Gantz Graf

by

Autechre

Edit

First of all , I would like to make a comment: Autechre are , for me that is , the best electronic act ever and the most consistent one as well. But I'm not in the opinion that I was biased about this album or subjective in anyway. If Autechre would start making House music, or other form of non-musical-"electronic"-garbage I'd be the first to admit that the guys have lost it. But I don't think that'll ever happen. These are guys with premium taste and I only see them getting better in the next few years.

Before plugging my headphones and listening to Gantz Graf I expected it to be more confield-esque material, but Sean Booth and Rob Brown have even managed to go futher than that. These guys take IDM into new realms of the Avant-Garde with each succesive release, and Gantz Graf is no exception. Yes - I found Gantz Graf to be even wilder than Confield's ear throbbing experiments. If you're an Autechre fan , I think you must get this. If you're not, this material would be too difficult for you , and is no starting point for a listener - Autechre have developed their music through their albums taking giant steps and you better step a few years backwards before you try Gantz Graf.

autechre are sound manipulators. after pushing the boundaries of being pioneering electronic musicians to the limit, they have moved into the realm of manipulating sound for "musical" purposes. This was evident in their disappointing and lukewarm received 'confield'. Beats, melodies and song structures were abandoned for harsh feedback, clanking percussion and white noise resulting in meandering collages of incohesive and chaotic sounds. Like all autechre releases, their music commands and demands your attention, perferably with headphones. It isn't easy listening. It isn't something to be played as background music. autechre's music requires the listener to fully immerse themselves in their sonic soundscapes. With gantz graf, autechre continues with their experiments in sound manipulation but thankfully the beats, melodies and song structures are back albeit heavily buried.

'gantz graf', the most unaccessible track, opens the disc with random percussive sounds and harsh abrasive computer feedback which essentially sounds like loud noise. Upon further listening, it slowly comes together. The noise begins to take on a consistent pattern as a soft melody builds up under the screeches and squelches. 'dial', the most accessible track, is a vocal track of sorts. Voices pop and bump through autechre's trademark chunky epileptic beats before ending with a hi-hat solo. 'cap iv' starts with warbling synth that shifts and fades at different frequencies, bouncing between channels. What sounds like a slow gospel song or a preacher accompanied with mellow piano is played underneath . As the vocals become more and more distorted, the warbling synth comes together in this lovely pattern creating a weirdly beautiful rhythm before building up to a wall of sound that engulfs everything before abruptly ending.

With gantz graf, autechre is steadily continuing their forward thinking approach to music. Not as minimal as confield, not as beautifully complex as tri repetae. It's a happy medium, reinforcing my belief that autechre are geniuses at manipulating sound. Most certianly NOT a starting point for those new to autechre and possibly even alienating for autechre fans. Overall, a great save from the disappointment of 'confield'.