Search - Gescom :: Minidisc

Limited appeal, but a fascinating premise nonetheless

Steward Willons | Illinois | 07/07/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Gescom's "MiniDisc" is totally unique for two reasons: first and most obvious, it was actually released on a MiniDisc. There were so few official MiniDisc releases, this fact alone sets it apart. Second, the album is not made of songs, but rather of little bits of sound to be listened to in any order. In this sense, it's like one big song. Gescom recommends putting your MiniDisc player on shuffle when listening. That way, all the bits get jumbled around and you get a new piece every time you listen to it.



The premise is great, but the music itself is another story. I happen to like Autechre at their most abstract, but I know some people aren't so hot on albums like "Untitled" and "Draft 7.30". This definitely fits in that style - as far removed from their early Warp material as one can imagine. If you like Autechre's ambient techno side better than their hardcore IDM side, you probably won't enjoy this album very much.



I've listened all the way through a few times with the tracks in different configurations and while the details are not always memorable, it's usually interesting in a moment-to-moment sense. It's non-essential for most Autechre fans, but for the ones that like the really weird stuff, MiniDisc is a fascinating release. Perhaps three stars is too harsh. Given its ranking compared to other Autechre or even Gescom material, I would classify this as a minor work."