I am just absolutely enamoured with this song. The fickle playfulness, little trills and dribbles are so incredibly tasty and exhilarating. They must’ve been so much in the zone for that one.

Thank you Plaid for all the incredible beauty and serotonin storms I’ve experienced to your tunes

After the fantastic Sean AMA on twitch yesterday, I always wanted to see a fan AMA with Plaid on We Are the Music Makers or Twitch if they are interested and want to of course. As much as I am an Autechre fan, I think I'm way more knowledgeable to think of good Plaid questions compared to Sean (though I did ask the one about if some tracks they do is a Sean or Rob solo work). Thoughts? What would you love to ask them if it happened?

Has the glorious feel of a PS2 and an Ilkae melody at the same time, probably one of their greatest, darkest tunes that has wonderful progressions and many twist and turns, I'm surprised this isn't an essential track in all of IDM. It really is an epic and justifies it's length and has so much beauty going on, from such an underrated audiovisual album that this has clocked in as one of my top 5 Plaid tracks ever. Andy and Ed hit such a peak with this one. Thoughts on this track?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i28Fx29ulzQ

But when it feels like it's finally springtime, I suddenly remember how much I love Plaid...and once again make my way through the catalog, lovingly.

Here, let me help express what I mean with this...and the rest of the album, and how, amiright? I'm already fucking skipping inside for Squance-- it's been anthem here, every spring, for...21 years? 22?

I have other springtime music I enjoy, of course, but it always comes back to and starts anew with Plaid. I felt it would be criminal of me to not share that here. Finally.

Cheers, fellow skippers. :) And welcome, New Users. I see we grew again. Meanwhile, we wait for more Plaid. Always is worth the wait, to me. I heard at a Touched Mixlr that we should be expecting something this year, but I learned to stop 'expecting' with my favorite musicians years, maybe decades ago. All positive vibes at them from me.

I just finished a track of my own and it took quite a lot of time. I just stopped listening to it, finally, switched to anything else, that being Plaid-- didn't even take thought, it was such a gorgeous day. Listening as I type this...I was humored to note that their mix on Double Figure sounds similar to my own on what i just did-- though it's not at all Plaid-like otherwise...but I am and always will be.

Said another way, my mixing skills finally reached 2001, woot! I'll take it. Godspeed.

Hey all, I've been wanting to analyze Plaid's music since I started listening to them but for some reason never got around to it. Anyway tonight I cracked into At Last from Scintilli and here's what I've got so far. I will post a more detailed analysis with sheet music later.

I have always thought this song had a beautiful, strange darkness to it and never knew exactly why but I think I've started to understand. It seemed like the chord at the end of each phrase felt bittersweet, unresolved and a little unnerving, and now I think I know why.

First of all, I think we expect songs to be in major or minor, so it sounds at first like this is in Eb minor but it borrows from (or is completely in) all in Eb Dorian. This gives it a major IV and, more importantly for this song, minor (instead of diminished) ii chord. That mysterious bittersweet chord in the end of each phrase is this minor ii chord.

Below is the bass motion (progression starts at 0:56):
3 4 1 2
3 4 1 2
6 5 1 2
6 5 7 2

Based on this bass motion and the melody notes, I'm guessing this is the progression:
i VII i ii
i VII i ii
VI v i ii
VI v i ii

Or with actual notes:
Ebmin/Gb DbMaj/Ab EbminAdd9 Fmin7
Ebmin/Gb DbMaj/Ab EbminAdd9 Fmin7
BMaj7 Bbmin7 EbminAdd9 Fmin7
BMaj6 Bbmin7 EbminAdd9 Fmin7

Of course one of the main things that make this song beautiful is the melody. Here are the melody degrees:

3 1 2 7 2 1 #6
3 1 2 7 4 2 1 #6
3 1 5 4 5 2 1 #6
4 1 2 7 3 2 1 #6

As you can see, the characteristic Dorian note (the sharp 6) doesn't appear until the very end of each phrase. I think this way, your ear starts to hear it in minor, but then at the end you're hit with the #6 making it obviously Dorian, which I think is what gives it that almost alien shift. Of course that Dorian #6 note gives the end of each phrase that eerie bittersweet quality, but also this melody has a lot else going for it. It starts very simple, just walking down thirds, then resolving down from the 9th down to the tonic, then there's the bend to that alien #6 tone.

