Anti EP

Anti EP is an EP by British electronic music duo Autechre,[3] released by Warp on 3 September 1994.[1] It peaked at number 90 on the UK Singles Chart,[4] as well as number 39 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.[5] It is the only explicitly political record Autechre have released.[6]

Anti EP
EP by Autechre
Released	3 September 1994[1]
Genre	IDM[2]
Length	24:40
Label	Warp
Producer	Autechre
Autechre chronology
Basscadet Mixes (1994) Anti EP (1994) Amber (1994)

Background

Anti EP was a protest against the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which would prohibit raves (described as gatherings where music is played), with "music" being defined as a "succession of repetitive beats."[7] Sean Booth explained the band's strategy for the song "Flutter" by saying, "We made as many different bars as we could on the drum machine, then strung them all together."[7]

The packaging bore a sticker with a disclaimer about the repetitive nature of the rhythmic elements of "Lost" and "Djarum".[8] "Flutter" was programmed to have non-repetitive beats and therefore "can be played at both forty five and thirty three revolutions under the proposed law"; but following their disclaimer, it was advised that DJs "have a lawyer and a musicologist present at all times to confirm the non repetitive nature of the music in the event of police harassment."[8] The sticker acted as a seal, which was required to be broken in order to access the media enclosed in the packaging.[8]

The profits from this release went to the political pressure group Liberty.[9] The sticker ended with this last statement: "Autechre is politically non-aligned. This is about personal freedom."[9]

Despite "Flutter"'s ability to be played at 33 1/3 RPM and 45 RPM on vinyl, the CD version contains the song as played at 45 RPM.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]

Ken Tataki of AllMusic gave the EP 4 stars out of 5, saying, "Beyond a doubt, this is an excellent showcase not only for the band, but also for the label that signed them."[10] Writing for Fact in 2013, Maya Kalev called the EP "a continued reminder of dance music's extra-linguistic and innate potential for subversion."[6] In 2014, Fact placed "Flutter" at number 1 on their list of the "100 greatest IDM tracks".[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sean Booth and Rob Brown.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lost"	7:24
2.	"Djarum"	7:19
3.	"Flutter"	9:57
Total length:		24:40

Charts

Chart	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)[4]	90
UK Dance Singles (OCC)[5]	39

References

1. "Anti". Warp. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
2. "The 100 greatest IDM tracks". Fact. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
3. Johnston, Chris (27 July 2012). "The Crate: Anti EP by Autechre". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
4. "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 09 October 1994 - 15 October 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
5. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40: 09 October 1994 - 15 October 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
6. Kalev, Maya (2 September 2013). "The genius of Autechre in 13 essential tracks". Fact. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
7. Gallivan, Joseph (19 July 1994). "Joseph Gallivan on pop". The Independent. London, England. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
8. Khal (13 August 2014). "10 Singles You Should Own on Vinyl: Autechre - "Anti" EP". Complex. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
9. Pattison, Louis (21 July 2014). "How the Political Warning of Autechre's Anti EP Made it a Warp Records Classic". Vice. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
10. Tataki, Ken. "Anti- - Autechre". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2018.

External links

• Anti EP at the official Warp discography (features audio clips)
• Anti EP at Discogs (list of releases)