AAA - Ask Autechre Anything - Sean and Rob on WATMM!

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:27 PM, lumpenprol said:

Couple of questions -

 

- It's said you were involved with getting Boards of Canada noticed and on Skam, now that your cohort of artists have matured, do you still take an active interest in upcoming electronic artists and scenes? (don't make music myself just curious). Would also be curious to know what electronic artists you listen to these days (I think the rap question was already covered)

 

- the Quaristice era seemed unique in your catalog, both because of the shorter more eclectic tracks, but also because you released both Quadrange and Versions, something you hadn't done so explicitly before (in terms of "alternate takes"). Do you also see that period as sort of unique, and is there any backstory to it, apart from just trying to capture a live feel?

yeah i had just moved house and everything was in boxes, so i was half messing with bits of the live set that were in the elektrons and half progging in max on the side, so it just kind of happened that we recorded a ton of stuff that way cos live tracks are fast to do.

the max stuff then became the system we used for oversteps and later morphed into the oversteps live setup, and then the exai setup. or part of it anyway.

- Oversteps had a couple of tracks that seemed like particularly unusual experiments, known(1) and d sho qub. Any stories about what inspired you to make either of those tracks?

Thanks for buying one of my albums a little while ago ( http://buy.ilovecubus.co.uk/album/and-then-the-world-fell-further-down ). If you've had a chance to listen to it, what did you think ?

Have you heard about the save state bending project a few of us worked on that inadvertently made Oversteps-esque tracks: http://www.recordlabelrecords.org/various-artists-genesis-bending.html

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:27 PM, wabby said:

Given that's you gus have been at the leading edge of sonic explorations for 20+ years have you developed any personal alternate theories and postulations about what music actually is?

yeah music = speech - text

at least roughly - i reckon it's a kind of super-developed version of the pitch and intonation parts of speech (the aural bit that doesn't contain textual info)

"the Elektrons", do you still use them a lot? Sounds like they are used on Exai, but more heavily processed than on earlier material?

It sounds like you really have a predilection for FM synths, Is this true, and if so, to what extent? Favourite gear?

Your work inspired me to develop a plugin that does audio controlled phase modulation, so thanks.

What do you guys think of the Analog four?

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:33 PM, DorkingtonPugsly said:

What were you guys thinking when you made Cichli, if you remember that is. Thoughts or emotion. Especially the underlying melancholy melody thing, and how it lasts throughout the end.

I don't know why but it makes me very emotional, sad, and it feels cold, distant, yet somewhat warm and hazy. It's a strange sensation that I've not felt from listening to any other track.

just sitting at a dx tapping keys, i have no idea, just felt right at the time

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:41 PM, MastaN8 said:

How do you feel about your fans? Public image?

you're gonna have to be more specific than that

most of the music you release - while being rather 'abstract' and always innovative - is still clearly rooted in popular music genres like hip hop, electronica, techno etc.

do you ever produce stuff that tends towards a more rigidly 'experimental' or 'academic' tradition of electronic music (like GRM, dockstader, xenakis etc)?

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:45 PM, Rulohead32 said:

What do you think about our constant "sean pls" jokes and the tumblrs with album cover parodies like http://bullwalletversions.tumblr.com/ ?

i liked the one with rob on the drums

also - watmm pls

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:46 PM, chim said:

FM or subtractive synthesis?

tough but i'd go with fm cos you can blag acid using fm

Your work seems to lead some music journalists to really go off the deep end with speculation and bullshit. I've always imagined that this is due to the largely abstract nature of your work, and they way you guys leave a lot to interpretation. But are there any articles that really stand out to your mind as being the most full of shit? I instantly think of a couple, but I'm curious whether you guys give any thought to what these "professionals" say about your work, if at all.

What advice or criticism would you give to today's electronic musicians? Like, what are we doing right and wrong? What important elements are being underrepresented?

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:51 PM, lumpenprol said:

- Oversteps had a couple of tracks that seemed like particularly unusual experiments, known(1) and d sho qub. Any stories about what inspired you to make either of those tracks?

known(1) happened cos i was messing with tuning and karplus-strong, and i liked the way the upper octaves were sounding, typical kind of a leads to b thing

Sure. How do you feel your music has been received over the years by fans/critics?

I see you said you're still experimenting with visuals. Have you ever considered to take part in any kind of visual arts festival? (I can't think of many, but I would love to see you play at MIRA Festival one year in my city).

  On 11/2/2013 at 4:00 PM, Sean Ae said:

 

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:45 PM, Rulohead32 said:

What do you think about our constant "sean pls" jokes and the tumblrs with album cover parodies like http://bullwalletversions.tumblr.com/ ?

 

i liked the one with rob on the drums

 

also - watmm pls

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:46 PM, chim said:

FM or subtractive synthesis?

 

tough but i'd go with fm cos you can blag acid using fm

 

the fact that many stem from an actual WuTang rekkerd, is just perfect

what gives you the right?

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:55 PM, phling said:

"the Elektrons", do you still use them a lot? Sounds like they are used on Exai, but more heavily processed than on earlier material?

nah they've been in a box since the quaristice gigs

Any reading that you think accompanies "Exai" well? To my mind, it's just the right length for that, but I'm just curious if you have aeny recommendations.

  On 11/2/2013 at 4:03 PM, Rulohead32 said:

I see you said you're still experimenting with visuals. Have you ever considered to take part in any kind of visual arts festival? (I can't think of many, but I would love to see you play at MIRA Festival one year in my city).

not really, vis serves as a great aural detox sometimes

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:55 PM, skibby said:

It sounds like you really have a predilection for FM synths, Is this true, and if so, to what extent? Favourite gear?

 

Your work inspired me to develop a plugin that does audio controlled phase modulation, so thanks.

fm is really flexible so yeah i cane it. also the sound of it does something to me, it can sound like it's inside my head or something - prob cos of the harmonic symmetry being a bit unnatural.

fave gear - i dunno at all, i would prob be really boring and say computers, cos flexibility

  On 11/2/2013 at 3:58 PM, kieselguhr kid said:

most of the music you release - while being rather 'abstract' and always innovative - is still clearly rooted in popular music genres like hip hop, electronica, techno etc.

do you ever produce stuff that tends towards a more rigidly 'experimental' or 'academic' tradition of electronic music (like GRM, dockstader, xenakis etc)?

lol rigid

see that's the problem innit, all that freedom and they go and buy a strait jacket

Do you guys enjoy the style of hiphop that Nujabes created? Do you listen to his songs?

Many on the forum really enjoyed your Quaristice era live set with the elektrons in full swing. Is there a possibility of it being released? There are so many awesome melodic hooks in that set.

When was Cichlisuite made?

Do you have mutant sound thigs? If so; Does it happen in between the transitions of release material? I mean, tracks mixing gear and techniques used in Tri Repetae and Chiastic Slide, for example.

heat or night?