Amazon.com Customer Reviews
An essential to anyone's electronica collection - Review written on March 07, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
13 customers found this review helpful.
Electronica has got a bad rep for being unemotional and annoying. Autechre is one of those groups/artists which shatters that stereotype with rythmic, intelligent, and beautiful electronica music (the others that I am aware of that are GREAT are Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, and Squarepusher). Autechre's music may not be extremely easy to listen to, but after you listen to any of their albums 2 or 3 times you relize just how beautiful and flowing it is. In my opinion, Incunabula represents the pinnacle of Autechre's music. Unlike many of their other music, Incunabula is filled with old-school electronica sounds, which is why some people say it sounds out-dated or simple, but in all it is a reason why it is so great. Incunabula's music relies more on percussion and hip-hop beats, which is different but gives the album a sound that is actually rare. As with most of Autechre's music, Incunabula is very mathematical, and its beats are perfectly synchronized. At first, it does sound like it was put together with elementary software using old, out-dated sounds. But once you get used to the album, you see the hidden beauty. Every song in this album has its own characteristic, but all are great. The only song I really grown to enjoy is Bronchus 2.
1. Kalpol Introl- 8/10- Probably the most inriguing sounding song of the album. It doesnt rely on the hip-hop percussion beats like the rest of the songs do, as it uses the strange flowing sounds that are more common in electronica today. The thing is it just drags on without getting somewhere significant. Great sounding in the beginning though.
2. Bike- 9/10- This song sets the ambient/hip-hop beats that are common throughout the album. Not the most entertaining song of the album, but is very good nonetheless.
3. Autriche- 9/10- Probably the most ambient song of the album; it is soft, fairly slow, but has the catchy percussion in the backround. Has plenty of weird ambient noises in the backround, but its all the better for it. Sounds out-dated compared to Aphex Twin's [On #1]- which was made in 1993.
4. Bronchus 2- 5/10- To me, its the weak-point of the album. It's definatly the most abstract of the bunch. I am usually able to appreciate abstract ambient electronica a lot more than this...
5. Basscadet- 9.5/10- Picks the beat and noise level up a notch, but keeps the ambient attitude. It is a lot more catchy, but just as intellectual and mathematical as the rest. I can imagine that some people may not like it because it doesnt go where some of the other songs go; kind of like Kalpol Introl, but not to as big of an extent. In my opinion its a great song.
6. Eggshell- 10/10- Take the best qualities of this album and mix them together, and you get this song. Along with 444, it is my favorite. 9 minutes may seem way too long for any song to last, but once you appreciate this kind of music you'll enjoy every second of this song. Very few, if none at all, can make an old-school song like this and make it an enjoyable and memorable experience out of it.
7. Doctrine- 9/10- One of the stranger songs of this album. It takes a more violent and harsh sound and mixes it in with the old-school electronica sound that flourishes in Incunabula. Fortunatly its a great mix, and is a great song.
8. Maetl- 10/10- Similiar to Eggshell, it takes ambient and intelligent techno and blends them together. Great song.
9. Windwind- 9/10- Definatly the ambient song of the album. It stretches over 11 minutes in length, but just like Eggshell it makes good use of that time. Windwind sounds quite like those from Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient albums. It is long and flowing, and evolves at a slow but noticeable pace.
10. Lowride- 10/10- The most hip-hop sounding song of the group. Has a great beat but retains the mathematical aspect of Autechre's music, and also retains their sense of artistry. One of the best songs of the album.
11. 444- 11/10- Another ambient-sounding song, very broad and flowing. But unlike Windwind, 444 is extremely involving, and is one of those songs that let's your mind free to expand and explore. Probably my favorite song of the album. Doesnt sound as out-dated, as it is very complex. It may take a few times of listening to it to grasp it's greatness, but once you explore the depths of sound that makes up the structure of this song, you will experience one of the greatest electronica songs ever made (in my opinion). Once again, it sounds like a song made by Aphex Twin but with an Autechre-twist. Magnificent blend.
