Autechre: Story Of Radio Show

It all started with this post on the IDM mailing list:

  From: greg@warp-net.com (g.)
  To: idm@hyperreal.com
  Subject: (idm) Ae Radio.
  Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 11:36:20 GMT
  Message-ID: <331435c3.5558859@sygnet.syspace.co.uk>
  new things on warp-net.
  chiastic slide shockwave. mildly interactive. so click on things.
  and tomorrow we will be broadcasting an hour long autechre radio show
  disengage stylee so interested parties get your realaudio 3 bits
  sorted.
  g.     ----------------------------------------->     www.warp-net.com

This radio show was actually a promo CD (catalogue number WARP CD51) that Warp sent to a few radio stations.

The radio show was up for 24 hours in streaming (non-downloadable) RealAudio. While it was there, I did some digging around the web site and found that they had configured their server in such a way that the downloadable .ra file was actually in a web-accessible location, so I saved it.

Soon after the radio show was removed from Warp-Net, people who missed it were asking where to find it, so I tossed the file onto my FTP site and posted the URL. And soon after that I got a message from greg (Warp's guy on idm) politely asking me to remove the file, which I did.

After people were asking where the file had gone, I posted that greg asked me to take it down. Unfortunately, I wasn't diplomatic enough in my wording and this resulted in a massive flamefest about bootlegging and wound up with greg leaving the list for a while.

A little while later, Autechre did a live chat thingy and were, of course, asked about this:

  <sfwd> Ae > did you have any feelings about the ae_radio.ra file getting
  passed around and fans wanting to burn personal cds of the show?
  <Autechre> No not atall. If its how it will be on radio. People can do what
  they want with it. Radio is the least exclusive medium lately.

Since I consider the word of the artist more important than the word of the label, I put the file back up. It hasn't been a problem since.

Most of the tracks on the show were somewhat obscure Ae tracks and remixes. Here's a post with lots of details:

  Message-ID: <34CF5154.7E68@che.ufl.edu>
  Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2020 15:40:04 +0000
  From: "Aaron S. Gregory" <gregas@che.ufl.edu>
  To: idm@hyperreal.org
  Subject: (idm) Disecting Ae's Radiomix
  greetings everyone
  i have been meaning to bring this up for a while,
  but it was an idea/question that got lost in the
  sea of 97's release onslought.  i recently made a
  dub of this for someone and i began remembering what
  all my fuss was about.  here's what came over me...
  * * *
  Autechre's Radiomix (Warp promo)...some THOUGHTS:
  [QUESTIONS LATER]
  Track 1: Gescom - Mag (Ae remix)
  aside from the washy intro, we (should) all know
  about this one...from the Skampler, FUNKY as all
  fuck, etc etc etc.  great track, fuckin brilliant.
  Track 2: Lexis - Hypnotise (Autechre remix)
  what was once thought to be Ae's 'interpretation'
  of drum'n'bass is really someone else's source
  material.  thing is, we didn't know this to be
  true till the Lexis 12" came out months later.
  (more on this theme a bit later)
  Track 3: Gescom - Keynell (Warp remix run amuck?)
  no, that's not the official title, but those
  who have heard this must admit, it's kinda
  like a (bizarrely) 'treated version' of one
  of the Ae. remixes released on warp.  strange,
  but fairly cool IMHO.
  Track 4: ?
  nice atmospheric percussion which remind me a lot
  of "bronchusix" on invisible soundtracks (leaf),
  but of course -- it's not the same track.
  [after the sample from some 'movie']
  Track 5: Gescom - Snackwich (remix)
  not positive if this is, in FACT, a remix of said
  Skam classic, but it does start out with that
  infamous Snackwich intro.  but then it gets injected
  with some pure funk flava, mad-ass-breakbeats, and
  some drill'n'breakneck for good measure.  totally
  funky vibe to this one.  how could this be a remix
  of anyone else?
  Track 6: ?
  whoah sir!  the B+B camp kicks it on LOW frequency for
  this one.  major bass/dub/drone work underneath the
  usual clatterish percussion.  the bass just soaks you
  kind of like the way andrea parker's does.  heavy stuff.
  but then, of course, there's some lyrics that muzzled:
  "take me baby.  take me now.  take me to the edge of
  exposure."  then "come to me baby.  come to me."
  quite a drowning experience.  very nice though.
  Track 7: Impulse - One-Six-Four-Seven
  (Numbers Rammed Down My Ear Mix by Autechre)
  another one of Ae's RELEASED remixes.  this one is
  has that odd drone underneath a sea of dry drum'n'bass
  patterns, complete with another one of Ae's brillaint
  melodies.  this remix never really impressed me too
  much (in comparison to some of Ae's other remixes),
  but it has grown on me.
  Track 8: ?
  wonderful droned-out atmospheric piece that stretches
  itself forward.  strange and metallic sounding, at times.
  reminds me a lot of the first mira calix 10" in FEELING,
  not necessarily how it sounds.
  Track 9: ?
  harsher sounds this time, much like the way 'calbruc'
  (from chiastic) comes up and rustles things a bit when
  it comes on.  there's also this string sample that's
  just incredible.  just an awesome Ae. tune.
  * * *
  NOW, what i want to know is THIS:
  of the songs with "?"s, what are they???  I know
  that this Radiomix promo was put out before the
  Mag remix, Impulse and Lexis remixes...so have
  any of these OTHER tunes been released?  i get the
  feeling that if they are, they must be pretty
  current as well (i.e. Stereolab, David Kristian),
  not any of the older stuff (i.e. Bucktick, Schaft)
  all of which i have yet to hear.  could any of this
  material turn up on the Gescom 2x12" remix EP on
  Skam (if it's ever going to get released)?????
  questions questions questions...
  ASG

