AE_2022－

  On 11/11/2024 at 8:42 PM, X4creek said:

uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh as i predicted, set A has been all but completely overshadowed.

 

i mean im sure these new sets are wonderful (about to finish my relisten of the first batch tonight) but i find set A so special its such a shame that no one barely talks about it then and now  (dont ask me to talk about it bc i can barely talk about "normal" [whatever that is] music lol) 

I really rate a lot of the A set - probably more for home listening though, I found it impenetrable live and the volume levels really didn't help.

I also find the sections that are usually between 15mins to 35mins on most sets kind of a slog to be honest. My theory is because of the COVID delays they went back working over the same bits of the set to the point of abstraction, now most mortals can't quite follow it, even amongst the confirmed autechre heads.

B, C and D sets though? Easily my favorite autechre stuff since Exai.

  On 11/11/2024 at 8:42 PM, X4creek said:

uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh as i predicted, set A has been all but completely overshadowed.

 

i mean im sure these new sets are wonderful (about to finish my relisten of the first batch tonight) but i find set A so special its such a shame that no one barely talks about it then and now  (dont ask me to talk about it bc i can barely talk about "normal" [whatever that is] music lol) 

well, the first bunch for me represents the return of the disorienting effect, the first half, which in the first listens seems to get lost in too many trajectories, now that I have assimilated it is the most innovative and inherently Ae thing. Luckily in Milan (unlike venice wtf) i assumed the right thing to fall into it despite the evident impenetrability; the chemist doesn't know, but there's a happy dude in his debt 

Man, the opening to Lyon is some seriously sinister, head-nodding shit. Second listen now and loving it

speaking about those "A" sets (aka milan, athens, helsinki, london a, bergen, and turin - correct?), basically they rarely use any prominent snare drum sounds throughout those sets, you know what I mean?

London A 39:04 - 45:49 is peak Ae..

  On 11/11/2024 at 9:33 PM, danshoebridge said:

My theory is because of the COVID delays they went back working over the same bits of the set to the point of abstraction, now most mortals can't quite follow it, even amongst the confirmed autechre heads.

I share this theory! Seems natural that this set ended up kinda maximalist and "over"worked (this part in quotes cause I personally love it) considering the circumstances at the time.

  On 11/11/2024 at 11:11 PM, IOS said:

speaking about those "A" sets (aka milan, athens, helsinki, london a, bergen, and turin - correct?), basically they rarely use any prominent snare drum sounds throughout those sets, you know what I mean?

Maybe not snares that sound like snares, but plenty of percussive parts doing snarelike roles imo

I also share this experience of bursting into laughter at various points in these sets. Just wtf/this is so good/how is this so good? And some hilariously ballsy moves too. Definitely sounds like they are having fun, while also being complete fuckin masters.

  On 11/11/2024 at 10:52 PM, Draft78 said:

well, the first bunch for me represents the return of the disorienting effect, the first half, which in the first listens seems to get lost in too many trajectories, now that I have assimilated it is the most innovative and inherently Ae thing. 

It's AE doing the Rite of Spring

Man, if they just keep touring and iterating on this and coming up with more entirely new variations every year... I'm really starting to buy into this being even better than album releases. I can see why they would prefer this way of working, being able to keep the creativity flowing nonstop instead of having to settle on one final version of a bunch of tracks and ship it off.

I'd still love another NTS-style album at some point to get a window into the other weird experiments they must have brewing which wouldn't fit into a live set - stuff like acid mwan idle and turbile epic casual, I can't quite picture those sorts of tracks working live, and I hope they can find a way to release stuff like that too. But that aside, what an incredibly exciting trajectory they're on right now.

It absolutely makes sense that they are doing things this way now. They've created all these parts that can morph (MORF) in endless ways, of course they're going to want to release multiple versions of that... it would be kind of a waste to do all that work and then have to choose a single definitive take and then move on. This is also surely why the nts tracks are so long.

(edit: whoops I basically just paraphrased exactly what you said @Boxus lol)

  On 11/11/2024 at 11:11 PM, IOS said:

speaking about those "A" sets (aka milan, athens, helsinki, london a, bergen, and turin - correct?), basically they rarely use any prominent snare drum sounds throughout those sets, you know what I mean?

We can add Melbourne to the A group as well I reckon, though strangely it finishes even earlier than the first sets.

  On 11/11/2024 at 8:42 PM, X4creek said:

uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh as i predicted, set A has been all but completely overshadowed.

 

i mean im sure these new sets are wonderful (about to finish my relisten of the first batch tonight) but i find set A so special its such a shame that no one barely talks about it then and now  (dont ask me to talk about it bc i can barely talk about "normal" [whatever that is] music lol) 

It’s true. the A set material is difficult to even talk about. Maybe the strangest stuff they’ve ever done. …maybe.. I wonder what that stuff was like in 2020 before all the plans got cancelled. 