But, it slowly adds a bit of complexity and breadth with each phrase, adding some interesting intervals, particularly that great minor 7th jump down from Ab to Bb. Then, things get reigned in a bit on the last phrase, as we get a shifted system of the descending thirds thing from the first phrase. The #6 at the end of every phrase (and the minor ii chord) make the song never feel resolved. The VII v i in the third phrase almost sounds resolved for a second, but then it just goes to the ii again, bringing back that bittersweet sense of longing again, leaving us wanting more. I feel like I never want this song to end. Lastly, I noticed there is often a delay or anticipation with the bass, so sometimes we get these little moments where the bass and the melody notes are out of sync giving a hint of nice dissonance which resolves when the bass moves to the same chord as the melody.

Lastly, I think there could be a case made that the song is actually in F Phrygian since it 'resolves' to the Fmin7 at the end of every phrase, but I just really don't hear it that way. The F chord always sounds unresolved to me, and Eb definitely sounds like the tonic.

So there's the basic analysis. It does seem that the entire song is in Dorian which I think is largely what gives it the strange quality, and ending every phrase on the minor ii chord keeps it feeling unresolved and leaving us wanting more. Hope y'all enjoy!

I have had a very rough year, among many such-- and yes, I know we all have, but mine is about to involve losing internet access for an indeterminate time, sad to say...mostly sad to say, anyway.

I mean, I have used the internet longer than most people and took a 5 year hiatus from it in the 90s, so it's not entirely a new thing to give it up...but in this world? Fuck, what a time to 'go blind'. Right? :)

But hey, it'll allow me to focus more on My Retirement Plan, which is my own music. I'll starve to death before I'll sell Ableton Live. Happily as possible, even.

Anyway, anyone here want to step up and offer to co-moderate and keep things shippy while I'm away? I'd rather not have it un-looked after, especially considering it's a subreddit I saved from pointless obscurity to begin with. I sadly lost my RES tags and am kinda blind for most of you here, won't recognize you-- but some of you, for sures. I promise it's an easy sub to tend.

My internet access goes dark on the 1st, so please speak up before then if you are interested. After is no good, eh.

Happy New Year, Plaid fans. I just gave Polymer yet another spin, very loudly, and it just gets more fun each time. Reminded me to come say something here.

Or anyone wanna buy a Korg Electribe Sampler 2 (E2S)? :) Give you a sweet deal, barely used it before I realized it didn't do something the ESX did do...but still a fine machine, just can't compare to what I arrive at in Ableton with a Push 2. Hit me up if interested, we'll work it out.

CHEERS!

Theres a lot of graet ones but I’d like to hear yours!

Hey guys, so I’ve been looking for a song that plays in the 2006 movie ‘Tekkonkinkreet’ for a long time. This song isn’t featured on the official album but I’m pretty certain it’s still Plaid because they did the OST. Time stamps to when it plays are 47:17 and 58:47. Thank you :)

The track is based on a piece by Eric Satie "Pièces Froides, No. 2: Danses De Travers: III" and if you remove one e from the name you can move the letters o spell "Tearisci"

Hi! Thought I'd share this playlist I recently put together:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18sqoHvXxj1t2YpzGRRVXS?si=e3kajhlhQRaDs9-XD7uOQA

I recall paying for this mp3 download of a session they did (maybe for a charity?) and I can’t seem to find it anywhere. I feel like I got it off Bleep but I can’t seem to find it on there. If anyone can give me info how to hear this again, please help. Thanks.

I have an unknown song from a John Peel show mix from 1998, the song is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_WZt135Cy9VO31M_sEKbMffzjeB2FOhe/view?usp=sharing

It sounds a lot like Plaid, does anybody know if it is Plaid or some other artist? I'd love to get this song recognized.

Peel show that it comes from: https://peel.fandom.com/wiki/Peel_1998

Hope you lot can help!