This is THE album that got me into Autechre. The atmosphere created here by the duo is simply mind-blowing, and over the years it's just grown on me more and more. I understand why many people do not like this, but if you're looking for some incredibly experimental music that will challenge you, and possibly change the way you look at music, Autechre is a great act to get into. Personally, I was already a fan of Gridlock, Proem and Aphex Twin in my pre-Autechre days, so unless you're already accustomed to atmospheric ('intelligent', thought-provoking) music, I'd recommend starting off with LP5, EP7, Caustic Slide or maybe even Exai, or Quaristice... if you are already into dense and experimental electronica, Confield, Untilted or Draft 7.30 might be a better place to pick things up.

Like another reviewer said, this sounds like songs written on the moon years ago. Sublime, fascinating textures, ...people talk about this album being "too left field." Well guess what? Autechre (at least with this album and many to follow) IS left field. I was a late fan, I found them in 1998, but this is the first album after "grantz graft," perhaps the most left field (yet absolutely meticulous and beautiful) autechre ever, of course the follow up would not be a reprisal of earlier sounds or techniques. In regards "confield," it can be mildly abrasive, but on large it's to me, very percussively ambient, not a ton of melody but I don't really miss it, after Aphex Twin dropped "2 AFX Remixes" shortly after "drukqs," melody free music, though still gorgeous, was getting explored. This is a one of a kind, absolutely as beautiful and enjoyable as it is unique. Absolutely a hugely under-rated classic.

Trying to describe how this album sounds is like trying to describe an orgasm to a eunuch. Sounds ebb and flow. They are absorbed by your aura, and expelled through your sub-conscious. |Confield| was my introduction to Autechre and holds a special place in my heart. It reminds me of lost loves, holidays where the snow glistened off rooftops at sunrise, children's voices permeating the air yet invisible to the naked eye. Dark room. Headphones. Clear mind. Absorb. Repeat. End sub-conscious transmission // Astral injection ----->

I respect experimental albums and I respect where Autechre is taking this album, but the album Confield is definitely not for the average listener. There were a few tracks like “Cfern” and “Pen Expers” that had a bit of a direction. However, there were more tracks that pushed radically left-field such as “Parhelic Triangle” and “Bine”. In reality, I would give it 3.5 stars, but I respect their experimentation and bumped it to four stars.

A new sub genre: pop glitch?

and I love this album

This album falls into a very strange space: Many of the songs (Sim Gishel, Uviol) are very repetitive and quiet, but aren't quiet enough to be used as casual listening music and aren't loud enough so that you can eat all the details that went into it. Then there are the trippy, angular, fragmented songs (Cfern, Bine, Pen Expers) that are really great, but also can be a little overbearing at times. And there are straight-out weird tracks (Parhelic Triangle, Lentic Catachresis, Eidetic Casein) That defy all standards of genre whatsoever and sort of twist your mind around. This, for me, is not really an album to get in full. If you were to get a few tracks from here, I would recommend VI Scose Poise and Lentic Catachresis. VI Scose Poise is very ambient with a nice melody. and a strange, metallic beat that seems to rise and fall in tempo. Lentic Catachresis is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Autechre's career. To conclude. Confield is not for everyone. But for those who like it, it will be a very rewarding experience and even the fans of their early work will find something they like in here.

I rated this at 1 star because it is unlikeable, and I believe that that is truly its aim; thus, unless you feel as though you may be able to understand that statement through many listens, I suggest you spend your money elsewhere. This is not for the casual listener. I played this in my car for about a couple of weeks, give or take, and my wife complained every second. She has no patience: case in point. This is for the listener that can actually enjoy music at the brink of noise. It seems to bear the same guiding philosophy of true industrial: it's cold, detached, and profoundly menacing. It seems designed to alienate all listeners by making them as uncomfortable as possible in 3 minutes or less. If you enjoy that (and I do for some reason), go for it. It's a very respectable album, as you may have read, in that only an expert programmer could understand how it was synthesized, but, in the words of everyone else, it takes about 10 listens to even begin to understand. This album satisfies a beautifully rare purpose, and I believe that all complete record collections should contain an album like this.

I think the reason why so many people knock this record is that it takes the listener well outside of the comfort zone. This is not easy listening, and it marks Autechre's foray into heavy experimentation with sound and texture. Prior to this album, Autechre's music was much more literal. Confield is the first of a long line of Autechre albums to utilize what is now their signature sound - HUGE and heavy distorted beats, clicks, challenging rhythms, and music buried so far down into the mix that it may not be heard at all on first listen. That is the brilliance of any Autechre album - you must listen to it - REALLY listen to it - in order to digest and appreciate the vision that they are attempting to impose through this music. They don't always hit the mark exaclty, but as with every album from these guys , the end result is refreshing, relevant, and is always made with an impeccable attention to detail. Every beat, every note is analyzed, studied, and loved before it is put on a record. That kind of uncompromising devotion to music is what I love about Autechre. This album is highly recommended for anyone that enjoys electronic music, experimental music, or is simply curious as to what computers sound like when they are making babies.

This is Autechre's hardest to like album. You are almost guarenteed to not like it the first couple of listens, but trust me it's definately worth it. After you listen to it a few times you'll start to "get" it, this album is Autechre at their most experimental. I still think that this is autechre's best album ever, give it a chance and you will be pleasantly surprised.