Are Ae getting better as they age?

Each new album from ae is like putting a picture of a cat through another iteration of Google's deep dream.

Yes.

Imo, in some ways they are better but mostly they are just different. I enjoy where they are heading but I also still enjoy most of their older output.

  On 12/11/2015 at 6:43 PM, beerwolf said:

They are the ones who know how to tread the perfect path between a tune and experimental sound.

Exactly.

While many people think of their music as some kind of experimental wankery, I hear incredibly well composed music that strikes the perfect balance most of the time. To be honest, most of the experimental electronic music I have heard to this day is pointless wankery relying on quantity of stuff happening at once while missing the point of careful and interesting composition (gradation, dynamics, contrast, surprise, subtlety, swing etc.) completely. I would say such producers aren't really able to hear what is it truly about when listening to Ae even if they appreciate it (for their own reasons). Ae's tracks are not your regular glitch exercise. They are compositions (and genius at times).

Ae are spot-on most of the time.

Where they've gotten to now, I see them as much in the lineage of Stravinsky or Ligeti in terms of people who have approached music from a different direction and changed the game.

I'll take old-school AE over nu-AE any day of the week.

Sorry in advance for the trigger.

But think there's this thing with AE fans that just because they said themselves that Incunabula was cheesy in some interview (if I remember correct), some fans think they're supposed to think the same. I don't agree though, I think it's an amazing album just like Amber is. I do prefer listening to them more than Exai most of the time.

That being said the evolution of AE is pretty amazing, I do appreciate their new stuff just as much, but for different reasons. But I kind of have to be in the right state of mind to listen their new stuff, their old stuff I can always throw on and enjoy equally every time.

  On 12/12/2015 at 11:53 AM, Npoess said:

 

But think there's this thing with AE fans that just because they said themselves that Incunabula was cheesy in some interview (if I remember correct), some fans think they're supposed to think the same.

If there are truly fans like that (I have a tendency to doubt it though), I am glad I am not that stupid.

However, Incunabula has many cheesy/beginner/basic moments that I truly don't enjoy (still better and more mature sounding than most of the electronic music at that time). It reminds me of my first music attempts which is not really a compliment. There is also many moments that are great and managed to stand the test of time. Amber was a much better produced album but a bit cold sounding frequency-wise and too minimal at times. Again many great moments. Tri Repetae has some excellent tracks but I dislike the cold frequency spectrum again (I prefer the Anvil Vapre EP, Second Peng is one of my absolutely favourite tracks).

The worst album for me is Chiastic Slide, though. Two excellent tracks, less cold sounding than previous albums but the rest of the tracks completely forgettable with very boring compositions and not enough development for my taste (might change in the future but I gave it many chances already throughout the years).

EDIT: Also, may I ask how old were you when you first heard Incunabula/Amber, Npoess?

I think see on see is probably the most beautiful electronic track I've heard. Wish they'd do tender/melodic a bit more often too.

  On 12/12/2015 at 12:28 PM, Palo Alto said:

I think see on see is probably the most beautiful electronic track I've heard. Wish they'd do tender/melodic a bit more often too.

I dislike the dense, clashing HF sizzle. Very tiring to my ears so I cannot listen to it too often. Composition is very nice indeed. Oversteps is an excellent album with very emotional moments.

Jeesus

, jev

Honestly I kind of agree, before I read the post yesterday, see on see popped happened to pop in my head and I was thinking about what a gorgeous track it is but how ridiculous the reverb is, which I think was an attempt to mitigate the clashing she's talking about. Feels like blasphemy to wonder what it would have sounded like if they would have just turned down the modulation index a bit on that FM stuff instead of taking the reverb levels into 80s 4AD territory.

I like it!

  On 12/11/2015 at 1:13 AM, Deer said:

Autechre's evolution in my opinion ..

 

awesome

We were shown that photo during psychiatry. Schizophrenia.

Now I know it was just ae.

yeah Louis Wain was actually picking up signals from AE's live sets, transmitted into 4 dimensional space.

It's not a lie if you believe it.

ae peepz gonna shit on me but i say nah. i honestly don't like alot of what they do these days. when they first shifted styles i was like "damn i like dis alien funk" but now it all sounds samey and too glitchytryhard, i think they ditched alot of the emotion in their earlier stuff.

now i know the true ae fans are gonna disagree with this cause they get riled up anytime someone hates on their two bfs sean and rob and they'll say i just don't get it but i'll take amber and tri repetae over exai any day of the week.

i've always seen draft/untilted as their high point, i cant really get into their releases after those albums. no doubt they are still evolving though, the new livesets are crazy good

better is just a matter of taste and opinion. there's no question they are still pushing themselves and their art. there is def no shame in liking the more melodic stuff over the more experimental stuff. I go back and forth myself. they have so much material, there's something for everyone.

that being said, this new live stuff is beastly. at time it's almost impenetrable and difficult. since there are now 9 hours of it (and counting) id love if the next album was more accessible. I'd like an album of recks on. but whatever they deliver will be brilliant, no doubt.

  On 12/12/2015 at 11:28 PM, orangebattery said:

ae peepz gonna shit on me but i say nah. i honestly don't like alot of what they do these days. when they first shifted styles i was like "damn i like dis alien funk" but now it all sounds samey and too glitchytryhard, i think they ditched alot of the emotion in their earlier stuff.

 

now i know the true ae fans are gonna disagree with this cause they get riled up anytime someone hates on their two bfs sean and rob and they'll say i just don't get it but i'll take amber and tri repetae over exai any day of the week.

Honestly not tryna start beef but i find it so weird when i hear people say they don't find the more recent stuff lacking emotion. Like obviously i get that it wouldn't be for someone who only just started listening to ae but for people who are already fans? I feel like i'm listening to something completely different! I find it so emotive, far more than the earlier stuff. They're sound design is so on point it's like every sound is crammed with emotion and character, let alone the melody/material it's playing.

Obviously completely subjective tho

I can say that I definitely like them more as I age.

Assuming they're truly masters at creating the types of tracks they want to, and have been for years, it's more of an evolution of their tastes as far as what they want to create.

Everytime this emotion discussion in old vs. new Autechre comes up, this pops up in my head:

  On 12/12/2015 at 11:28 PM, orangebattery said:

now i know the true ae fans are gonna disagree with this cause they get riled up anytime someone hates on their two bfs sean and rob

http://i.imgur.com/lK9xrXW.gifv

  On 12/13/2015 at 12:19 AM, Herr Jan said:

Everytime this emotion discussion in old vs. new Autechre comes up, this pops up in my head:

 

Well fair enough i guess, just tryna have a discussion though. It's interesting to hear other peoples' view. If we stop every discussion with "it's not as simple as that, you can't categorise this" type attitude well we may as well just stop the forum.

But....but...

He's agreeing with you....