M.H wrote: Mon Sep 26, 2022 5:34 am

biscuitdough wrote: Sat Sep 24, 2022 9:53 pm Didn't the later TBD stuff have a conspiracy theory theme? Even with instrumental music, that's going to be a tough sell for me.

I hadn't followed the reunion material at all as it was still just Ken Downie, but it does look like they put out a UKIPish, anti-tech concept record in 2009 - bit a of switch from their occult, post-human, information war vibe, but I'd need to hear it to judge it.

Yeah, it's been a while since I listened to any of their stuff.

I also get the irony in voting for RDJ when I'm squicked by conspiracy theories, but it's not in your face with his song and album titles.

Edit: well, except this. What a dumb clown.

biscuitdough wrote: Mon Sep 26, 2022 7:04 am Edit: well, except this. What a dumb clown.

The artist also wrote in a comment, "I mean what if we the people are not happy about any other government policies, we now can’t have more than 6 people in a protest, what are we to do?"

Dude asked that months after the largest string of protests since the 1960s. Brilliant.

Autechre takes the lead, although I'll sadly have to admit that I find their later stuff too difficult. There are moments here and there, but I require a little more structure.

Aphex Twin I have never actually looked at thoroughly, I guess I was intimidated by the sprawling catalogue. I know bits of the Ambient Works like "Rhubarb" and "Heliosphan" that are superb, and of course the singles.

Boards of Canada might have something of a background position regarding influentiality, but they're right up there in how important they are to me personally. Geogaddi is something I will be able to return to forever.

Funny The Black Dog was brought in. I didn't know they went that far back - I was introduced to them with the "Music for Real Airports" album, which has since been one of my absolute favourite records. City music par excellence.

kokorodoko wrote: Mon Sep 26, 2022 11:36 pm Aphex Twin I have never actually looked at thoroughly, I guess I was intimidated by the sprawling catalogue.

If you're a BoC fan I can not recommend Selected Ambient Works 85-92 enough. Some of his other work can be more (purposefully) abrasive and avant-garde but that's a beautiful record from start to finish.

chexmixbreath wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:50 pm

zircona1 wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:50 am I know very little by Autechre, what’s a good starting place for them?

Chiastic Slide is a great starting point, and a fair middle ground between the somewhat conventional earlier material and the super abstract style that would dominate all their later output.

So I listened to about half of this, and I kind of got tired of each track after about a minute or two. So my vote goes to Aphex.

Boards of Canada - I love Geogaddi and Music Has the Right to Children, but I haven't gone any further than those two.

Hot Take: Autechre are the Grateful Dead of electronic music.

RDJ is the Brian Eno.

MRoyce wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 1:44 am Hot Take: Autechre are the Grateful Dead of electronic music.

RDJ is the Brian Eno.

Can't remember where I saw it but boy, are you a mushroom?

'Cos you got some shit takes.

Here is my hot take. For everyone to enjoy and love.

Confield/Draft 7.30/Untilted/Quaristice is the best period of Autechre. Quaristice and Untilted in particular are really underrated.


This is not my hot take, but outside of selected ambient works 1 & 2 Aphex Twin is pretty stupid and gimmicky. BOC have one great album and a couple of good ones. Squarepusher -- get out of here.

kokorodoko wrote: Funny The Black Dog was brought in. I didn't know they went that far back - I was introduced to them with the "Music for Real Airports" album, which has since been one of my absolute favourite records. City music par excellence.

On Warp, Bytes and Spanners are really fine. Spanners in particular is incredible, works like two long-form compositions, dreamy and sad and gorgeous. Book of Dogma collects almost all of the non-Warp stuff from the same period, and it's just as good. There's an incredible s/t EP, originally released on Rising High, that I don't think is collected anywhere.

I intensely dislike the "IDM" tag so much that it has kept me away from its ambassadors through no fault of their own. Can't ever recall hearing an Autechre track; I've heard a few Aphex Twins tracks here and there, but I'm a particular sort of asshole that enjoys a groove that renders one inescapable from it. I've previously mentioned and enjoy Stefan Betke/Pole, but I find his music to be more of a curious thing than a bodily or spiritual concern. Does one really need to treat dub as an abstract anyway? It's body and soul music. There's another experimental artist whose name escapes me, but he is one of the obsessives in Room 237 and ostensibly made a house, or, house-leaning record titled Ka. Again, a curious thing, but making house music into something cerebral or academic lessens its power.

Can't give a strong vote either way. Also not a fan of the progressive or trance movements if that speaks to anything.