Autechre: Laxir - Autechre Remixes 1994-2005

I've always been a big fan of Autechre's work. With their genuine style of electronic music which varies from catchy IDM tunes to (quite) abstract soundscapes they always manged to add something very exciting to their records. Besides the large number of albums and eps they were also busy as bees putting out a large number of remixes. Unfortunately, an official compilation was never released (maybe due to rights issues?) and so a couple of years ago I compiled a 6 disc home brew collections of Autechre's remixes all created between 1994-2005.

The tracks which are in rough chronological order display also the evolution of Autechre and more general the the change of electronic music over a decade. From dreamy ambient tracks like Saint Etienne's "Like A Motorway (Skin Up, You're Already Dead)" over to pushing tracks like Merzbow's "Ecobondage [Ending] Ae Remix" and abstract pieces like Hecker's "Itiso161/ae". My favorites are probably "Autechre Play Weissensee Against Im Glück" (composed by Neu!) with its drifting beats and the beautiful collaboration with post rockers Tortoise on "Ten-Day Interval (Adverse Camber)". The youtube playlist below features some of the compilation's tracks.

This version of Laxir is the second version which was finished in 2008 seeing some minor updates and including some cover artwork. You will also find included in the archives a text file with more specific information about the individual tracks. Cheers!

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Arcturus And The Deception Circus: Disguised Masters (1999)

This jewel is a 1999 remake of Arcturus' album La Masquerade Infernale. Arcturus being originally a (black) metal band tried something completely new here. At a time when when musical genres were still more fixed than today they released a remix album and somehow, I am sure this is how Arcturus imagined this record originally to be – to break the tight boundaries of the metal scene with new arrangements and electronic oevres.

It reminds me a lot of what later Ulver and Manes released: metal either stripped away entirely or heavily augmented with samples, orchestral synths and electronics with songs and sounds completely re-arranged.

My personal highlights include "Du Nordavind (1998 Re-recording)" with its fine structures, "The Throne Of Tragedy (Phantom FX Jungle Remix)" with its twisted beats and the “gangstafied” hip-hop version of the title track "Master Of Disguise (Phantom FX Remix w/gangstafications by S.C.N.)". After some line-up changes it seems like the Arcturus split up but there are rumors of a reunion in the future – let's see if they can up with something truly innovative.

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Gonzales: Solo Piano (2004)

I knew some Gonzales earlier records / releases (and also later ones) but I didn't really like this particular kind electronica downtempo releases. On solo piano he tried something different: Being apparently an excellent pianist he delivered some beautiful compositions with a sort of minimalism style reminding me of Erik Satie. I think Gonzales summarizes the record best in the liner notes:

"16 Piano themes for left hand accompaniment and right hand melody: Although they say the piano can create the most colors of any instrument, it is actually black and white, much like an old silent movie. Staring down at my hands, I imagine each piano piece as a shadow against the wall" - Gonzales.

He also released a songbook containing the songs. The youtube clip below is the first part (the movie is split in seven parts) of Gonzales playing live at Angoulême, France in 2006. It is a real pleasure to see how differently he interprets his own songs. Higly recommended!

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Harold Budd / Ruben Garcia / Daniel Lentz: Music For 3 Pianos (1992)

This is definitely one of my favorite, timeless, ambient classics. 18 years after its release it still sounds like it was recorded just yesterday. Basically, this peace of music contains of 6 sketches of piano music distilled into 22 minutes of beautiful music. Though I would say that this is ambient music all sounds are produced merely by Pianos and so it is essentially comparable to its genre founder Ambient 1: Music For Airports by Brian Eno. The trio Budd / Garcia / Lentz explores the space between music and silence and to such an extend how of the highest order, in which the echoes and silences mean as much as the notes themselves.

‘Pulse, Pause, Repeat’ opens the record with a mood of melancholic reflection, and by the time ‘Music for 3 Pianos’ comes to a close with the quiet but triumphant ‘La Casa Bruja’ you realise that for its short duration you have been drawn into another world. This is Budd’s (and his companions) true strength, to remove you from everyday life and make music which belongs someplace else. Amazing music.

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