Overall, Incunabula is a must-have for those who listen to electronica history. It is an album that will show you just how far electronica has evolved since it's release over 10 years ago, but it will show you just how beautiful it is for it. In my opinion, it is Autechre's finest work of art and is one of the greatest electronica albums ever released. Go ahead, expand your mind and try it out.
'Cradle': And What a Long, Strange Trip it's Been... - Review written on January 30, 2005
Rating: 5 out of 5
39 customers found this review helpful.
Released with virtually no fanfare or hype in 1993, Autechre's full length debut *Incunabla* is now considered the watershed pinpoint of early experimental electronica, `pure' IDM ambient at its finest. Sheffield natives Rob Brown and Sean Booth, childhood hip-hop aficionados and graffiti artists, began with this album a career trajectory in sonic manipulation that, in reflection, is as baffling as it is monumentus, the scope of which must be calculated in non-verbal experience, rather than the usual superlative expressionism (though we try, we really do...). *Incunabula*, Latin for `cradle' or `origin', is a fitting title for this sublime gem; when directly compared to Autchre's more recent releases like *Confield*, very little similarity can be discerned, at least superficially. But when taken in context, record to record, a journey of mind-boggling proportions unfolds, and the seeds of Autechre's eventual exploration of chaos-within-order sound structure can be found on this, the `birth' record, by far the most accessible and least-demanding work of Ae's oeuvre...and, consequently, considered by many as their best.
Whichever Autechre you prefer - order or chaos - *Incunabula* stands as one of the catchiest `cold' albums in existence. The gray tones of the cover visually distinguish the overall color-scheme of the entire album: in the mind's eye, I am constantly reminded of overcast skies, windswept mountains clad in ice; dull chrome and greasy steel; the pall of industrial fumigation and the necroshine of a neon-drenched cityscape. Fans of Autechre often describe this music as the closest aural equivalent to the Song of Machines, all clicks and bleeps and grinding gears, mathematical equations hardwired into sonic representation. There is very little ~human~ element to Ae's music, and yet, therein lies the source of its beguiling mystique: music like this could never find an adequate genesis with organic instruments. *Incunabula*, and especially *Tri Repatae++* and *Confield*, is the soundtrack of our 21st century tekgnosis: a cybernetic evolution of communication: the future, now.
In hindsight, *Incunabula* is perhaps Autechre's most shallow album; but `shallow' is a deceptive term, for the depths of even this birth-record cannot be fully grasped in the first, or even tenth, listen. Tiny, pivotal details surface with constant re-examination, and it blows my mind that this was made by two guys in their early twenties. I also find *Incunabula* to be Ae's most ~fluid~ record: each song flows into the next, there is virtually no filler, and the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. The sonic palate is consistent throughout - chattering breakbeat percussion, supplemented by deep bass currents, are gradually overlaid with Eno-ish synth tones and garnished with precise effects; hooks appear, anchoring the ear, then either attain climatic denouement (as in `Eggshell') or else morph/contort/ and/or drift away in the stormfront haze. Most effectively, the overall soothing consistency of the album is punctured at strategic points, giving a whiplash snap to the ambient flow, such as the opening snarl of `Doctrine' after the aforementioned glide of `Eggshell', or the smarmy hip-hop parody of `Lowride' on the whispering tail of `Windwind's' devastating death-fugue. Other highlights include the almost-giddy `Bike', its shimmering melodies augmented by melancholic growls; the meticulous drive of `Basscadet', its harsh effects-rhythms and moody ambience giving us a brief taste of Autechre's future releases; and finally `444', the closing epic, wherein the evanescence and subtle brutality that has preceded find culmination - truly, a paean to the lonely, disconnected nature of cyberspace and its plugged-in denizens.
