Autechre: Sean Booth, Rob Brown.

Consummate musical technocrats, Autechre, have been leading the charge of post-digital experimentation since their arrival on the U.K. music scene in the early `90s. While their earliest efforts contained reference points in the more earthbound rhythms from early hip-hop, electro, and ambient electronica, later albums delved further into realms of abstraction and rhythmic deconstruction. On 2001's CONFIELD, Autechre drafted perhaps their boldest statement yet, leaving some fans clamoring for the pastoral ambience and gentle beatscapes of yore. Never ones to fall back on familiar routines, the group here seem of a piece with the post-millennial "clicks-and-cuts" aesthetic of experimental electronica. From bracingly jagged overflows of programmed polyrhythms and error-ridden DSP processing, to oblique compositional strategies, Autechre display a mastery of building musical structure by way of a healthy shot of lateral thinking.

Spin (8/01, pp.134,136) - 7 out of 10 - "...A series of 6-minute tracks that set some sort of richly spastic texture-beats agianst ethereal drone-shimmers....balancing noise and beauty with a honed sense of conviction youmight call aesthetic morality..."

Alternative Press (7/01, pp.62-3) - 8 out of 10 - "...The future of IDM...cementing Autechre's name in the pantheon of sonic visionaries..."

Mojo (Publisher) (5/01, p.110) - "...The mind-boggling intricasies and moody, broody sound-sculpting...find Autechre zooming off leaving followers eating cosmic dust..."

NME (Magazine) (5/12/01, p.41) - 8 out of 10 - "...More surgical sonic detritus, it is Autechre nuanced, minutely reprocessed and at the top of their game..."