AeA: Pulse Magazine Article Discussion 1998
I don't think it would be legal for me to post the article itself, but
I will try to find a link to a legal online version if such a thing exists.
Anyway, this provoked a lot of discussion on usenet, and I tried to catch
as much as I could! There's lots here, so this might take a sec to load.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
Subject: Autechre article in Tower Record's Pulse magazine.
Date: 24 Feb 1998 09:08:15 GMT
Anybody happen to catch the nifty little Autechre article in Pulse magazine
this month? If not I will gladly post it if any one requests it.
Tower Records top 10 'electronica' albums
of 1997 was quite impressive as
well:
1. Autechre - Chiastic Slide
2. Mouse On Mars - Autoditacker
3. Aphex Twin - Richard D. James album (US release)
4. Squarepusher - Hard Normal daddy
5. Scanner - Delivery
6. Raymond Scott - Soothing Sounds For Baby Vol.1
7. mu-Ziq - Lunatic Harness
8.Matmos - Matmos (VERY impressive debut record that should appeal to
Autechre fans)
9. Amon Tobin - Bricolage (one of my favorites as well)
10. Bjork - Homogenic
From: eric@the.satanic.org (El Sysadmin Invisible)
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
Persi wrote:
] Anybody happen to catch the nifty little
Autechre article in Pulse magazine
] this month? If not I will gladly post it if any one requests it.
Please do!
] Tower Records top 10 'electronica'
albums of 1997 was quite impressive as
] well:
] [ spot on top-10 list snipped ]
That IS pretty impressive.. How did they
determine 'top' 10? Obviously
it wasn't by sales, the Tower near my house has a better electronic
section than the rest of 'em in the Bay Area (so I'm told), and they
had a few sparse copies of Come To Daddy, and NO Autechre or Squarepusher
in last time I was there.
From: - peng- <a.p.bettison-95@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
Persi wrote:
>
> Anybody happen to catch the nifty little Autechre article in Pulse
magazine
> this month? If not I will gladly post it if any one requests it.
Pulse? Isn't that the free tower records
mag?
Posting it would be most appreciated....
> Tower Records top 10 'electronica'
albums of 1997 was quite impressive as
> well:
>
> 1. Autechre - Chiastic Slide
Wow... Ae at number one...
> 8.Matmos - Matmos (VERY impressive
debut record that should appeal to
> Autechre fans)
Yeah? Which album is it closest in style
to? I'll keep a lookout for it
though.
From: "erik s fredricks" <efredr@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Autechre article in Tower Record's Pulse magazine.
- peng- wrote in message <34F3549C.E3FC6B12@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>...
>Sorry 'bout the multiple post. Netscape screwed up on me, and it didn't
>seem to be sending the messages thru. Obviously it was sending them,
>just telling me it wasn't. Stoopid thing.
Naughty boy, you must be punished :)
Maybe Ae will finally get some serious
mainstream exposure now. I was also glad to see Mouse on Mars and Scanner
on there too. Nice to see that the mainstream press is listening to
something besides Prodigy.
From: - peng- <a.p.bettison-95@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>
Subject: mainstream - good, or not? (was Re: Autechre article in Tower
Record's Pulse magazine.
> Naughty boy, you must be punished :)
Nooooo Please forgive me... *grin*
> Maybe Ae will finally get some serious
> mainstream exposure now. I was also glad to see Mouse on Mars and
Scanner
> on there too. Nice to see that the mainstream press is listening
to
> something besides Prodigy.
Is 'serious mainstream exposure' a good
thing? Of course, I doubt Ae,
scanner, or anyone else will change their style just because they're
more in the public eye (there are a few that seem to have done this,
naming no names) but perhaps the 'edge' is taken off... not the music,
but the way pop-pickin' people say "Who?" and you invite them
over to
listen, and watch with glee as confusion spreads over their face, or
even better, when they listen and actually enjoy it... realising that
there's perhaps more to music than your standard indie/pop/dance.
