3 1/2

Recorded around the beginning of this progressively warped electronic pair's signature "farewell to conventional structure" adventure, Gantz Graf offers what arguably is their last gestures of formal beat making swirling around an encroaching contrived chaos. Although the ep may be an important memento to devotees, many of these expanded ideas sound merely like that...ideas that would later become expanded (for better or worse depending on a particular type of fan) beyond a microprocessor's wildest recognition. Three tracks of quality, but hardly superior work only warrants purchasing from IDM's harsher addicts

If you don't get this album, your ears are boring.

The finale is jaw-droppingly beautiful. It crushes me.
How could you hear this and not be ecstatically baffled to some degree?

If you can't beat em, bow down and worship em.

This is one of autechre's best if not their best ep. EP7 is full length and practically an album so I dont really include that. But fans of later autechre ought to add this essential item to their collection. The title track at first seems a bit jarring, but after listening a few times, it is actually in 4/4 and one of their more interesting tracks. Dial cant be described except as awesome and CAP IV is some serious Autechresc epic.

This is just one of the few shorter EP's or similar to CD singles that Autechre has put out over the years. I don't know why they do this but it does feed our quest for more Autechre until they put together a complete album. Plus, this EP of Gantz Graf comes with a DVD or three tracks done with unique visuals.

Are you addicted to Autechre yet? Many of us are. I think there should be a club. Here's a list of the releases so to make sure that you have all that is available:

Incunabula (1993), Amber (1994), Tri Repatae (1995), Chaistic Slide (1997), LP5 (1998), EP7 (1999), Confield (2001), Draft 7.30 (2003), and Untilted (2005).

Now that you have all those, you will probably want to start collecting their various EP's, which are:

Cavity Job (1991), Basscadet (1994), Anti- (1994), We R Are Why/ Are Y Are We? (1995), Garbage (1995), Anvil Vapre (1995), Envane (1997), Cichlisuite (1997), Peel Session 1 (1999), Splitrmx12 (1999), Peel Session 2 (2001), and Gantz Graf (2002).

There may be a few others, but they have become very rare. Very hard to find. I've discovered more tracks by Autechre and various other "remixed by Autechre" releases all over the IDM sound genre. Plus, some artists like Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Boards of Canada and the such have released similar recordings as that of Autechre, but Autechre will always be the leader of this sound.

And here's another little secret for you. Autechre has released recordings under another pseudonym, Gescom. There is nothing on CD available from Gescom, but that doesn't mean you can't find these recordings through various person to person music swap sites.

Look for these Gescom albums (I think they are only available on vinyl, and maybe only in the UK and Europe):

EP1 (1994), EP2 (1995), Motor (1994), The Sounds of Machines our Parents Used (1995), Keynell (1996), MiniDisc (1998), This (1998), That (1998), and Iss:sa (1999)

There are various takes and re-developed versions of Keynell. Just knowing that Gescom is so scarce, especially in America, it only makes it all the more totally cool to be Proudly Unhipp, and to actually have these recordings.

I find a sense of comfort in the lunacy that is Autechre's music. I have to listen to Autechre every day. It's gotten harder to listen to regular music any more and it is certainly difficult to revert back to regular music immediately after switching off Autechre. Autechre is like a drug, a stimulant, a natural high. It's a sound that inspires motivation in what ever you are doing. And yes, I can get mildly depressed if I don't have some Autechre at my immediate avail. If I've got a lot of work to do, then I know I'll get it done (and fast), if I've got Autechre playing in my background.

So, you other Autechre addicts out there, please share your story. Let us all know what Autechre has done for you, too. Has Autechre changed your life, in a positive or negative way? We need to let other people know how Autechre has an indirectly strange way of promoting better psychological health and a more positive vision about life.

...well at first it is, anyway.

Anyone who is just getting into Autechre, or interested in getting into them.. DO NOT start here!! You will most likely be turned off. My first listen had me wondering what in the world I was listening to. It seems like nonsense at first. After about 6 or 7 listens I began to notice beats, structures, patterns and sounds I didn't notice before. Now when I listen to this CD, I hear it as music. But that first listen will always be so alien for everybody.

Good stuff if you're up to the challange of listening.