Search - Autechre :: Anti Ep

Political Autechre?

Daniel Staton | Berkeley, CA USA | 02/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was Autechre's answer to Britain's draconian, stranger-than-fiction Criminal Justice Bill that would have outlawed music with repetitive beats. The electronic music community, understandably outraged, fought back in a number of ways; Orbital, for example, took the passive resistance route with their "Criminal Justice Bill" remix of "Are we here?," which contained nothing but silence. Autechre's response was wilier and more creative: craft a catchy, dance-floor-friendly track with no repeating beats of any kind. Remember this prefigures Drill and Bass, so this ranks with Aphex Twin's "Hangable Autobulb" Eps in its visionary power. And I suspect even non-Ae fans will find "Flutter" sounds fresh today.Part of the reason is this is an angry Ep, Ae's version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." This makes it unique in the electronica genre which, with it's psychadelic, prog-rock leanings is profoundly apolitical; it also makes it unique in Ae's ouvre as perhaps their most peppy, unclouded release. The purity of the melodies stands in stark contrast to the worm-ridden mulchiness of Confield, for example. On display is not self-destructive rage, but focused anger. It is a call to arms, and a positive affirmation of the dance lifestyle from a band not known for its positivity. At least that's how I read it; as always there are no lyrics so you're free to interpret the music any way you like.As far as the music goes, I'd give it five stars, but the second track Djarum is throwaway. Is there some rule that second tracks on eps have to stink? The first track, Lost, sounds to my ears like Milk DX from Ae's first Peel Session release, and reminds me of Brown Album-era Orbital. Pretty cool, but you're buying this for one track, Flutter. And it's a doozy."

Antipop

Alp Kartum | Adana, Turkey | 10/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As someone once correctly put it "Autechre makes dance music you cannot dance to" but you cannot stop your soul dancing even if you are sitting peacefully at home! In the first of the three tracks here "Lost",there's a relatively simpler,fragile tune over mad banging percussion.Brilliant! The standout track is the second one "Djarum",which on first listen sounded to me as an collage of (earlier) Autechre.It makes you feel strongly of something which is usually indescribable.It builds up layer by layer until it reaches a climax midsong. The third song "Flutter" may be put here for a good cause but musically it's not very attractive. Anyway this is a good record to start.If you like this,you'll love "Amber" and "Tri Repetae++".Be sure that you'll be easily addicted to this uneasy listening.And if you're already addicted to Autechre,this one will be another gem in your collection."

Good starting point

Mons | Norrpan | 11/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As most of you know who have skimmed through various Autechre reviews, this group has generally been classified into early "accessible" Autechre and late "difficult" Autechre. Understandable since the band's early output was generally a bit quieter than recent material and less concerned with "noise". Personally I find some of the later stuff, EP7 , for example, just as good as Amber: my problem is one of concentration. I often find it hard to sustain any kind of concentration for more than about 35 minutes, before my ears want a change of music. That's why Anti EP is probably the most often-played Autechre disc. Its three tracks are all great, although the fade-out to Flutter is a thing of extraordinary beauty. Musically, Anti EP also fits somewhere between the early and late Autechre, which means it's a fairly lively affair but is stilll pretty laid back. A good. consistant release, then."