What am I trying to say here? Am I being
a musical snob? I think I might
be... It's just that introducing people to my music is *fun*, whether
they like it or not; usually they've never heard anything like it, so
it's a 'bloody hell, what's this?' experience. If Ae etc are to become
closer to mainstream, more well known, then that fun's taken away. It
becomes more a case of "Autechre? Oh yeah, I heard them played in
tower
the other day..." No fun at all *grumble*
O'course, mainstream exposure will have
the obvious advantages that the
stuff *should* be easier to find, and there *should* be more people
around who have 'discovered' the music, so more people to share +
discuss + swap + go to events with
End waffle...
-peng-
From: "erik s fredricks" <efredr@mindspring.com>
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
peng- wrote in message <34F385EA.D8605831@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>...
>> Naughty boy, you must be punished :)
>
>Nooooo Please forgive me... *grin*
>
FORGIVE??? HA!!!
>Is 'serious mainstream exposure' a good thing? Of course, I doubt Ae,
As for Autechre, I have to agree and
then some. They've gained more in
popularity and critical acclaim even as they move further from the
mainstream. After listening to Anvil Vapre and Chiastic Slide, I don't
see
them getting any closer to the "alternative" crowd. If they
do appeal to
the pop-pickin' people, then the world has undergone a serious and
benevolent change.
>What am I trying to say here? Am
I being a musical snob? I think I might
>be...
Join the crowd!
>It's just that introducing people
to my music is *fun*, whether
>they like it or not; usually they've never heard anything like it,
so
>it's a 'bloody hell, what's this?' experience. If Ae etc are to become
>closer to mainstream, more well known, then that fun's taken away.
Hey, they need to get paid, too. As far as I'm concerned, they deserve it.
>It becomes more a case of "Autechre?
Oh yeah, I heard them played in tower
>the other day...
I might actually shop at Tower if they played Ae :0>
>O'course, mainstream exposure will
have the obvious advantages that the
>stuff *should* be easier to find, and there *should* be more people
>around who have 'discovered' the music, so more people to share +
>discuss + swap + go to events with
>
>End waffle...
...and you're complaining? I see the
boys doing Pepsi commercials. The
breakdown in basscadet (the part with the tuned bells) leads millions
to
think, "Man, this can looks like some horrible repressed memory from
my
childhood. Red, white, blue...all the voices telling me what to do."
Global revolution. End transmission.
ef
From: rmashlan@r2m.com (Robert Mashlan)
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
- peng- <a.p.bettison-95@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk> wrote:
>Is 'serious mainstream exposure' a good thing? Of course, I doubt
Ae,
You're not one of those types that plays
Aphex Twin's Ventolin at
moderately high volumes, pretends to like it, whilst your friends are
writhing on the floor in pain?
>or
>even better, when they listen and actually enjoy it... realising that
>there's perhaps more to music than your standard indie/pop/dance.
>
>What am I trying to say here? Am I being a musical snob? I think I
might
>be... It's just that introducing people to my music is *fun*, whether
>they like it or not; usually they've never heard anything like it,
so
>it's a 'bloody hell, what's this?' experience. If Ae etc are to become
>closer to mainstream, more well known, then that fun's taken away.
It
>becomes more a case of "Autechre? Oh yeah, I heard them played
in tower
>the other day..." No fun at all *grumble*
The thing about popular music is that
all the innovative underground
sounds almost always get eaten up by the mainstream. It's just a
fact. Any artist that hangs with what they are doing will eventually
see some success, for instance, who would have ever thought that
Aphex Twin would see high rotation on MTV US?
I don't think it's very fair to wish
your favorite artists to an
entire career of poverty. I'm sure that your probably going to
school, and eventually hold down a well paid job. You'll probably do
as well financially as an artist that enjoys a couple of years of
mainstream success.
From: "Rev. Derek" <derek@triax.com>
Subject: Re: mainstream - good, or not? (was Re: Autechre article in Tower
Record's Pulse magazine.
Robert Mashlan wrote:
>
> eric@the.satanic.org (El Sysadmin Invisible) wrote:
>
> >Robert Mashlan wrote:
> >
> >] You're not one of those types that plays Aphex Twin's Ventolin
at
> >] moderately high volumes, pretends to like it, whilst your friends
are
> >] writhing on the floor in pain?
