XI year old Autechre Album Released: Exai (WARP234)

[thehauntingsoul]

So far the tracks that are the most challenging for me are irlite (get 0), nodezsh and runrepik. Nodezsh makes some sense to me but I can't figure out what they are trying to do with the beat, doesn't seem to be head bobbable to me.

Runrepik sounds ok but I have yet to find the hook. For those of you digging this track, what is it that makes it dig into you? Give me a specific sound at a specific time. I'd love to love this track but so far it's meh for me.

 

irlite is pretty cool but the synth line plays in so many keys it's hard to digest. I feel like there isn't much to that besides repeated listens.

 

But seriously what is good about runrepik?

[modey]

For me it's simply the footworky drum pattern.

[Franciscus]

So far the tracks that are the most challenging for me are irlite (get 0), nodezsh and runrepik. Nodezsh makes some sense to me but I can't figure out what they are trying to do with the beat, doesn't seem to be head bobbable to me.

 

Runrepik sounds ok but I have yet to find the hook. For those of you digging this track, what is it that makes it dig into you? Give me a specific sound at a specific time. I'd love to love this track but so far it's meh for me.

 

irlite is pretty cool but the synth line plays in so many keys it's hard to digest. I feel like there isn't much to that besides repeated listens.

 

But seriously what is good about runrepik?

its the fast paced beat that sounds like it could be on untilted (i just love that album)

[Guest CurlyAngryman]

Runrepik sounds ok but I have yet to find the hook.

 

You didn't hear the really cinematic horn riff that plays throughout the track? That alone makes "runrepik" one of the standouts to me.

[Guest 123]

So far the tracks that are the most challenging for me are irlite (get 0), nodezsh and runrepik. Nodezsh makes some sense to me but I can't figure out what they are trying to do with the beat, doesn't seem to be head bobbable to me.

 

Runrepik sounds ok but I have yet to find the hook. For those of you digging this track, what is it that makes it dig into you? Give me a specific sound at a specific time. I'd love to love this track but so far it's meh for me.

 

irlite is pretty cool but the synth line plays in so many keys it's hard to digest. I feel like there isn't much to that besides repeated listens.

 

But seriously what is good about runrepik?

 

The rythm? the percussion sounds? the atmosphere? the sound design?

BTW What the hell is challenging about the melody in irite? Just be patient, I think thats the problem here, its damn amazing to me.

[kausto]

runrepik consists entirely from oversteps tour sounds. and it has simple but beautiful atmosphere.

 

edit: percussion sounds like sonic charge microtonic, by the way.

 

overall it sounds like bitter autechrian happiness

Edited February 9, 2013 by telefunken

[kausto]

magnus lindstrom, microtonic's creator about MoT pce freeze 2.8i:

 

"Yeah, I couldn't resist emailing Sean Booth when I first heard that
track. He confirmed that it was MicroTonic indeed. It is also used on
the track after that, "Rew(1)". He was very enthusiastic about my plugs,
but they were not actually using any VSTs or AUs for their latest work.
Just Max stuff.



Being a big time Autechre fan I was pretty stoked about this all."

 

http://soniccharge.com/forum/index.php?/topic/134-autechre/

[awepittance]

the melodies in Irlite (get 0) are the least timid and most memorable/catchy melodies of the whole album imo. It's the only time where i feel like they took that Oversteps prog style - impossible to hum but catchy melodic hook aspect into the new sound. The other melodies on Exai are good, but I honestly think they are passable, not amazing. For as bombastic as the sound design and percussion is through out the album i think some of the songs suffer a little bit from having melodies that sound too laid back if that makes any sense.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Awepittance

[modey]

the melodies in Irlite (get 0) are the least timid and most memorable/catchy melodies of the whole album imo. It's the only time where i feel like they took that Oversteps prog style - impossible to hum but catchy melodic hook aspect into the new sound. The other melodies on Exai are good, but I honestly think they are passable, not amazing. For as bombastic as the sound design and percussion is through out the album i think some of the songs suffer a little bit from having melodies that sound too laid back if that makes any sense.

Yeah I have to say I was expecting a bit more on the melodic side for this album--especially since Joyrex actually liked it. Oversteps blew me away with its dense melodic complexity and I was hoping that Exai would expand on that. Nevertheless, it's still a satisfying listen.

ps. I'm not really feeling keyosc on first listen. The melody is great but there's not much to it. However, I did hear what seems to be a nod to Ipacial Section early on in the track; did anyone else pick up on that?

[Guest bitroast]

left and right = me

 

[David Bowman]

Guys, Cloudline.

[Lianne]

I know I did the "I love it!" "I hate it!" "I love it again!" thing with Oversteps, but I'm amazed how differently we hear music on different days (and obviously different audio systems.)

 

I found this to be the most unusual and stunning Autechre ever when I was overtired hearing it on headphones that first time while falling asleep. Hearing it again today out loud on speakers, however, it seems just "o.k", but not as deep or inventive sound or beat-wise as Confield/Draft/Untilted (I know the production in this one is obviously lusher than those releases, but on speakers the difference isn't so important. Exai suddenly seemed overly synthy and a bit too b-boy/hip-hoppish to me when I heard it in context of the inventiveness of that mighty trio. And I wasn't trying to compare or be critical... I just happened to have those on last night and heard Exai this morning.)

