noisy. Fans of their recent work tend to find the value of their music to lie in its unique fusion of rhythmic and melodic elements, percussive noises being tweaked to sound like they have pitches, and clustered, often inharmonic synthesizer patches implying numerous melodic lines and chord structures simultaneously. A recurring element in Autechre's work is the use of extremely short snippets of sound to create a fragmented, grainy effect. Methods and media for sound recording are varied and have undergone significant changes between the first time sound was actually recorded for later playback until now. ... For the popular Tamil film, see Rhythm (film). ... This article is about musical harmony. ... Granular synthesis is a sound synthesis method that operates on the microsound time scale. ...

Methods

A Max/MSP patch written and used by Autechre

True to their early techno roots, Autechre use a wide array of analog synths in their production,^[4] as well as analog and digital drum machines, mixers, effects units and samplers. They have also made extensive use of a variety of computer based sequencers, softsynths, and other applications as a means of controlling those synths and processing the synthesized sounds. Autechre have also experimented in depth with development environments such as Max/MSP,^[6] SuperCollider^[7] and Kyma^[6] – amongst others – from 1997 onwards, though it is unclear which are still in use. In 2005, they used the Elektron Machinedrum and Monomachine in their live performances.^[8] From Sean Booth of Autechre, originally published in Sound on Sound magazine. ... From Sean Booth of Autechre, originally published in Sound on Sound magazine. ... A Max/MSP patch written and used by Autechre Max is a graphical development environment for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling 74. ... An analog synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine Drum machines are sequencers with a synthesizer, sampler, and/or a sample playback (rompler) component that is tailored to imitate the sounds of drums and other percussion instruments. ... In professional audio, a mixing console, digital mixing console, mixing desk (Brit. ... Effects units are devices that affect the sound of an electric instrument or other audio source (such as recorded material) when plugged in to the electrical signal path the instrument or source sends, most often an electric guitar or bass guitar. ... An AKAI MPC2000 sampler Playing a Yamaha SU10 Sampler A sampler is an electronic music instrument closely related to a synthesizer. ... The word sequencer can mean: a microsequencer in a computer CPU a music sequencer in the field of electronic music a DNA sequencer or a protein sequencer in the field of biology Sequencer (album) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise... // Software synthesizers A software synthesizer or virtual instrument is a computer program for digital audio generation. ... A Max/MSP patch written and used by Autechre Max is a graphical development environment for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling 74. ... SuperCollider is a real time audio synthesis programming language, originally written by James McCartney. ... Kyma is a visual programming language for sound design in widespread use by musicians, researchers, and sound designers. ... Elektron can refer to: Elektron (company): Synthesizer company. ... The Monomachine is a synthesizer by Elektron. ...

Autechre have emphasized that their music-making involves using new techniques on old equipment and old techniques on new equipment, and that their sound comes from combinations of tools and techniques, and "creative routing", more than any single magical machine.^{[citation needed]} This has been the case since their early days, when, for example, they used a Boss delay that had a pitch/trigger input, allowing it to be used as a realtime sampler.^{[citation needed]} When the square wave input it received for determining pitch had resonance added, the pitch would drift between notes in a special way. If the output was mixed back in as a control pitch, it could produce unusual fractal patterns, something that cannot be recreated easily with software, or on an embedded system. Other machines that Autechre have repeatedly mentioned in interviews are appreciated for their interface as much as their sound, including the Roland TR-606 and MC-202, and the Nord Lead. Look up boss in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time[1]. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating... Pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. ... In computer science, real-time computing (RTC) is the study of hardware and software systems which are subject to a real-time constraint—i. ... A square wave is a kind of basic waveform. ... This article is about resonance in physics. ... The boundary of the Mandelbrot set is a famous example of a fractal. ... Look up interface in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the legendary figure. ... The Roland TR-606 Drumatix is a programmable analog synthesis drum machine built by the Roland Corporation from 1981 to 1983. ... The Roland MC-202 (MicroComposer) is a monophonic analog synthesizer/sequencer released by Roland in 1983. ... Clavias Nord Lead synthesizer was arguably the first virtual analog synthesizer developed in Sweeden. ...

