squarepusher Incunabula

I just started listening to Autechre .I was introduced to them more thoroughly from this board after joining because of the likes of RDJ and Squarepusher. I have listened to Incunabula and just finished Amber. I am listening to the records in order and enjoy them immensely so far. My question is how different or "advanced" did Incunabula sound compared against Black Dog or Aphex(especially SAW). It seems as though SAW is the unsung hero of early electronic music, while Incunabula, although maybe not as musically lush, sounds much more advanced and technically superior.

  AOOproductions said:

I just started listening to Autechre .I was introduced to them more thoroughly from this board after joining because of the likes of RDJ and Squarepusher. I have listened to Incunabula and just finished Amber. I am listening to the records in order and enjoy them immensely so far. My question is how different or "advanced" did Incunabula sound compared against Black Dog or Aphex(especially SAW). It seems as though SAW is the unsung hero of early electronic music, while Incunabula, although maybe not as musically lush, sounds much more advanced and technically superior.

I think Incunabula is more hit/miss than SAW, but yeah, some tracks - esp. Bike, Doctrine, and 444 - are amazing. I wasn't listening to Warp stuff back then, but I think Incunabula sounds a lot more 'advanced' than most of the ambient techno from its era, i.e. Biosphere's pre-Substrata work, most of the Artificial Intelligence series, etc. It certainly has some hints, i.e. Doctrine and 444, as to the direction electronic music would take during the mid-90's.

Hmmmm - without thinking about this too much - in 1993 John Peel played Lanx 3 which was the track that turned me on to Ae and made me decide to buy incunabula. It still sounds, to me, more "advanced" thanm most music released in 2007. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't on the album, but nonetheless it (along with tango n vectif, bytes, saw 85-92, surfing on sinewaves etc) was just much much much much better than most other stuff out there and it was clear that the warphlex lot were clearly leaving the bulk of the (what was then called) "ambient techno" scene way behind - probably cause they weren't just making mellow ambient gay techno like everyone else (banco de gaia / higher intelligence agency / everything else who played at club dog/megadog/whirlygig). (not that that was all terrible) just that everything else was kinda samey , generic and already sounding bland and dated by the time Incunabula was released.

so yeah - there was a handful of Briandance already pushing the envelope so Incununabababula was by no means unparallelllellelled in its ultramega advancedness but it was part of a select few albums that (i reckon) were collectively a million bazillion miles ahead of the rest of techno music at that time

where the rest of the artificial intelligence series was "intelligent techno", incunabula was more like "intelligent electro", showing Ae's roots in hip hop and electro, and it was definitely original and different from other proto-electronic music stuff. for a debut album from a pair of really young guys, i think it was amazing.

since then each release has exponentially taken off into more original and unique territories (which is why i love Ae) as opposed to a lot of the other artists from that time, whose music hasnt really changed much, at least not in ways that i think are so interesting.

excellent album

  LUDD said:

...Lanx... Unfortunately for me, it wasn't on the album...

i first heard it on a compilation years ago... the comp has a fish on the cover and it has music from global communication, higher intelligence agency, b12, underworld, and some other crap like james, afghan wigs and shit... i only bought it for the electronic musics back then... i got it around mid 90s and it was released early 90s... it has a cd sized book with info on the artists on the comp.

  asymmetrical head said:

  LUDD said:

...Lanx... Unfortunately for me, it wasn't on the album...

 

i first heard it on a compilation years ago... the comp has a fish on the cover and it has music from global communication, higher intelligence agency, b12, underworld, and some other crap like james, afghan wigs and shit... i only bought it for the electronic musics back then... i got it around mid 90s and it was released early 90s... it has a cd sized book with info on the artists on the comp.

no exclamation points??

  Rook said:

  asymmetrical head said:

  LUDD said:

...Lanx... Unfortunately for me, it wasn't on the album...

 

i first heard it on a compilation years ago... the comp has a fish on the cover and it has music from global communication, higher intelligence agency, b12, underworld, and some other crap like james, afghan wigs and shit... i only bought it for the electronic musics back then... i got it around mid 90s and it was released early 90s... it has a cd sized book with info on the artists on the comp.

 

no exclamation points??

Yeah, this is the first time I don't read any exclamation points in his posts, but there are still some "...", anyways.

!

y0!

yes ... the compilation was called "volume"

ivo sent me lanx 3 about 2 or 3 years ago after trying to describe it on watmm....

up til then i still only had the taped version off of john peel

probably my favourite autechre album....

it really works with me.

i love every track.

i just finished listening to amber, the only album i hadn't heard by autechre, and its certainly challenging incunabula for me.

i would have thought it was advanced for its time. it seems all autechre albums are advanced for their time.

nine is an instant favourite of mine. its beautiful......beyond beautiful......

a little while ago i burn the lanx track from that compilation (with a early ae interview) & i put it on a cdr, but sadly that cdr got loads of scratches so now its more like a glitchy oval unreleased track than autechre...

by the way the afghan whigs track on that volume cd is awesome! very easily the best tune of the cd ( & much better than this lanx 3!). go figure why lanx is not on incunabula.

not much to do with incunabula but i check discogs: indeed the afghan whigs track was a cover of my little girl blue, not as powerful as the janis joplin version but clearly the best bit of music on this compilation!

  k h o v said:

not much to do with incunabula but i check discogs: indeed the afghan whigs track was a cover of my little girl blue, not as powerful as the janis joplin version but clearly the best bit of music on this compilation!

so wrong!