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10 songs that feel like Pen Expers

Matched to Pen Expers by Autechre on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Pen Expers
The song you love
Pen Expers
Autechre
intense 73/100 intensity 120 BPM
Sketch 2 for Commissioner — Tim Hecker intense 120 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Castrati Stack — Tim Hecker intense 120 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Same complex texture.

Nil Admirari — Tim Hecker intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Not Goodnight — Tim Hecker intense 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Same complex texture.

Studio of the Street — Tim Hecker intense 120 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

Stab Variations — Tim Hecker intense 120 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Same complex texture.

Collider — Jon Hopkins intense 128 BPM

Keeps the same introspective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (73/100). Measured 98% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

Gazzelloni — Eric Dolphy intense 120 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (76/100). Same complex texture.

Fog Lattice — Tim Hecker intense 90 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100).

Apondalifa — Tim Hecker intense 90 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Pen Expers is more than you want right now.

High and Dry — Wednesday moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 41/100, down from 73. Nearly the same tempo, too.

You Burned Yourself — Wednesday moderate 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

TV in the Gas Pump — Wednesday moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 49/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

What's So Funny — Wednesday moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 41/100, versus the original's 73. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Fate — Wednesday moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 41/100, down from 73. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I'll Go Running — Squirrel Flower moderate 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 41/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Environments — Floating Points safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 39/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

the cure — Olivia Rodrigo moderate 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 8. 43/100, versus the original's 73.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Pen Expers” by Autechre?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Sketch 2 for Commissioner” by Tim Hecker, “Castrati Stack” by Tim Hecker, “Nil Admirari” by Tim Hecker — the top match scores 96% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “Pen Expers” but calmer?

“High and Dry” by Wednesday, “You Burned Yourself” by Wednesday, “TV in the Gas Pump” by Wednesday keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Pen Expers”?

It measures 73/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 120 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 91% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 73/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent shifts, and instrumental. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 91% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout8/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype8/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1994 in context

The 365 songs we’ve measured from 1994 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity73
Dynamics78
Tempo44
Surprise75
Density60
Predictability100
Vocal force0
Trigger load38

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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