Or, to use an organic metaphor, *Incunabula* is the soundscape of winter, of earth subsumed by a cold, crystalline surface of snow, nature buried under Melville's terrifying whiteness - the abyss codified and, at least in this record, made palatable. Initiates into IDM should start here, then progress with the warmer *Amber* (autumn) and *Tri Repatae++*, Autechre's indisputable mechanistic magna opus. I personally like both of those albums more than *Incunabula* - concepts introduced here are simultaneously built upon and deconstructed - but neither are as accessible or as wistfully poignant - in an innocent sort of way - as this birth-record, the first step of a long and perilous journey from order into chaos.
Highly recommended for adventurous ears
Whoo hoo - what a ride! - Review written on August 13, 2004
Rating: 5 out of 5
5 customers found this review helpful.
This album is amazingly consistent, compelling and engaging throughout, but it's so effing brilliant, it still manages to creep up on you and lay you down panting on the floor, after the last three tracks have messed with your mind and put you on some kind of transcendent plane well above the mundane, everyday lacakadaisical nothingish funk that fills the head after another wallow in samsaric ho-hum-boredom, desperate to find something that can uplift, motivate, challenge and stimulate. This album is it!
Well, something like that. This has become my favourite Ae album after just one listen. Coupled with Amber, it is a great entry point to the more melodic side of Ae. For something a bit more challenging, dip into Chiastic Slide, which will prepare you well for Tri Repetae++ and EP7. Ah what the heck, just put in your order for all the AE albums and listen to them in any darned order you like.
Ae rools OK!
Autechre's debut, without any doubt their best CD too! - Review written on January 22, 2004
Rating: 5 out of 5
5 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
Well, what else can I say that'll difer from all of the positive comments already posted and all the praise this album has received? I'm not quite sure. I'll still try, though.
This is by far Autechre's best CD and it easily ranks amongst the best electronica CDs out there, too. Like all of Autechre's albums, this is a challenging listen, although a deeply rewarding one and by far their most accessible album as well. Instead of focusing around incredibly the frantic drum programming they've pionnered since LP5 and which they showed off in their future releases, this album places a lot more focus on actual melodies and song structures while supporting all of the following with pretty interesting percussion as well. The beats in this album certainly aren't clubbish, nor are they as crazy that they come close from being unlistenable neither.
It also is one of Autechre's warmer albums and a lot of the songs in here are expressive and show a lot of character. Even though a lot of the songs in here do maintain a cold feeling for the most part, that feeling is more laid in the open unlike most of their other releases and are nowhere as cold as the textures evoked on Tri Repetae++ (which I easily classify as their coldest record ever) or Confield for instance. It also serves as a really nice chillout record since many of the tracks in here provide an ambient feel, but the active, complex beats keep the songs from being too sleepy on the other hand, which is a pretty good thing.
In the end, this is not only a tremendously beautiful album coming from Autechre, but a beautiful album coming from any musician/band as well. If you purchased Autechre's later albums and thought that their music simply couldn't be understood and was way too frantic, you should still try out this album. It sounds nowhere like any of their albums that were released after Tri Repetae and is a truly essential electronica/IDM document. If you like electronic music, you must listen to this album at all costs, there's no way you can't like it. If you feel like getting into intelligent electronic music, this album would be a really good introduction for both the music genre and Autechre itself. If you like this album, you should look toward getting Tri Repetae++. Then afterwards, explore LP5 or Confield.
At their most elegant and melodic - Review written on January 18, 2004
Rating: 5 out of 5
4 customers found this review helpful.
One of their first releases, this was released as part of Warp's wonderful 'Artifical Intelligence' series.
It's the sound of Autechre before they got harsh and too robotic. What most people call 'classic Warp', this would sum it up. People say electronic music sounds too cold and distant. Sure, this album is defintely cold and distant, but conversely it's also one of the most beautiful ambient electronic albums available. Though it sounds machine-driven, it sounds beautiful. It's proof that machines make sweet music too.