Some more details:

  From: A Munson <amunson at attcanada dot net>            
  Subject: Ae.Radio info            
  Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2020 14:58:50 -0800
   I thought this might help.
  Autechre - Radio Mix
  WARP (UK)
  WARP CD51 (Promo Only)
  CD
  [Comes With No Artwork Or Tracklisting]                
  01. Mag (Ae Remix)
  02. Lexis - Hypnotise (Autechre Remix)
  03. Keynell (Remix)
  04. Slowly - On The Loose (For Internal Use Only)
  05. Push Button Objects - Non-Existant (Keyed In By Gescom)
  06. Jimi Tenor - Take Me Baby (Fucked Up Remix)
  07. Impulse - One Six Four Seven (Numbers Rammed Down My Ear Mix)
  08. Edge Of Motion - Earth Ball (Autechre remix)
  09. Merzbow - Ecobondage [ending] (Autechre remix)
  10. Autechre - Anvil Vapre/Second Scepe remix
  10th track info: A really really strange remix of Second Scepe, with some
  other anvil vapre sounds thrown in the mix. Judging by the weirdness of the
  mix i would definitely say it's Ae mixing themselves. I assure you there
  actually is a 10th track because it fades in nicely from the ecobondage mix.
  Maybe it wasn't broadcast though. I've never heard the .ra
  Just my take on things. I have the mp3s to prove it too.
  -vexion / Aaron Munson

And one more:

  From: ::greg <greg dot smith at parkgroup dot co dot uk>
  Subject: ae radio show...
  Date: Tue, 08 May 2020 07:03:39 -0700
  filling in the blanks, complete listing is this...
  gescom - mag (ae remix)
  lexis - hypnotise (autechre remix)
  gescom - keynell (remix)
  slowly - on the loose (for internal use only)
  push button objects - non-existant (keyed in by gescom)
  jimi tenor - take me baby (fucked up remix)
  impulse - one six four seven (numbers rammed down my ear mix)
  edge of motion - earth ball (autechre remix)
  skinny puppy - killing game (autechre remix)
  ::greg

On December 22, 2000, phase gave me a wonderful Christmas present: the Ae Radio Mix in 192kbps MP3, plus the interview that was on the second track of the promo CD.

So hopefully this has answered any questions...