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

Any tracks you've done that you thought went unappreciated maybe? Calbruc and Iera spring to mind..

Or do you not care? Do you have a general interest to find out what tracks people seem to prefer?

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:04 PM, Suffocate Peon said:

Any tracks you've done that you thought went unappreciated maybe? Calbruc and Iera spring to mind..

 

Or do you not care? Do you have a general interest to find out what tracks people seem to prefer?

nah, things vary so much, people change minds, tracks age well others don't then get cool again, theres no short term stability to it.

I'm curious as to how soon in the creative process one of your tracks will be given a track title or a working variation on a track title?

  On 11/4/2013 at 7:56 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

do you like ween? it's 2 crazy musicians making a bunch of awesome tracks

I remember hearing an alternate version of Buckingham Green in one of the webcasts, so I'm guessing that one's a yes!

Have you guys done any coding in ChucK?

describe the machine that is autechre in a haiku

Do any tracks have hidden meaning that you've never noticed anybody spot before?

  On 11/4/2013 at 7:56 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

do you like ween? it's 2 crazy musicians making a bunch of awesome tracks

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtovTIii2GU&feature=player_detailpage

yeah i fucking love ween

pure guava is in my all time top 10 most days

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:00 PM, Sean Ae said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 3:19 AM, limbae said:

how does one mix such complex tracks, so that various sounds don't nullify each other? simple eq?

 

i don't have a snappy sounding answer to this

i know a lot of producers would say something lame like 'turn everything down' or 'mix with your ears' but i can't go there

i read so many stupid posts on gear forums like that, it never actually works like that. every case is different

 

So do you mix while composing or you tend to separate it on composition and mixing stages? (Of course I don't mean mixing that is naturally involved in composing while making gradations/climax etc). Sometimes I mix a track even for a few weeks before it is really right - which make me often wonder if it's not a problem somewhere else in the track than in the mix (like bad composition or sound design not really working for the vibe or simply sobering from the enthusiasm for the track etc).

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:04 PM, Obel said:

On the field recordings note, I was listening to Quaristice today and it seems to have a tonne of outdoor field recordings. The swinging gate and train in rale for example. Did you do a load of water recordings for this? There are some gungy sounds in Simmm (which I love) and fol3/fol4 especially sound like water recorded under a bridge. To me anyway!

Yeah Quaristice really sounds like some of the sounds where recorded with underwater microphones. is it true?

have you guys ever thought about having visuals go along with your performances at all? maybe some sort of crazy generative visuals that generate themselves according to certain parameters or even translate some of your rhythm work visually instead of aurally? one my my fav bands of all time (tool) always has such striking and thought provoking visuals that add so much to their music.

My apologies if this has already been asked, I haven't had time to read through ALL of this mammoth thread yet...

Many find your music "difficult" or "challenging" to listen to, and say that it takes numerous listens and sometimes years to really fall in love with it.

Is there any music that you feel this way about? Anything that you absolutely love now but at first you found difficult to listen to?

(and thank you so much for taking the time to do this!)

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:13 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

describe the machine that is autechre in a haiku

Not really a question but I wanna say thanks for consistently setting release dates and then selling digitalis about a month earlier. It rules

lael

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:14 PM, Sean Ae said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 7:56 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

do you like ween? it's 2 crazy musicians making a bunch of awesome tracks

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtovTIii2GU&feature=player_detailpage

 

yeah i fucking love ween

pure guava is in my all time top 10 most days

 

Ween is pure class. Went to a show in Pontiac (99'-00'?) where they played for at least 4 hours. Might have been longer. Knocked out some tunes that night.

sweet. found setlist.

How large are your personal music libraries? Records or CDs or Tapes or digital? Which format do you consume the most?

regarding reverb, can't always discern what is synthetic and what's natural... do you ever record a signal acoustically, like through an amp in a room, then mix that with the more direct elements? are most elements reacting/intertwined w/one another (i'm not even sure how MIDI works), and/or are there independent elements of a track that are mixed in to give the illusion of 'play' with the other elements?

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:12 PM, YELLOW said:

I'm curious as to how soon in the creative process one of your tracks will be given a track title or a working variation on a track title?

most likely as soon as we save some of it. and the process then can continue

  On 11/3/2013 at 6:46 PM, Sean Ae said:

 

  On 11/3/2013 at 4:00 PM, Alcofribas said:

what ae track has the lushest pad?

 

drane 3

i reckon i'll need that. pm me. cheers

ps, will sign nda

What is the original speed playing of We are r why ? i'd been playing it @33 for ages.. sounds fabulous but is that the correct speed ?