 

I know it's a great release. I think I would have loved the unusual and deeply special atmosphere of the first few tracks to have continued, though. It doesn't help I listened to Confield again and fell in love afresh with the scrunchy, totally 'other' soundworlds on tracks like Parhelic Triangle. Since Quaristice, everything has become more overtly musical, 'instrumenty' (for want of a better word...lol) and jammy for Autechre, which is better for most people, I suppose.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Lianne

[cear]

anyone else gets brainfeedery (such as Teebs / Samiyam) vibes out of deco Loc and maybe a bit of bladelores?

Edited February 9, 2013 by vincentvc

[Guest]

yea I am under the impression that a big part of this album is lazy jams. A lot of noodling, some of it random and chaotic, edited into tracks. have to find out whether that is a good thing or not, i do like it with Quaristice.

 

it's weird, they go to places with their tracks which you would move to the trash bin if you recorded that, right? like the synth stuff in the second half of recks on, I mean what? but then you listen 20 times to it because it's them, and you start to force yourself to like it.

 

i think there's a lot of crap on this album, with no compositional idea behind it whatsoever, but it might turn out to be "catchy" crap in the end..

[Lianne]

yea I am under the impression that a big part of this album is lazy jams. A lot of noodling, some of it random and chaotic, edited into tracks. have to find out whether that is a good thing or not, i do like it with Quaristice.

 

it's weird, they go to places with their tracks which you would move to the trash bin if you recorded that, right? like the synth stuff in the second half of recks on, I mean what? but then you listen 20 times to it because it's them, and you start to force yourself to like it.

 

i think there's a lot of crap on this album, with no compositional idea behind it whatsoever, but it might turn out to be "catchy" crap in the end..

 

Yeah... I really don't know what is going on with the second half of 'recks on'. Seems totally uninspired on every level to me.

[Guest]

but oh my, (keyosc)

 

[Salvatorin]

loud as FUCK on speakers is the only way. shit is cataclysmic

[kausto]

 

yea I am under the impression that a big part of this album is lazy jams. A lot of noodling, some of it random and chaotic, edited into tracks. have to find out whether that is a good thing or not, i do like it with Quaristice.

 

it's weird, they go to places with their tracks which you would move to the trash bin if you recorded that, right? like the synth stuff in the second half of recks on, I mean what? but then you listen 20 times to it because it's them, and you start to force yourself to like it.

 

i think there's a lot of crap on this album, with no compositional idea behind it whatsoever, but it might turn out to be "catchy" crap in the end..

 

Yeah... I really don't know what is going on with the second half of 'recks on'. Seems totally uninspired on every level to me.

and what about Netlon Sentinel off EP7?

[Dale]

vekoS is so close to the Untilted style - probably one of my favourites so far.

As a handful of people have already said, it's a difficult album to get into - lots of depth, lack of cohesiveness/melodies/accessibility throughout a lot of the album (not necessarily a bad thing) - a lot of noodling about compared to their other releases. Just means it might take longer for the entire album to click with me.

[Ivan Ooze]

I'm on my 3rd spin and this fucker is awesome, thank you so much AE

[Guest Roksen Creek]

yep, recks on is totally referencing netlon sentinel.

I love it.

 

 

Seriously, this album is Autechre's definitive masterpiece. I can't quite comprehend how good it is.

 

Move aside Chiastic Slide, we have a new champion.

[modey]

yea I am under the impression that a big part of this album is lazy jams. A lot of noodling, some of it random and chaotic, edited into tracks. have to find out whether that is a good thing or not, i do like it with Quaristice.

 

it's weird, they go to places with their tracks which you would move to the trash bin if you recorded that, right? like the synth stuff in the second half of recks on, I mean what? but then you listen 20 times to it because it's them, and you start to force yourself to like it.

 

i think there's a lot of crap on this album, with no compositional idea behind it whatsoever, but it might turn out to be "catchy" crap in the end..

 

 

wow, what? I thought the second half of recks on was one of the more gorgeous parts of the album

 

But yes, I understand the jammy aspect. The jams aren't nearly as loose as the majority of Quaristice though. Sounds like there was at least a bit of crafting going on here, as opposed to just editing.

[sweepstakes]

I could see that. They talked about working with MIDI more in the editing stage, as opposed to audio, in 2010. Maybe they've set things up so all the parametric aspects of the jam can be tracked, rather than just the audio output of the jam: recorded like Quaristice but edited like Draft.

[jules]

yea I love the end of recks on

[Amen Lare]

6852 and ts1a would fit snugly inside this album, especially 6852. do i remember reading that it was a solo rob track or was that bullshit?

 

Regarding solo track by Rob it was pure speculation. There is a certain vision of what's Sean could do best and what Rob. Like first Exai track very well could be Sean solo and second track could be Rob's solo.

 

T ess xi actually contains slightly modified beats from Ts1a, though.

 

 

Don't get the hate towards second part of recks on at all. Definitely one of the highlights.