> >
> >Yep, except the "pretends" part.
>
> Do you also enjoy the sound fingernails on chalkboard?
What's funny about all this is that Aphex
Twin's Ventolin was what got
me hooked on A.T. I saw the video one day on public access, and heard
a
story about him sampling an enhaler, and i was hooked... I went out and
bought it... a friend then gave me SAW II, and just recently I got Come
To Daddy...so all in all... I'd have to say there are those people that
enjoy sounds of this nature... Some people like Merzbow, others like
Garth Brooks...
take care,
derek
From: - peng- <a.p.bettison-95@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
> Do you also enjoy the sound fingernails on chalkboard?
Fingernails on a chalkboard, knives scraping
plates, and all the rest...
none of them grate for me, none of them have any effect. Except for
people biting on the sleeve of their woolly jumper. *shudder* I
H A T E that!
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
>Do you also enjoy the sound fingernails on chalkboard?
Heck, I enjoy the music of Merzbow and
other Noise artists. Fingernails on
chalkboard is nothing. 'Ventolin' is a great track. I guess you have to
enjoy
stuff like that to appreciate it. I'm sure artists like Oval, Panasonic,
Masonna and others would irritate the shit out of some people, but
hey...it's music to me.
From: rmashlan@r2m.com (Robert Mashlan)
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
Man, I don't know how you guy can stand it. Ventolin gives me a
headache, perhaps it's something about pure sawtooth waves that
violently disagrees with the occipital lobe of my brain. Ventolin is
an interesting track to listen to once or twice, but there's no way I
could ever sit through listening to that entire album again. Maybe
you guys are for real, and derive some sort of pleasure from it. But
then again, I never understood the attraction of S&M.
From: sand <*******@ix.netcom.com>
that shrieky feedback noise doesn't bother me at all. neither do fingers
on a blackboard. nor the occasional scraping of a branch against our
dining room window that is slowly driving one of my housemates insane.
np: freeform "reflection:cone"
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
No...it's just a good track, IMO. The 'Ventolin' EP with the 12 remixes
is
another story, though. None of the remixes sound like the original Ventolin.
It's probably my favorite Aphex Twin EP besides 'Come To Daddy'
From: Ben Coffer <ben@hybridgame.demon.co.uk>
It's blatantly obvious you haven't listened to the track in any detail
at all, because it's hardly a plain sawtooth wave....it's a sound that
he constantly tweaks and changes throughout the entire track....at the
end it really sounds like the whistle you get from the lungs of an
asthma sufferer.....
From: rmashlan@r2m.com (Robert Mashlan)
Actually, I looked at a sample with a DAE to see what the hell that
sound looked like, because it was so damned irritating.
I like most of Aphex Twin's stuff, but
'I Care Because You Do' is not
an album I can listen to and honestly say that I can enjoy it, because
most of the sound is pretty harsh and irritating.
Beside, it's my theory that album was
made with total contempt for his
audience (note the title) - Richard D. James is probably secretly
snickering at all the people that say they're into it.
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
In article
<EFCE3D24779C7178.26E0A57F145D942C.8A48A1E3587E289B@library-proxy.airnews.net
>, rmashlan@r2m.com says...
>I like most of Aphex Twin's stuff,
but 'I Care Because You Do' is not
>an album I can listen to and honestly say that I can enjoy it, because
>most of the sound is pretty harsh and irritating.
Well, then stay far away from stuff like
Panasonic, Oval, Matmos and
Autechre's 'Chiastic Slide' then. I personally love 'I Care...'. Most
of it
is very soothing at times. Especially late at night.
>Beside, it's my theory that album
was made with total contempt for his
>audience (note the title) - Richard D. James is probably secretly
>snickering at all the people that say they're into it.
You didn't like 'I Care' but you did
like 'Richard D James'. Sheesh, that
album was more warped and unsettling than 'I Care' yet equally as brilliant
all around. I don't get you. If people like us like 'Ventolin' then leave
it
alone. We all ahve our own tastes....some of just like more twisted and
earache inducing stuff.