On here the exquisite 'Bike' is just beautiful to listen to, and 'Basscadet' with it's clashing, stuttering beats and manic handclaps is easily proof that Autechre could make both challenging and beautiful songs in one.
My favourite Autechre album.
Great for mental focus - Review written on November 27, 2003
Rating: 5 out of 5
2 customers found this review helpful.
This album is absolutely incredible for concentration during the finer details of a software engineering project at work, or during any of a multitude of other situations in which you may need mental focus. After listening to 1980s-era Wax Trax! artists, and becoming a bit disappointed with their later releases, Autechre brought me back by introducing me to intelligent dance music with this album. Track 5, "Basscadet", and track 6, "Eggshell", are the gems on this album - and track 8, "Maetl", and track 11, "444", are my other favorites. The only drawback in my mind to this album's version of intelligent dance music, or whatever the genre is being called these days, is that listening to it for extended periods of time, especially at low volumes, can cause drowsiness or a type of self-hypnosis. So if you have a work deadline, are driving a vehicle, or are hosting a party, do yourself a favor and play this album loud and with limited repetition, or not at all.
Incredible!!! - Review written on September 21, 2001
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 1 did not.
This is the only Autechre album I own, but I think it's damn awesome... I have read that it's Autechres most accessible album, and I believe that, because I liked most of the album after one listen... still though, some of the songs didn't really do much for me... however, after many listens I like it all... however Doctrine really is a pretty annoying song... It sounds old, and some would say dated, but I think it's still good all the way through... In some places it sounds like Orbital, then in others it sounds like Underworld, then in others it sounds like Aphex Twin... I guess that is the effect it had on all these people... I'm not gonna go through each song, but I will say this, this album is similar to an APhex Twin album like I Care Because You Do because it's a combo of ambient synths, and intricate drum patterns on the top... songs like Eggshell however sounds similar to Orbital in that the song layers synth "riffs" on top of each other, take them away, and then in the end play them all together... all the while an "ambient" synth track runs the length of the song underneath, and drums play throughout... you also have songs like Basscadet which sound more abrasive, but yet are still very beautiful... I guess this points to the later Autechre sound (I have heard some of it)... the song 444 which closes the album is great... It's totally amazing... anyways, this is a great album... it is an old album, and in some places it sounds old, but it's not dated... it's classic... and hey, it's over 78 minutes long, if you like this kind of music you're definately getting your money's worth... anyways, my favorites are Karpol Introl, Bike, Autriche, Basscadet, Eggshell, Windwind, Lowride (kind wierd but it's good), and 444... yeah yeah, that's most of them, but it's a great album...
And it's got serious fidelity, baby! - Review written on February 11, 2001
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful, 2 did not.
Oh, mamma does this album sound good. Not just performance. You can read all about that here.
But what is just as astonishing is this record's sonics. Absolutely stunning reference quality. Kraftwerk-worthy in this regard. And that's extremely high praise.
Use this record to show your pals the difference from one CD to the next. And from uncompressed digital and/or analog to the nose/ear-bleed quality of MP3s.
Mindblowing - Review written on January 03, 2001
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
Each time I listen to this album, I can't believe it was conceived in 1993--nearly a decade ago! It is still very fresh and inspiring, and if I had heard it back then, I would have stopped collecting Aphex Twin records and jumped on the Autechre train. This is very emotive electronic music, with beautiful textures and subtle melodies that aren't going to make you want to dance, but will certainly pique your imagination. The two songs "Eggshell" and "WindWind" are masterpieces, and each holds clues to what Autechre would soon progess to: a colder, more metallic sound. Here, however, that vision is tempered by airy, organic keyboard effects. A perfect album for rainy nights, or anytime, really. This is a must for ambient-techno fanatics.
The perfect counterpoint to LP5 - Review written on December 26, 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5
7 customers found this review helpful.
