Autechre Envane

[kaini]

Booth: It's sort of hard to explain: four tracks that came from the same basis but not in the traditional sense of it, of them being sounds. They were more like mathematical bases. We basically developed four -- we started off with the same part and developed it in four different ways but they ended up being completely different tracks. It's almost like they were just different tracks but because they started from the same basis we thought, well, fuck it, we'll call them remixes. 'Cause they're all related. But we didn't do them all at the same time. We'd sort of do a few tracks and then do one and then do a few more tracks and then do another. So, what went on in between made the tracks totally different from each another. Kinda like, just the way we wanted to do it, 'cause that way we'd have some correlated tracks that weren't literally correlated, if you know what I mean -- only to us.

 

At no point does this say they are remixes of one track. That they are four related tracks that they though they just decided to call remixes because they started from the same basis.

 

Now... "basis" could mean "a track" but I don't think so, they're not speaking very abstractly in any other part of the interview so why would they suddenly say-one-thing-but-mean-another?

 

yeah, for sure. in no way would i equate my skills with ae's but very often i start with a basic sound palette and work from it. and you can hear them doing this exact thing as early as lego feet which has all sorts of chiastic-y goodness within it.

[Guest Geometrices]

I first encountered this album at a used record shop in Chicago. I picked up the CD for like 2 bux before hearing of it. This album produces potent nostalgia! Listening to this bicycling into twilight... Just like some vast deep sky with crystalline clouds. I will definitely agree that this album is exceptionally coherent with a melancholy texture in particular.. The melodies are lathed in a sweet, hazy softness. Get square with this tetrad. One quarternary to square up with..

 

...(.o.O.o.)...

[Lesley]

I think a lot of their stuff is them being nostalgic

Maybe it's their nostalgia for old school hip hop or something, the first track on Envane to me sounds like that, especially when the keyboard tune comes in.

Edited December 28, 2013 by Lesley

[ambermonk]

I think a lot of their stuff is them being nostalgic

Maybe it's their nostalgia for old school hip hop or something, the first track on Envane to me sounds like that, especially when the keyboard tune comes in.

I think Recks On from Exai is a recent example of this - Sean mentioned it as a nod to '80s hip hop in the AAA thread if memory serves me right.

Also, I've heard rumors that the scratching in Goz Quarter contains the voice of Kool Keith...dunno if that's been asked in AAA as well.

 

As for Envane itself, Laughing Quarter is one of Ae's most solid trax in their entire career i.m.o., even seventeen years later. Damn, hard to believe that much time has passed already. Everything about it is a big adrenaline rush for me.

Edited December 29, 2013 by ambermonk

[fizzkinz]

.

Also, I've heard rumors that the scratching in Goz Quarter contains the voice of Kool Keith...dunno if that's been asked in AAA as well.

 

Oh that's a definite.

The song No Awareness off Dr Octagonecologyst has a line "jam like a teacher" (and sounds more like jam like autechre) which is pitch shifted up and repeated numerous times in Goz Quarter.

Edited December 29, 2013 by fizzkinz

[ambermonk]

 

.

Also, I've heard rumors that the scratching in Goz Quarter contains the voice of Kool Keith...dunno if that's been asked in AAA as well.

Oh that's a definite.

The song No Awareness off Dr Octagonecologyst has a line "jam like a teacher" (and sounds more like jam like autechre) which is pitch shifted up and repeated numerous times in Goz Quarter.

 

Classic album. That "jam like a tecker" bit I thought was a slang reference to a Tec-9 high-capacity 9mm handgun, which is notorious for its tendency to jam. But seeing as how Dr. Octo's album came out just a few months before Envane, it could be interpreted either way I suppose.

[Guest]

I listened to latent quarter millions of times. best ae. Goz Quarter: Half a milion. It was always interesting I had some beat timing problems with it. Can't describe. I mean at the start of the track I count the 4/4 beat different. There's some shift in my beat reception of the beat when the melody clocks in.

[Guest]

I listened to latent quarter millions of times. best ae. Goz Quarter: Half a milion. It was always interesting I had some beat timing problems with it. Can't describe. I mean at the start of the track I count the 4/4 beat different. There's some shift in my beat reception of the beat when the melody clocks in.

EDIT: Now I've got it. Every 2nd beat out of 4/4 I think starts with a 2 x 1/8 followed by a third beat a 16th delayed (or 1/8 delayed?). Now how my receptionn is: at the first part of the track I start counting every 4/4 1/8 BEFORE the beat actually appears - and after the melody clocks in, I start counting at the second 1/8 beat.

 

And 4:00 in Latent Quarter was what its all about.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Guest

[auxien]

25 years

[splesh]

On 1/27/2022 at 1:50 PM, auxien said:

25 years

Happy birthday to the lovely Envane!   Ae truly have some of the strongest EPs of any artist I can think of. Then again they are my favourite musical act, so...

[Scaramouche]

Excellent EP. Laughing Quarter is up there in my most listened Ae tracks. 

[perunamuusi]

Draun Quarter is all time  top 5 Ae tbqh

[six]

Maybe their tightest release, one of my favorite pieces of music ever, a classic.

Laughing Quarter and Draun Quarter are two of their best. Love the reedy synths they were using in this stage of their career.

[Boxus]

On 1/28/2022 at 12:03 PM, six said:

Love the reedy synths they were using in this stage of their career.

hell yeah. Konlied MX has especially lush woodwinds

[toaoaoad]

Latent Quarter really shines now for me all these years later. It always stood out the least I guess, it's quite noodly where the others each have a very pronounced character. But it's really a sick track, tons of cool stuff going on in those beats.

Edited February 1, 2022 by toaoaoad

[zazen]

Always loved Envane.

I bought it on CD back in 97 and in those days didn't have internet so always thought, based on squinting at the cover art, that the tracks were called 'Quartets'

902 Quartet
Latent Quartet
Laughing Quartet
Draun Quartet

.... and it seemed fitting to use a classical sortof name because it was obvious that the tracks were special in some way.

Edited February 21, 2022 by zazen

[ambermonk]

Laughing Quarter is still an absolute banger, even a quarter of a century later.

Something about that mid-late 90s era for Ae/Gescom in general...it was like a micro Renaissance.