From: David C Mackler <mackler@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
I haven't been bothering to cechk the poasters' addresses, but I think
there could be some misconceptions of how well Autechre is recieved
because the original Pulse in question is probably from England...Again
I'm just speculating, because I know all Tower Records' carry em, but
there are different versions. The one in the States never seemed to be
worth a damn, but I was in London this summer, and was pleasantly
surprised to find a Pulse up there with a column written by Kevin
Martin...Jeez, talk about a reputable source of suggestions. I got the
impression that electronic music of any kind is far more widely regarded
in England, at least, than it is in the 'States.
Another strange thing I found was that
the Tower Records had a huge
slection of experimental stuff, all lumped together with the
"alternative" (which doesn't even get a section where I'm from.
Lots of
Merzbow, Coil, Dissecting Table and plenty of smaller names. I guess no
one should be doing their shopping at Tower anyway, but if you're in
london, and it's the only close record store around, you don't have to
despair too much.
-Dave M.
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
In article <34F3A8DA.5C8F@acsu.buffalo.edu>, mackler@acsu.buffalo.edu
says...
>
>I haven't been bothering to cechk the poasters' addresses, but I think
>there could be some misconceptions of how well Autechre is recieved
>because the original Pulse in question is probably from England.
Nope. I live in the USA and the US version
of Pulse has the article which I
am going to post in about 2 minutes.
From: - peng- <a.p.bettison-95@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>
erik s fredricks wrote:
> <tower records article details snipped>
>
> Maybe Ae will finally get some serious
> mainstream exposure now.
Not only has Autechre been declared number
one in Pulse, a music
magazine, but I saw a mention of them in FHM today; a lifestyle magazine
rather than a music magazine. Perhaps they really are getting more
recognition?
Okay, so the mention was in the music
pages, but even so... it's rare
enough to get our sort of music mentioned in the mainstream music press,
never mind in not-really-music-press-just-doing-an-article-on-it
magazines.
Anyway, this was in the April edition
of FHM (dunno if this is available
outside the UK), page 46; a review of Ultramarine: A User's Guide.
<extract> "the sound remains
familiar yet unrecognisable without getting
as far out as peers like Autechre or Plaid"
Not much, I know, but at least the outside
world seems to be recognising
talent from the ambient/electronic/whatever world; Autechre, Plaid and
Ultramarine all in one review!
-peng-
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
In article <34F32927.28095F65@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk>,
a.p.bettison-95@REMOVE_MEstudent.lboro.ac.uk says...
>Wow... Ae at number one...
>
>> 8.Matmos - Matmos (VERY impressive debut record that should appeal
to
>> Autechre fans)
>
>Yeah? Which album is it closest in style to? I'll keep a lookout for
it
>though.
Very much in the style of Chiastic Slide.
Mechanical and quite intricate.
Almost a little more experimental, actually.
The article itself was posted about here in the timeline. If a legal net
copy exists, I'll stick it in here or a link to it.
From: josh cleary <jacleary009@sprintmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.music.ambient,alt.music.techno,rec.music.industrial
did anyone notice that in the article it was mentioned that "Chiastic
Slide" is going to be released on Trent Reznor's label Nothing? how
do
we feel about that? personally i think its great. i have always admired
Trent's music, it was the "Further Down the Spiral" ep that
first
introduced me to Aphex Twin. and this somehow proves that, NineInchNails
pop sensibilities aside, Trent has his hands in the right kind of music.
remember last year when he released Plug "Drum'n'Bass for Papa"?
and
even though i did not really care for the "Perfect Drug" song,
two of
the remixes on the single were by Plug and Spacetime Continuum. all in
all i am sort of excited to see what else Nothing records might do this
year. i mean releasing "Chiastic Slide" domestically is something
i
thought would not get done ever. so i was quite surprised to hear the
news. anyway...
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
In article <34F5DA64.25CA@sprintmail.com>, jacleary009@sprintmail.com
says...