  On 11/4/2013 at 7:51 AM, RandySicko said:

-Any involvement with NMB? NWH20 seems like shoutout to Lego Feet track

 

-Also, about the Gescom track "G1" Darrel Fitton shared with the public a few years back (I imagine you guys had to be made aware he was doing that), is there any chance for a similar gesture of goodwill on your end during this ask you anything event or anytime in the near future? *wipes foam away from mouth*

 

Sean, regarding your answer to the question about the resonant structure in question... I remember reading somewhere a long time ago (interview maybe) that the sounds were infact from your rectum - the piece made as a joke or "statement" referencing the sort of rabid fan who would purchase their favorite artist's new album even if it was straight farting for 45 minutes. I won't ask to confirm or deny ...but I think it is hilarious if true.

nah that's not it

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:33 PM, Rob Ae said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:12 PM, YELLOW said:

I'm curious as to how soon in the creative process one of your tracks will be given a track title or a working variation on a track title?

most likely as soon as we save some of it. and the process then can continue

 

are the tracks conceptually planned - are you going into studio with a certain idea in mind and work until its done or are you just jamming around until something you like comes up? if yes then how do you know when a track is "done"?

do you attract much attention from lady fans? if so what is your favourite nationality?

i ask because once i was at one of your gigs in Amsterdam, up on a balcony and two girls (looked Italian) had a go at me, telling me to get out of the way. they were videoing you,..well, they were videoing darkness but yeah (maybe they used infrared).

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:14 PM, Jev said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:00 PM, Sean Ae said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 3:19 AM, limbae said:

how does one mix such complex tracks, so that various sounds don't nullify each other? simple eq?

 

i don't have a snappy sounding answer to this

i know a lot of producers would say something lame like 'turn everything down' or 'mix with your ears' but i can't go there

i read so many stupid posts on gear forums like that, it never actually works like that. every case is different

 

 

So do you mix while composing or you tend to separate it on composition and mixing stages? (Of course I don't mean mixing that is naturally involved in composing while making gradations/climax etc). Sometimes I mix a track even for a few weeks before it is really right - which make me often wonder if it's not a problem somewhere else in the track than in the mix (like bad composition or sound design not really working for the vibe or simply sobering from the enthusiasm for the track etc).

 

for me - something can just click into place after running it for days, then just changing one thing, and suddenly theres a moment of awareness like was just totally meant to be that way and it couldn't tell us.

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:20 PM, olo said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 8:14 PM, Sean Ae said:

 

  On 11/4/2013 at 7:56 PM, Ivan Ooze said:

do you like ween? it's 2 crazy musicians making a bunch of awesome tracks

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtovTIii2GU&feature=player_detailpage

 

yeah i fucking love ween

pure guava is in my all time top 10 most days

 

 

Ween is pure class. Went to a show in Pontiac (99'-00'?) where they played for at least 4 hours. Might have been longer. Knocked out some tunes that night.

 

sweet. found setlist.

• 1. Buckingham Green
  2. Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)
  5. Dr. Rock
  8. The Golden Eel
  9. Mutilated Lips
  10. Roses Are Free
  11. Sketches of Winkle
  12. Fat Lenny
  13. Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?
  14. Voodoo Lady
  15. Back To Basom
  16. Frank
  17. Bananas and Blow
  18. The HIV Song
  19. Piss Up a Rope
  20. Booze Me Up and Get Me High
  21. Baby Bitch
  22. Mister Richard Smoker
  24. Ocean Man
  25. Puerto Rican Power
  26. You Fucked Up
  27. Reggaejunkiejew
  28. Buenos Tardes Amigo
  29. Encore:
  30. Ice Castles
  31. Stroker Ace
  32. Tick
  33. The Blarney Stone
  34. LMLYP
      (Prince cover)
  35. Encore 2:
  36. Hot for Teacher
      (Van Halen cover)
  37. Encore 3:
  38. Purple Rain
      (Prince cover)
  39. 1999
      (Prince cover)
  40. Fluffy
  42. Demon Sweat
  43. (Paul McCartney cover)
  44. Band on the Run
      (Wings cover)
  45. Captain Fantasy
  46. Poopship Destroyer

 

CHRIST!

now thats a show

one of the most notable things about your records for a long time now, but especially with exai and lel event, is how unique the textures are. on watmm lots have noticed that the latest ep has a very "frothy" and "wet" sound. I don't mean this in a gay way. anyway, are there any records that you guys like that have such a distinct textural quality.

for instance, phoenicia's "brown out" or gas "pop" come to mind as examples of records that have a really unique feel and detailed textural aspect. don't say computer world.