Autechre sometimes use generative techniques,^[6] most notably on Confield and EP7. In response to comments about their unique sound, Autechre argue that given the incredible range of tools available to modern composers, especially in the electronic genres, it is incomprehensible that any band should "sound like" any other band. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into algorithmic music. ...

Discography

Albums

• 1993: Incunabula
• 1994: Amber UK #81
• 1995: Tri Repetae UK #86
• 1997: Chiastic Slide UK #130
• 1998: LP5 UK #135
• 2001: Confield UK #153
• 2003: Draft 7.30 UK #149
• 2005: Untilted UK #199
• 2008: Quaristice

Tri Repetae was released in the U.S. as Tri Repetae++, adding the Garbage and Anvil Vapre EPs on a bonus second disc. The Japanese edition issued by Sony also included an exclusive bonus track, "Medrey". Also, the title LP5 is a conventional one, as the album bears no title. It is sometimes referred to as Autechre. Incunabula, released by Warp Records in 1993, is the debut album by the electronic music group Autechre, and the seventh album in the Artificial Intelligence series. ... Amber, released by Warp Records in 1994 (see 1994 in music), is the second full-length album by the electronic music group Autechre. ... Tri Repetae, released by Warp Records in 1995, is the third album by the electronic music group Autechre. ... Chiastic Slide, released in 1997 by Warp Records, is an album by the electronic music group Autechre. ... LP5 is the fifth album by the electronic music group Autechre. ... Confield, released by Warp Records in 2001, is an album by the electronic music group Autechre. ... Draft 7. ... Untilted is the title of Autechres eighth album. ...

EPs

• 1994: Anti EP
• 1995: Garbage (combined with Anvil Vapre for Tri Repetae++) UK #138
• 1995: Anvil Vapre (combined with Garbage for Tri Repetae++) UK #102
• 1997: Envane UK #94
• 1997: Cichlisuite (also known as Cichli Suite) UK #127
• 1999: Peel Session UK Budget Albums Chart #2
• 1999: EP7 (CD combining vinyls EP 7.1 and EP 7.2)
• 2001: Peel Session 2
• 2002: Gantz Graf (also released as a DVD) UK #108
• 2003: æ³o & h³æ (2xCD Minimax, collaboration with Hafler Trio)
• 2005: æo³ & ³hæ (2xCD, collaboration with Hafler Trio)

Anti EP is an EP by the electronic music group Autechre was released by Warp Records in 1994. ... Garbage was an EP released by Autechre on February 27, 1995. ... Tri Repetae, released by Warp Records in 1995, is the third album by the electronic music group Autechre. ... Anvil Vapre was an EP released by Autechre in 1995. ... Envane - Music EP released January 27, 1997 in the UK by English electronic demigods Autechre. ... Cichlisuite is the sixth Autechre EP that was released on the 26th August, 1997 through Warp Records. ... Peel Session is an album by electronic duo Autechre, released on vinyl and CD by Warp Records in 1999. ... The UK Albums Chart is a chart of the sales positions of albums in the United Kingdom. ... EP7, released by Warp Records in 1999, is an EP by the electronic music group Autechre. ... Peel Session 2 is the second John Peel session that Autechre recorded. ... Gantz Graf is a three-track EP released by Autechre in 2002 on CD and 12. A special DVD release was made available featuring the Gantz Graf video created by Alex Rutterford, as well as the videos for Basscadet and Second Bad Vilbel. According to the director, the music video... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... Æo³ & ³hæ is a collaboration album between Autechre and Hafler Trio. ... The Hafler Trio is a conceptual and sound art group that has released numerous albums and CDs in experimental musical styles ranging from electronica, cut-up, ambient, environmental soundscape, musique concrete, electro-acoustic, and audio-montage as cinema for the ears from 1986 to present, each of which utilise graphic... Ƴo & h³æ is a collaboration album by Autechre and Hafler Trio. ... The Hafler Trio is a conceptual and sound art group that has released numerous albums and CDs in experimental musical styles ranging from electronica, cut-up, ambient, environmental soundscape, musique concrete, electro-acoustic, and audio-montage as cinema for the ears from 1986 to present, each of which utilise graphic...

