FOUNDATIONS: AUTECHRE
A double shot from two of the OG Titans of British electronica.
In recent decades, Autechre have become something of an acquired taste. I personally find their recent offerings a bit of a challenge. Dense, abstract, non-linear and emphatically NOT for the club.
I’m reminded of a quote from a 90s magazine interview with Photek, (that I will not get right, so won’t republish) where he basically made the point that rave music must have both Form and Function. If music only has Form then you descend into self-indulgence. If it only has Function then you abandon artistic expression. Perhaps Autechre’s recent output falls more into the former camp and lacks the balance required for the Rave.
Just my opinion.
Although, having said all that, their pitch black live sessions at Bloc weekend were always a profound and brutally physical experience.
So what do I know.
Anyway, for my personal taste the real gems lie in their first two LPs on the mighty Warp records released back-to-back in the halcyon days of 1993 and 1994.
Incunabula (Warp, 1993)
Incunabula is a shining example of everything great about 90s electronica. Shimmering synths, wicked hooks, percussion drop-forged out of high-grade steel.
One of those albums that contains the blueprint for everything that came after it. The inevitable soundtrack to post-industrial heartlands of the British North.
As ever, I recommend listening to the album in its entirety. It is quite simply all killer, with not a piece of filler in sight.
If I had to choose a standout, and I suppose I should, then Windwind is one of the most majestic pieces of music ever made and has had me all up in my feels for the past couple of days while thinking about this post. A true classic.
Amber (Warp, 1994)
Autechre’s second LP and a more reflective and ambient counterpoint to the industrial rawness of Incunabula. Classier, more refined, yet no less potent.
I remember going to pick up Donato Dozzy from Heathrow before one of our parties at Corsica, or perhaps it was Village Underground..? Either way, we hired a motor with a very nice sound system to go and collect the Professor and his agent Leon from the airport.
I stuck this on for the drive back into London and I remember Dozzy turning to me from the front passenger seat about half way through and saying “I’d forgotten how good this album is.” I replied something along the lines of, “to be honest with you I feel like most of electronic music got nailed in the early 1990s and we’ve just been making replicas ever since.”
I’m not sure if he agreed with me or not.
But let’s be honest, some of these tracks are so foundational we almost take them for granted. They are in many ways timeless and eternal, and still manage to sound fresh and unique over 30 years down the track.
How much modern music released in 2025 will we be saying the same thing about in 2055? I do wonder…
Anyway, back to Amber.
Once again, it’s a proper album: listen from start to finish.
Standouts? Oh go on then…
Two more for my feels.
First up, the incomparable Montreal. Pure, lush and expressive. Skittering snares and transcendent melodies that sound like nothing else before or since.
Finally, let me not forget how Nine was one of those go-to tracks that helped me get through a particularly challenging period a few years back.
The power of music…
We’re so lucky to have it.
Til next time.
Love ya.
Rubin