“overworked” is interesting here. the A set material seems to me to be about superimposition? 

nevermind I don’t know what to say about the A sets ha

  On 11/11/2024 at 2:51 PM, thumbass said:

Cool graph taken from the AE subreddit.

Expand  

Huh, so Venice really is the only set that revisits the material in London B just following the gritty funk at the beginning and up to the middle. My favourite section* of this rarer material is roughly the 6 min mark to 17 min mark in London B - those gorgeous pads that come out of the funk, and then that sort of dark section with the flicka-flick-ah "cymbal" type sound/riff. The second quarter of London B that's entirely percussive and relentless, like from 17 mins through to the dial.-ish section that precedes robo-duck... yeah it kinda makes sense that they didn't revisit it too much though lol, honestly I've always found that part pretty challenging, maybe even more so than the 2022-A sets tbh (though I still love it). But maybe they felt that part just didn't need to be rehashed too much.

EDIT: ok the tasty part I mean is roughly *here:

goddamn i'm in love with this shit so much what the fuck

the finale of Sydney starting around 67:37 sounds like a horde of horny demons madly knocking on my door as i run as fast as i can to open it and let them fuck me

edit: i let them in and they fuck me which is represented in the music as well 

what did I mean by this?

  On 11/12/2024 at 12:35 AM, Alcofribas said:

what did I mean by this?

you made knock knock joke

There’s some amazing music here, but am I imagining that there’s a lot less bass in the overall sound of most of these new sets? One or two have more deep thwack on the kicks or bass notes; however the rest don’t seem to have that heavier aspect. I’m no audiophile but when I played a 2016 set there seemed to be way more bass presence (and it was louder overall.) 

Not trying to be annoying or picky lol, I just feel like I’m going mad in hearing this music as generally a lot quieter and less bassy mastering wise than earlier live set eras - or indeed most of my other newer albums. 

Time for some Brussels, the only one I've not heard in full (_O_)

  On 11/12/2024 at 1:00 AM, Lianne said:

There’s some amazing music here, but am I imagining that there’s a lot less bass in the overall sound of most of these new sets? One or two have more deep thwack on the kicks or bass notes; however the rest don’t seem to have that heavier aspect. I’m no audiophile but when I played a 2016 set there seemed to be way more bass presence (and it was louder overall.) 

Not trying to be annoying or picky lol, I just feel like I’m going mad in hearing this music as generally a lot quieter and less bassy mastering wise than earlier live set eras - or indeed most of my other newer albums. 

lol I can assure you that it was bass inferno in Paris and Lyon, maybe listen to it with a sub or something...

  On 11/11/2024 at 8:42 PM, X4creek said:

uuuuuuuuuuuuuugh as i predicted, set A has been all but completely overshadowed.

 

i mean im sure these new sets are wonderful (about to finish my relisten of the first batch tonight) but i find set A so special its such a shame that no one barely talks about it then and now  (dont ask me to talk about it bc i can barely talk about "normal" [whatever that is] music lol) 

Thought the orgional 2022 batch got lots of love on here? Still holds a special place in my heart but do think these new ones are a step above! 

Definitely be returning to the A ones though. Like others have said they are mad in their own way & almost sound different everytime you listen, they are not as immediate & in your face as these new ones but sometimes that's a good thing.

Only time will tell which ones I come back to more but can imagine having couple of favourites across the types of sets I will come back to & be like the "Album" for me.

This had kinda already happened for the 1st batch and was Athens, London B & Bergen. 

  On 11/12/2024 at 10:08 AM, d-a-m-o said:

lol I can assure you that it was bass inferno in Paris and Lyon, maybe listen to it with a sub or something...

Yeah, I forgot to add that I imagine they sounded incredible live, and that there was no shortage of bass in the venues (anything but!)

Perhaps earlier sets were mastered differently, though? For home consumption? I’m mainly listening in the car tbh, but the bass on other albums and indeed their earlier sets pokes through quite a bit in there (2015 sounds proper upfront and car shaking) whereas as amazing as these are, there doesn’t seem to be much of it on a lot of them (even though I know there’s kicks and low activity; I mean the overall level more than whether there’s parts constituting the bass aspect.)

I love the mastering /mix of these more than any of the other live set releases personally.

Ive also been listening a lot in the car and no special set up in there but its still definitely car shaking! (Maybe you just need to turn it up )

  On 11/12/2024 at 1:00 PM, Lianne said:

Yeah, I forgot to add that I imagine they sounded incredible live, and that there was no shortage of bass in the venues (anything but!)

Perhaps earlier sets were mastered differently, though? For home consumption? I’m mainly listening in the car tbh, but the bass on other albums and indeed their earlier sets pokes through quite a bit in there (2015 sounds proper upfront and car shaking) whereas as amazing as these are, there doesn’t seem to be much of it on a lot of them (even though I know there’s kicks and low activity; I mean the overall level more than whether there’s parts constituting the bass aspect.)

I hadn't noticed, but then I've been too distracted by all the clipping

freakin clarinets