Autechre

Autechre is the experimental music amalgamation of the duo Rob Brown and Sean Booth. The two musical geniuses are natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester and met during their involvement in the Manchester Graffiti scene in 1987. During that time they were trading mix tapes of electro and hip-hop music, after which they eventually created their own compositions with equipment they purchased such as the Roland TR-606 drum machine and the Casio SK-1 Sampler. It is known that Lego Feet on Skam Records was their first release ever which they released through another alias followed by “Cavity Job” a single in 1991, released on Hardcore Records with the name Autechre, a name that finally stuck with them. Following the success of their release with Hardcore Records, they were soon contenders on the famous label Warp Records known for publishing eclectic electronic fusion music as IDM (Intelligent Dance Music). They released two more tracks on the Warp Records Compilation Artificial Intelligence, which became a series of albums published by Warp Records showcasing artists pushing the boundaries of electronic music.

Their long awaited debut album, Incunabula was released in 1993 on Warp Records, which surprisingly reached the top of the UK Indie Charts. This album would play an important role in setting their signature sound of melodically tuned rhythmical percussion parts, which would eventually start a trend in the electronic music scene. The following year they released Amber an ambient album that featured a more soothing melodic approach to the story telling. The same year they also released an EP known as Anti, which became a smart protest against the Rave act that was established the same year. The criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994 would prohibit raves defined as any gathering that consisted more than nine people where music being played consisted of “sounds wholly or predominantly characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”. In this EP, Rob and Booth employed a smart musical arrangement where no bar had an identical set of beats as a symbolic gesture to overcome the laws stated in the Rave act. They even advised DJs to have their lawyers present when playing the record in case they suffered any harassment from the police.

Over the following releases Autechre continued to push the bar behind electronic music. Their music continually implemented the most cutting edge technologies of synthesis, samplers and drum machines, which always left electronic music innovators in awe. They would eventually become the most esteemed artists of the Warp Records roster inspiring a wealth of new artists such as Amon Tobin, eDit, Squarepusher, Badun, Rumpistol and others emerging, aspiring to make groundbreaking experimental music. They were definitely the prime trendsetters that shaped the sound of electronic dance music today with musical ideas and production techniques now exploited within Pop music. Along with the others from the Warp records roster, they have permanently shaped the sound of electronic music giving the freedom for upcoming artists and composers to think out of the box when expressing their musical ideas.