Music for knives and forks (Autechre in general)

Member Name: Fennesz

Product:	Autechre in general
Date:	19/01/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: May change you forever

Disadvantages: Not for everyone

So, Autechre. Pioneers and supreme deities of techno and, to use that horrible word, IDM. Saying that doesn't do them justice, though. I grew up thinking techno was that vile rave and hardcore dance music, and to hear they are a techno group might have driven me away.

Fans will mostly tell you that you can split the Ae catalogue in two and be left with two seperate experiences. This is true to an extent, with their early work being more traditionally danceable and the later very experimental, but there is more depth to it than that. Their earliest album, "Incunabula", was a very of the time techno dance record but it was very inventive and caught peoples attention. They followed that up with "Amber". Critically acclaimed, it revealed Autechre as a major talent with its lush melodic minimalism. Their difficult third turned out to be their defining record "Tri Repetae" and marked the infamous transition into experimentalism. It had the soul of Amber, but a mechanical heartbeat.

Onward, if you dare. The wonders of Confield, Draft 7.30 and Untilted are many and varied, but they require patience to digest. Recommended for those who find beauty in austerity. If that's not for you, skip to Quaristice, their latest, and most accessible.

Summary: Start with Amber