>
>did anyone notice that in the article it was mentioned that "Chiastic
>Slide" is going to be released on Trent Reznor's label Nothing?
how do
>we feel about that?
Well, being that all the other Ae records
have been released on TVT Records,
it's not much of a shock. Most Autechre fans have already bought the import,
but now, hopefully, they'll get some more exposure in the US.
>all in
>all i am sort of excited to see what else Nothing records might do
this
>year.
Nothing Records is also releasing Squarepusher's
'Hard Normal Daddy'. I'm
sure other Squarepusher material might be released as well.
>i mean releasing "Chiastic Slide"
domestically is something i
>thought would not get done ever. so i was quite surprised to hear
the
>news. anyway...
Well, not really surprising. The only
reason 'CS' was not released in the US
was because they lost their distribution with TVT. 'CS' was bound to find
another US distributor eventually.
From: rpk@world.std.com (Robert P Krajewski)
Actually, the way this works is that somebody sees if I've bought an
import, such as _Chiastic Slide_ or, say, _Sounds of the Satellites_
by Laika -- even I've been good and have waited more than six months
from the import release date -- *then* it gets released in the US.
Or so I suspect.
From: cowsfan@NOSPAM.ix.netcom.com (Persi)
Kind of sucks, doesn't it. We pay $20 or more for imports (I actually
waited
to buy 'Sounds Of The Satellites' until it was domestic) and then they
get
released domestically.
Then again, when it comes to stuff like
Autechre, Aphex Twin and others I
simply *can't* wait for the domestic. I'm one of those fans who has to
have
it right away. So, I shell out my dough like a dumbass and then it gets
a
domestic release 2 weeks later. :(
From: mrsparkle@hokkaido.jp (Seth Robson)
Basically, Nothing/TVT will be re-releasing a whole slew of Warp releases
in the US: Squarepusher, Autechre, and Plaid's latest LPs. It's a good
thing...
The reason that Laika's (US) release
of "Sounds of the Satellies" took so
bloody long was due to the fact that Too Pure signed a domestic reissue
contract with American Recordings who, well, went out of business. Thus,
a bunch of Too Pure bands were left in the lurch. Laika got picked up
by
Sire, many months later. Mouse On Mars has been dealing with Thrill
Jockey. Now Beggar's Banquet is pretty much picking up where American
left off with respect to the rest of Too Pure's roster.
From: dwarner@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Squid)
josh cleary (jacleary009@sprintmail.com) wrote:
: did anyone notice that in the article it was mentioned that "Chiastic
: Slide" is going to be released on Trent Reznor's label Nothing?
how do
: we feel about that? personally i think its great. i have always admired
certainly makes me happy; i've heard
rumors that, like the plug release
and tri-repetae++, it may be 2 discs with singles on the second disc.
: Trent's music, it was the "Further
Down the Spiral" ep that first
: introduced me to Aphex Twin. and this somehow proves that, NineInchNails
: pop sensibilities aside, Trent has his hands in the right kind of music.
definitely agreed. although i hate his
vocals, i love reznor's music. in
addition, think of all the excellent producers and remixers that reznor
has worked with (and, in the process, exposed me to): adrian sherwood,
flood, coil, jim 'foetus' thirlwell, aphex twin, the orb, spacetime
continuum, plug, jack dangers/meat beat manifesto, rick rubin, charlie
clouser, photek, david bowie... not to mention his video with bob
flanagan.
: remember last year when he released
Plug "Drum'n'Bass for Papa"? and
: even though i did not really care for the "Perfect Drug" song,
two of
: the remixes on the single were by Plug and Spacetime Continuum. all
in
don't forget the orb and meat beat manifesto.
in all, a great single,
even if the original song was only mediocre.
: all i am sort of excited to see what
else Nothing records might do this
: year. i mean releasing "Chiastic Slide" domestically is something
i
: thought would not get done ever. so i was quite surprised to hear the
: news. anyway...
he's also supposed to be releasing the
most recent squarepusher album.
it's amazing; we're actually starting to get some good electronic music
released here in the states (even if it does come a year or so later).
dave.