|
From A to E >> The warped ways of Autechre by SPUNKY BALBOA
That "something" has, in the past five years, erupted as an unruly force in the world of electronic music, demanding that the genre advance and morph to maintain pace with these aural innovators. Those of us who listened to techno religiously in the early '90s remember Autechre's first album, Incunabula, as a potent sonic venture. The album was released in 1993 by renown record label Warp (also responsible for releasing music by LFO, Aphex Twin, and Sabres of Paradise). The album's cover--a multi-layered, monochrome image of textures, geometry and typography--perfectly described the music contained within. It sailed to number 1 on the U.K. charts. Rob Brown and Sean Booth had created an unstoppable tidal wave of sound. "When people are into it, it's a fucking total bonus," says Booth, when asked about their initial success. "I don't know why people were that into it, to be quite honest. But, at the same time, when you've been pluggin' at it for fucking ages, and nobody's paying any attention, it's odd when all of a sudden people are interested." Well, people were interested. Very interested. After that release, Autechre made their first and only Montreal appearance to date, playing at a party called Creative Lapse. One rumour surrounding that event was that it was the first time Booth and Brown had ever done ecstasy. Wanting to quell the scuttlebutt, I ask Booth if this is true. "The first time I ever did E was in Montreal," he admits. "It made a bit of an impression." Digging a bit deeper, I ask if that was the inspiration for the track called "Montreal" (off their second LP, Amber). "Oh God, this is coming totally full circle, isn't it? Do we have to talk about this? The reason the track is called "Montreal" is because like, yeah, alright, yeah... It was the first thing we did when we came back. There was a kind of acid reminder at the time as well--it was the acid that made the track." Sorry, Sean, but now we know. But it was more than just the drugs that impressed Autechre during their initial visit to our city. "It was the mash of different things," states Booth. "It was the fact that it is a place where two different cultures can actually get on rather than cause friction. I haven't been to many places like that, you know. I think this sort of English and French getting on is something I am not used to. I mean, we're doing Toronto and Vancouver as well, but Vancouver is kind of out there and Toronto is kind of American. Canada will always mean Montreal to me." On Friday, Autechre return to this island in a stream to exhibit what has been touted in the U.K as the most innovative live electronic act going. Updated and revamped from their first appearance here, with four more albums under their belt, Montreal is in for some serious ser0-instrumentation. Booth and Brown are, as Booth puts it, "mentally addicted" to making music. May high praises be sung for their addictions. Autechre play live at Warp, along with Derrick Carter, Dave Kristian, DJ Chantal and DJ Luv. At Le Medley, Friday, July 31, 8:30pm, $17.5021.50
|
The word Autechre conjures up the image of alien metallurgy or a large machine that will eventually take over the world. When I hear Autechre, electronic sounds flow from chaos to beauty in a rush of percussive noise uniquely organic, in spite of, or perhaps because of, its mechanical roots. Of course, that's just me. Sean Booth, one half of the duo known as Autechre, says, "It's just a name. I mean, we had to call it something."