Introducing Access Autonomic, a new feature that examines a snapshot selection of some of our favourite tracks from the movement that gave rise to this website and has defined our content since the very beginning, all lovingly compiled into an exclusive mini-mix for you to listen to, share and download.

The inaugural AA, mixed by our very own Tiran, spans from the genre’s genesis with Vaccine‘s seminal track that featured on that crucial Fabric Live compilation from dBridge and Instra:mental, to the introduction of second generation players like Silent Dust, who took the movement in new directions by remixing R&B diva Nicki Minaj, and the still emergent talent of Monika who’s still carving a name out for himself in the contemporary scene. Future issues will feature guest editors from in and around the scene, so without further ado…AA001.

Access Autonomic 001: Tiran by Urban Essence on Mixcloud

Consequence – A Man And A Woman
One of the strongest artist LP’s to emerge from the Autonomic golden-era, Consequence’s ‘Live For Never’ on Exit is a collection with no apparent limit to its own creative depth. Its finale, standing at a progressive 11 minutes long and broken into two with a glisteningly ambient bonus outro track, is an expertly-crafted exercise in measured repetition. Allowing its enigmatic key elements breathing space whilst managing to maintain its mellow engagement, A Man And A Woman is a glowing example of Consequence’s technical and immersive ability.

Monika – The Chimera
Up until recently, Monika was a relatively unknown name, not just in the Autonomic scene, but in the music world generally. Besides having done a beguiling mix for us back in October last year, it’s taken a while for people to catch on to this talented young producer from South West London and his richly melodic compositions.

With his debut release (Devotion/No Air) coming out in March on Slime Recordings, Monika announced his arrival in impressive style but it’s the unreleased The Chimera that’s without doubt the best example (so far) of his prowess as a harmonious virtuoso. This tune is everything Autonomic should be: the cavernous baseline that renders it dancefloor worthy, the yearning, subdued pads that border on the ambient, and most notably of all, the mystifying arpeggiator which eases its way through the mist of the backing melodies, and drifts away into the ether only to come back twice as strong following the breakdown with furious emotion.

A thoroughly professional production from this bright young talent. Big things predicted.

Indigo – Symbol #7.3
Indigo is unquestionably in our minds one of the founding fathers of what we have come to know as the Autonomic sound. Making his unruly entrance to the burgeoning scene with the dub techno-tinged Time on Exit’s seminal Mosaic – Volume One LP, Indigo cemented his place in our consciousness as one to watch. Subsequent collaborations with his Mancunian partner in crime, Synkro, only further exhibited his capacity for emotive electronica, with tracks like Guidance just about breaking our heart every time we hear it.

Despite his foray into the dark depths of techno in the last 12 months, it was his offering for Auxiliary’s Symbol series – most notably Symbol #7.3 – last July that caught our ears once again with its striking ingenuity in sound design. The track’s sparse percussion, textured field recordings and mystical, interlocking guitar riffs that are as subdued as they are visceral unfurl with ease and yet uncertainty, whereafter the drop brings forth an other-worldly transformation. Those elements that appeared so organic in the opening moments are all at once stripped back to their raw electronic form, as the textured backing track disintegrates abruptly, replaced by an enormous, all-encompassing bassline.

With this track and many others, Indigo has proven his status as one of the finest examples of how Autonomic was borne out of an incredibly inventive and resourceful period of electronic music.

So it’s just as well that we’re just starting to hear news of the Mosaic – Volume Two LP!

Vaccine – Ochre
Dominated by that piercing lead vocal, Ochre’s enchanting broken narrative is one of the key highlights of dBridge & Instra:Mental’s creatively dense Autonomic Fabric.Live compilation. An early flag-bearer of the half-step dnb template that has become a staple dietary requirement of the scene today; what separates Vaccine’s brooding piece from the pack is its distinctive melancholia and subtle changes in tone throughout, the artist showing her ability in careful and patient music construction with twinkling Vangelis-esque synths and clever static-laced edits. After what has been an all-too-long hiatus, Vaccine is preparing her debut LP with the long awaited Radiate VIP set to appear on wax in the near future. We can’t wait.

Nicki Minaj – Your Love (Silent Dust Remix)
Those of you who have been following the 170 sub-genre since the apparent dissolve of the Autonomic movement will be aware of Silent Dust; their excellent debut LP offered a rare, simultaneous icy sparsity and familial warmth. For me personally it’s this unusual remix of Nicki Minaj’s Your Love that has become the most cherished of all from their work; standing alone as a complete inversion of the garish original, the duo introduce poignant atmospherics and delicately understated percussion to Minaj’s vocals. Brave and original, the remix is a free download too so what can you lose?

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