ASC - 'Reality Check'

ASC is an artist that's basically associated with the Autonomic label, home to a sort of sparse, industrial, somewhat more drum and bass version of dubstep. The productions are usually really tight and controlled in their rhythms, and pretty minimal when it comes to how thick they lay on the synths. It's a pretty unique style. The artists that run Autonomic are Instra:mental, whose track 'Watching You' was on my list of best tracks for 2009. D-Bridge is also a big name on the label and compliments the overall vibe pretty nicely.

ASC still produces for Autonomic, but started his own label called Auxiliary to host his own works, and so far he's released some pretty brilliant stuff on it. The thing about the track 'Reality Check' for me is that I've been waiting almost exactly ten months to buy it. That's one of the pitfalls of the electronic scene, is that artists will hand their tracks over to someone putting together a mix wayyy in advance of the actual release. Sometimes upwards of a year, and sometimes will simply never release the track at all. It's insanely frustrating, but I guess pretty rewarding still in the end.

This particular track was definitely worth the wait. It's easily in my top few favorites of the year. It holds true to overall Autonomic sound. The bass and snares have sort of an industrial pump and push to them, the rhythm production is pretty tightly wound and controlled, and though the synthwork is relatively minimal, it's extremely lush and quite frankly, amazingly gorgeous. There are synth flourishes that completely open up the space of the track, leaving me awestruck. A vocal sample appears throughout to a sweetly mysterious effect, as an utterly beautiful chime-like melody blooms in the background. It's a very nicely layered composition. The rest of the Certainties EP that it comes from is also pretty interesting and certainly worth checking out. har har. but really though, this track is really something special.

ASC - Reality Check by speedglueandmusic_raw3

AFX: Newly Released Analords (2010)

It's not entirely clear if these Analord tracks were recorded with the originals or more recently. Probably the former given the fact that they were part of a re-release of all the previous Analord EPs which happened last December, but still surprising given how much some of them stand out in comparison to some of those original tracks.

The Analord series, as far as I can tell, was a way for Aphex Twin to experiment with format. After DrukQs, he had made as intense and furious an electronic piece of work than anybody could make, so it makes sense that he would decide to simplify in a certain way.

As much as some of the Analord tracks seem like merely musical gestures as opposed to complete songs, the word simple or simplify doesn't really do them justice. Part of what makes Aphex Twin such an amazing artist is not just the basic composition of the music, but the texture and personality of the sounds he uses. As far back as anyone can trace his work, his songs have always had a very special emotive quality, and an incredible range within that as well. The Richard D. James album as an example is full of memorable moments. Moments that exude some pretty raw emotions for an electronic album: bliss, sadness, detachment, frenzy, and a hundred other unspeakable qualities. The stuff he creates is like a language unto itself, a form of musical expression that can't be described completely with words. And that is a quality I hold dear in the world of music. It's something that has stayed true throughout his career, including what he's done with the Analord series.

Obviously, not every song he creates is on that incredible level, but his overall body of work is worthy of that. He's broken barriers that allow you to judge his work in a context that you would not allow any other artist; he's truly set himself apart. And that makes it easier to appreciate the 'simpler' tracks as more than just a lazy experiment.

The tracks I chose as examples, these 'Chosen (by RAW 3) Lords' are actually the least simplistic of the bunch. They are the standouts with the most personality, the most highly developed. Anyway, here they are. Buy them here: www.rephlex.com.

These are a really sweet addition to the whole series, they round it out very nicely and give it a little more depth of personality. Now, hopefully my daily prayers will be answered when he actually releases an Aphex Twin album on Warp this year. One can only dream...

AFX - Love 7 by elpretentio2

AFX - In The Maze Park by elpretentio2

AFX - 3 Notes Con by elpretentio2

AFX - Stabbij by elpretentio2

Autechre - Oversteps

Autechre - Oversteps 03 known(1) by elpretentio2

Autechre - Oversteps 06 see on see by elpretentio2

Autechre - Oversteps 09 O=0 by elpretentio2

Goddamn, what a difficult album to review. This a major departure for them. But then again, it's not.

The main reason that this is such a hard album to review is because with Autechre, basically nothing (or everything, depending on how you look at it) is a departure for them. They've been pushing the boundaries of their sound with basically every new release since the outset of their musical careers.

One common factor seems to be the punchy, jabby staccato rhythms. It almost seems like the songs are boxing with you in an odd abstract sense; the way they burst and buzz around your head alternately in engaging, lush melodies and random spurts of chaos that border on jazz for lack of a better word (or maybe something called post-IDM? I dunno). It's very instrumental. You won't find too much of the pounding, crunched up, claustrophobic beats you'd have found on Untilted or certain segments of Quaristice. But that's not to say that certain parts of Oversteps aren't challenging in a similar way. I'd say that overall it's divided half and half by tracks that can be followed easily and are immediately engaging, and tracks that have that traditional Autechre learning curve. The latter of course being equally as rewarding for those with the patience or inclination for such a sound.