Singles, promos, and remixes

• 1991: "Cavity Job" (12" vinyl single limited to 1,000 copies)
• 1994: Basscadet (five remixes – six on vinyl – of "Basscadet" from Incunabula; also known as Basscad) UK #56
• 1996: "We R Are Why" (12" vinyl promo.)
• 1997: Radio Mix (hour-long DJ remix of own and other artists' tracks)
• 1999: "Splitrmx12" (12" vinyl promo limited to 3,000 copies)

Cavity Job was the first single by Autechre, and was influential in the style and technique of the early electronica music genre. ... Basscadet, or Basscadet Mixes, is an album by Autechre. ... A page from a rare Blackletter Bible (1497) printed in Strassburg by J.R.Grueninger. ... We R Are Why, was released by mail-order only by Warp Records in 1996. ... Radio Mix (or simply Radio, according to the official discography) is a CD-only promotional recording by Autechre. ... Splitrmx12 is a vinyl-only promotional recording by Autechre. ...

Media responses

"Elevator muzak Untilted most definitely is not," appraised journalist/musician Andrez Bergen for Japan's Daily Yomiuri newspaper in 2005. "Expanding upon Autechre's blueprint in Chiastic Slide almost a decade ago, the new album smacks you round from its opening dischordant bars. Fluent timelines and grooves are not the duo's intent here, and the uninitiated may be excused for wondering why it's all so bleak; why there's a ringing sense of anger and anarchy throughout. Also known as Andrew Bergen / Schlock Tactile / Slam-dunk Ninja Origin Melbourne, Australia Genre(s) Experimental, Electronic (IDM, Glitch, Ambient) Industrial, Hip-hop, Electro Years active 1996 – present Associated acts The LN Elektronische Ensemble, DJ Fodder, Atomic Autocrac vs. ... Yomiuri-TOKYO Office Yomiuri-Osaka Office Yomiuri YC The Yomiuri Shimbun (読売新聞 Yomiuri Shinbun) is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. ...

"Certainly you could read connections with early experimenters in abstract electronic music like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, but that's beside the point. Autechre take it all leagues further, depth-charging into their compositions drillcore synths and rabid robotic jazz elements that underscore dadaesque staccato snares as dazzling as they can be bewildering." ^[9] For the Mortal Kombat character, see Johnny Cage. ... Karlheinz Stockhausen (born August 22, 1928) is a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century (Barret 1988, 45; Harvey 1975b, 705; Hopkins 1972, 33; Klein 1968, 117; Power 1990, 30). ...

See also

• Warp Records
• Gescom
• Skam Records

Warp Records is a pioneering independent UK record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the most enduring artists in electronic music. ... Gescom is an electronic music project based in England with close ties to the band Autechre. ... Skam Records, based in Manchester, is an Electronic/IDM record label founded by Andy Maddocks around 1990. ...

References

Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ... Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a United States-based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. ... SOS, May 2006 Sound on Sound is a monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, UK. The magazine was launched in 1985 on the UK Channel 4 television programme, The Tube. ... Grooves logo (2005-current) Grooves is an American electronic music magazine founded in 1998 by editor Sean Portnoy, initially concentrating on the then-burgeoning IDM music genre and expanding to its more experimental, abstract offshoots, such as microsound, microhouse and glitch, eventually encompassing a global view of musicians and cross... Yomiuri-TOKYO Office Yomiuri-Osaka Office Yomiuri YC The Yomiuri Shimbun (読売新聞 Yomiuri Shinbun) is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. ...

External links

• An Autechre visual discography
• Autechre at Warp Records
• WATMM fan-site
• Autechre interview with Sound on Sound (April 2004)
• Rob Brown interview with BBC Collective (April 2005)
• Sean Booth interview with Cyclic Defrost (May 2005)
• Words of Autechre - title theories
• Autechre at All Music Guide
• Autechre at Discogs
• Autechre discography at MusicBrainz