I bought a bunch of albums when I first decided to dip my toes in the vast electronica genre, and this was one of them. A year or two later, and I was still a bit mystified by Autechre's stature in the community. Sure, their music is textural and complex, but it also seemed sterile and repetitive. Autechre deserves the accusation so often leveled at electronic music, that it lacks soul, I thought.
Now I feel differently. I kept listening to Autechre albums, searching for that special something, until I purchased LP5, which left me instantly thunderstruck. Majestic, pathetic, introverted to the point of autism...LP5 is fantastic and terrifying. It demands your full attention. Incunabula, on the other hand, didn't appeal to me immediately; it took a while to insinuate its way into my consciousness. At first, I realized it's great to drive to, a small enough accomplishment. Now, I consider it on a par with LP5...it is the album I unwind to after the soul-blast delivered by LP5. Not that Incunabula is a warm album; it partakes of the same cool urban hipness that is the hallmark of acts like Underworld. But it blends soaring melodies with rolling beats in a harmonious way, unlike later Autechre endeavors, where fragile melodies are often disrupted and shredded by malicious, stuttering drum loops.
Other bands, like Orbital circa In Sides, may have a better grasp of musical structure and emotional impact. But this album, with it's polished, spotless production, is the very definition of futuristic cool. Incunabula and LP5 bookend Autechre's career at the present moment, and are their two best albums IMO. Either are a great introduction to the band.
The first step into enlightenment - Review written on August 04, 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review helpful.
As many reviewers have stated, Autechre's first release "Incunabula" is very open and people friendly. The ambient melodies are there as well as the skittish drums that sort of dance around in the air around you. You can't help but feel that tracks like "Eggshell" and "444" are decents into a more introverted reality; the sounds each introduce themselves, surfacing and submerging over and over again until, in the end, they're all present in a wash of sound, you're somewhere else.
However, "Incunabula" was a stepping stone, as is each of Autechre's albums. Each release becomes less and less human and reaches more for the lifeforce of an artificial intelligence. Sean Booth and Rob Brown (Autechre) are finding themselves become one with the machines and that come across in their music. Their newer tracks (anything from "Ep7") sound as if they've isolated one point in chatoic time/space and somehow manifested it where the likes of us can comprehend it. Really amazing and dark stuff; not for the pop-minded.
A Modern Version of "KraftWerk" - Review written on July 30, 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5
1 customer found this review not to be helpful.
This Album is definatly a modern version of KraftWerk. I Fell in love with it after just hearing the first track.
Personnaly, When I listen to "BIKE", I imagine i'm walking in the middle of a snow storm in the midle of the night. I'm just really taken by that track, the whole album even. I find it very "trancy".
Lowride is described as getting into a flying saucer at night and traveling at an incredible velocity arround the globe.
But the very best is 444. This is the most emotionaly intense track in this album because when i listened to it 1st time, it made me cry, no joke!
Very impressed with Autechre.
Halcyon + on + on - Review written on March 03, 2000
Rating: 5 out of 5
34 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.
Autechre's debut album gets excellent reviews for good reason. Entering the UK charts at #1, it also was a well-deserved commercial success. Still, there some distinct musical differences to Autechre's later-era output. The rhythm constructions are more fragile, subdued, and fluid, and tracks like "Bike" and "Lowride" even expose Autechre's hip hop roots. "Incunabula" comes up with very beautiful and aesthetic melodies which never seem to be trite, formless, or trashy. Rather allied to '70s electronic pioneers like Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream, "Incunabula" is also a work with concept character. From "Eggshell" on, Autechre take you on a plesant, neverending journey through time and space. Listen to "Windwind" and imagine a moonlit mountain range covered with shimmering ice and snow. I never thought that electronic music could have such an emotional power and quality. This is excellent trance music without the boredom of many other new age or ambient records. Unlike many of Autechre's other efforts, this album is palatable for everyone, even for people who usually don't care about techno music.