The most notable aspect though might be just how much this sounds like a complete work, a complete album. Call me old school, but I still firmly believe in the importance of the album as an art form. And this completely succeeds on that level. It's cohesive and varied to just the right degree. The pieces fit. And that might be what truly puts this over the edge.

Depending on where you stand in your previous opinion of this wicked alien group, this is will either be a near-masterpiece or at the very least, a solid piece of work with some really outstanding tracks. It feels complete.

Bonus! (Click Me)

Autechre's marathon 12-hour set for your listening pleasure. A fucking genius mix of old-school hip-hop, techno, and other randomness. starts getting pretty fucking epic at around 12:30. first couple hours are incredible for those (everyone obviously, including me) not willing to listen to the whole thing right away.

http://rockinz.org/files/Autechre.ws%20Broadcast%20-%2002-03-2010.mp3

oh and uh, here's this: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Asm8G_iuGEMzdDV3cmJEUzFnUlE4b3dzUjhaaVRRclE&hl=nl

Autechre FACT Mix

listen here (to download, right click this link and select 'save link as')

Autechre are known as legends in the field on electronic music called IDM (intellegent dance music). Their style is paradoxically chaotic and highly structured at the same time. They use odd time signatures, truly out-of-this-world aural textures, and their sound is alternately confrontational and difficult or pleasantly ambient and inspirational. And throughout out the years, it's been reported by various random sources they are influenced by hip hop, which certainly isn't much of a stretch if you just look to the fact that both hip hop and electronic music are all about beat production. The appropriate way to label Autechre as hip hop though would to call it techno-alien-future-hop-on-acid.

Despite the fact that i always assumed that this supposed hip hop influence was overstated, it seems to be confirmed by this recent mix they've compiled. Maybe i just haven't the proper hip hop radar. But nonetheless, here you have it. Hip-hop through the lens of Autechre. Old skool beats with some extra flourishes to add to the atmosphere, melding into some other IDM (Venetian Snares), a dash of randomness, and a metal track. I'm all for taking hip hop into new territories, often secretly wishing that a genre would emerge called prog-hop. And to my delight, they've come close to accomplishing that here. It's a testament to their reputation that i'm never truly suprised to hear something incredibly interesting from these two Brits.

(p.s. new Autechre LP, "Oversteps" in march. schweet...)

Tracklisting!

1. [00:00] Mark Stewart & Maffia - Blessed Are Those Who Struggle [On-U Sound, 1983]
2. [03:25] Sensational - Thick Marker [WordSound, 1997]
3. [05:03] Phat Kat - Cock Suckers [Sequence Records, 2002]
4. [06:45] Scorn - Black Belt [Hymen Records, 2002]
5. [07:30] Tangerine Dream - Exit [Virgin, 1981]
6. [10:28] Roedelius - Übern Fluss
7. [12:15] Sonic Sum - Negatives [Tri-Eight Music Supplies, 2004]
8. [13:40] Raekwon - Broken Safety [Ice H2O Records, 2009]
9. [16:09] Q-Tip & Free Murder - Just A Lil Dude "Who Dat Ovah There" [Koch Records, 2007]
10. [19:32] J Dilla - Won't Do (Instrumental) [BBE, 2006]
11. [23:10] Black Milk - Danger [Music House, 2005]
12. [25:02] Ruby-Lo - Guilty Until Proven Guilty (feat. Thirstin Howl The 3rd) [Skillionaire Enterprises, 2009]
13. [28:04] Black Milk - Sound The Alarm [Fat Beats, 2006]
14. [30:15] Venetian Snares - Molting [Isolate, 2000]
15. [33:13] Venetian Snares - Punishing The Atoms [Isolate, 2000]
16. [38:50] Todd Terry - Made By The Man [Sleeping Bag, 1988]
17. [42:06] Percee P - Throwback Rap Attack [Stones Throw Records, 2006]
18. [45:00] Tuff Crew - Behold The Detonator [Warlock Records, 1989]
19. [47:00] Ultramagnetic MC's - Break North [Next Plateau Records Inc., 1988]
20. [50:00] Strafe - Set It Off [Jus Born Records, 1984]
21. [52:50] Necrophagist - Diminished To Be [Relapse Records, 2004]
22. [56:26] Bernard Parmegiani - Ondes Croisées [INA-GRM, 1984]
23. [58:27] Stephen Mallinder - Pow Wow [Fetish Records, 1981]
24. [61:30]
25. [62:32] Beat Club - Security (Beats)
26. [65:45] Meat Beat Manifesto - Radio Babylon [Play It Again Sam, 1990]
27. [68:54] New Age Steppers - Radial Drill [On-U Sound, 1981]
28. [71:55] Stephen Mallinder - Cool Down [Fetish Records, 1981]
29. [74:40] Stephen Mallinder - Length Of Time [Fetish Records, 1982]