so everyone has that group that they’ve heard about for months and months from all the homies but havent quite been able to cross the threshold into actual listening, and is beginning to think they won’t until they find a starting point…this is a place to ask “Where do i begin with ______” and for others to post links as starting points.
For me, its Autechre
I’ve really enjoyed the bmore/club thread on here as a primer to that style. It’s somethig that I’ve had minimal exposure to. Occasionally djs have played a bit at techno nights I’ve been to but I’ve never really dug into it.
I’ll have to admit that I’ve never really got deep into Underground Resistance and have found their catalogue a bit overwhelming. So… where to start with UR???
Insofar as where to start with Autechre. I’d have to suggest ep7. At this point in their career I think they hit a real purple patch. They have really got their heads round melody at this stage.
This record as well as LP5 are really stunning.
kind of hard to predict what might appeal to you specifically but made a playlist of some fairly accessible Ae tunes that may provide you a few various points of entry…
Worth noting - if starting from the beginning - is their earlier release together as Lego Feet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYNGy5k53k8
@criminiminal, interesting that that playlist has more tracks that I haven’t listened to, despite the fact I consider myself fairly well listened w/r/t them. Their output is so massive and varied!
totally. I felt like I could have made a half-dozen different playlists that revealed a half-dozen different Ae styles…
Awesome thanks guys! got the day off tomorrow and will be diving in headfirst…
As far as UR i’m in the same boat or i’d suggest some tunes…
This is a wildly uninformed response but galaxy 2 galaxy is super dope. I was jamming out to it long before i learned of UR’s legendary status and history.
agreed! so dope, in fact, that Lone managed to build an entire catalog off this one song…
cool. deepening into that playlist, thanks @criminiminal…
next …where do i beginner would be…
oneohtrix point never
I would suggest starting with R Plus Seven, his best album imho. It might be a baffling first listen if you’ve never heard a whole album by him before but stick with it! If you’re into it, try Replica and Returnal, which are similar - experimental, unpredictable, lots of interesting sounds including digital textures.
Then you might want to explore his early stuff, like Betrayed in the Octagon or Drawn and Quartered. These are less challenging, very dreamy ambient synth workouts with lots of arps. The best thing to do is get Rifts, which collects all this stuff. Actually I think it’s on youtube.
His more recent stuff is not for beginners, imo! Personally I found the harsh sounds and blast beats (!) of Garden of Delete very off-putting, but of course you might dig it. His latest album includes vocals for the first time.
Rifts again. And yes you can indeed find it on youtube.
I’d also recommend Replica and Chuck Person’s Eccojams
This vid is a neat half hour introduction. Gorgeous.
I’m pretty new to UR’s body of work, and I’d even argue techno in general, but I think a pretty good place to start with them is Revolution For Change. It’s a compilation of a lot of the collective’s output through the first years of the 90s.
Autechre, for me I started with the almighty and probably overrated Gantz Graf, which eventually clicked into a place for me that I can feel the entire rhythm of the tune and jam out to it, but it’s not a great starting point at all. Incunabula is probably a fine place to start even though its incredibly different to all their other stuff to the point that the duo don’t particularly like it anymore. Really as noted before, AE’s output is so wide and varied that you can kind of just pick up any release by them and you’ll get something very different in texture and feel.
WRT OPN; Skipping the first track on it, Returnal is a wonderful starting point. Some very gorgeous textures and sounds going on. I say skip the first track bc it’s a harsh noise track BUT it definitely adds some impact to the arrival of the second track, so if you can withstand it’s 2 minute length then it’ll reward you greatly. I’d also say Replica is a good go-to as well. You can very much feel his general style and overall approach to music through that album and it pairs up nicely with his Eccojams album too. His later stuff I would avoid until you’ve confirmed you’re into his stuff. I still need to check out Rifts myself! 