Very few musical acts achieve the levels of unanimous acclaim of Autechre. The English duo of Rob Brown and Sean Booth are not an act you simply like; they are an act you love, fawn over and dream about. They’ve got themselves here over the course of the last 28 years, and have done so by amassing a discography that’s about as perfect, influential and accomplished as could ever be possible. A key Warp label act from day one, they have released tens of albums, well over a ten EPs and have featured on a dizzying amount of essential compilations, mixes and remixes in that time. Without their contribution to the IDM canon, its fair to say the modern musical landscape would look very different. 

Rhythmic but experimental, absorbing yet abstract, cerebral and psychedelic, their ever evolving output is up there with the likes of fellow luminaries Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin as some of the most important in all of electronic music. As well as being fine craftsmen in the studio, Autechre are also revered live performers who really manage to conjure up captivating and otherworldly soundtracks that marry heavy bass with ethereal melody. The pair themselves do not care for genre, but suffice it to say that they have mastered everything from hardcore to ambient to glitch and plenty of indescribables in between. 

When the pair recently laid down an impressive set at Dekmantel Festival, we asked if they might be up for a doing an early inspiration mix, whereby they put together a collection of the sort of electro and hip hop tracks that turned them on as youths. At first they hesitated, pointing out that "we don't do strictly retro stuff, it's too corny.” But alas, a few days later, a huge file landed in our inbox… That file is a 4 hour and 18 minute mix that basically encapsulates not just Autechre’s own influences, but also acts as a fine anthology of the greatest electro sounds of all time. Every sub genre imaginable gets touched upon along the way, with nods to forefathers like Kraftwerk, killer cuts from Man Parrish, classics from Newcleus and retro gold from the likes of The Beat Club. It is a thrilling ride and a truly rare treat that reminds us just why we love Autechre, as well as shining a light on a vast genre that often pays second fiddle to house and techno.

Dekmantel Podcast 035 - Autechre

Solid Steel in association with Serato (22nd January) In Hour 1 we welcome back legendary Warp artists Autechre to Solid Steel. Their history with the show goes back many years with their first mix back in 1997 and again in 2003, (which can both be heard at SolidSteel.net ), plus their music has been a permanent fixture since they began producing pioneering electronic music in the early 90's. The hour long mix takes in music from Disjecta, Industrial legends and previous guests Cabaret Voltaire & Throbbing Gristle, Raymond Scott, The Residents, John Cage, Mark Fell and The Hafler Trio. They recently launched a new webshop with lots of live recordings available to buy https://autechre.bleepstores.com/

The Solid Steel website http://solidsteel.net/ for track lists and archive shows.
You can follow Solid Steel on  facebook.com/pages/Solid-Steel/175027509192663
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Email solidsteel@ninjatune.net

Go to Hour 2 here https://soundcloud.com/ninja-tune/solid-steel-radio-show-2212016-hour-2-shalt


Hour 1 - Autechre

disjecta - pit
throbbing gristle - what a day
cabaret voltaire - makes your mouth go funny
pero - pommes
john carpenter - he’s still alive / romero
the human league - the dignity of labour (part 4)
raymond scott - lightworks (instr)
portion control - he is a barbarian
asmus tietchens - ausverkauf
zeebox - pepi de vince
moebius & tietchens - kattrepel
arthur kreiger - short piece
bernard parmegiani - sonare mouvement 2
moebius & plank - muffler b
severed heads - theme from the surface
paul lansky - say that again
the residents - would we be alive
bbc sound effects library - birdsong
delia derbyshire - great zoos of the world
fred frith - speechless
:zoviet*france: - kess saffer plaint
john cage - williams mix
asmus tietchens - falter-lamento
otto luening & vladimir ussachevsky - incantation
david lynch - hybrid mood
mark fell - abjection
philip jeck - thirtieth/pilot reprise
the hafler trio - a small child dreams of voiding the plague
peter rehberg - showroom dummies track 2


Dense Field - NNHM

scatterplot sounds

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