XI year old Autechre Album Released: Exai (WARP234)

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:37 PM, Bread said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:12 PM, pixelives said:

Haven't listened since last night. Been out all day. Going to give another good listen in a bit on the other system that is primarily for vinyl listening w the vintage studio monitors. i.e my non studio setup.

I think we're all interested to hear some more of your thoughts on the album. Does Exai closely resemble Oversteps or any other recent album?

This was answered somewhere but let me remember.

As I recall it has Oversteps elements, the melodic nature is pushed more into the background of the tracks though, they don't dominate like they did on Oversteps. This is replaced by a more freeflow, hip hop, dubby vibe.

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:37 PM, Bread said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:12 PM, pixelives said:

Haven't listened since last night. Been out all day. Going to give another good listen in a bit on the other system that is primarily for vinyl listening w the vintage studio monitors. i.e my non studio setup.

I think we're all interested to hear some more of your thoughts on the album. Does Exai closely resemble Oversteps or any other recent album?

There's bits of Untilted in some of the beat fuckery, Oversteps lushness in pads, hints of 90's color and timbre. But done in a way that seems contemporary with production techniques of the more recent work. Big beautiful reverbs, etc.. Some very interesting twists and turns in some of the tracks so it is very far removed from the Quar linear jam type thing.

Does Joyrex not want me to give my impressions or talk about it? That seems odd. Does talking about art in an abstract manner qualify as a leak in this day and age?

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:43 PM, pixelives said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:37 PM, Bread said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:12 PM, pixelives said:

Haven't listened since last night. Been out all day. Going to give another good listen in a bit on the other system that is primarily for vinyl listening w the vintage studio monitors. i.e my non studio setup.

I think we're all interested to hear some more of your thoughts on the album. Does Exai closely resemble Oversteps or any other recent album?

There's bits of Untilted in some of the beat fuckery, Oversteps lushness in pads, hints of 90's color and timbre. But done in a way that seems contemporary with production techniques of the more recent work. Big beautiful reverbs, etc.. Some very interesting twists and turns in some of the tracks so it is very far removed from the Quar linear jam type thing.

Holy bananas!! THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!! :D :D :D

I would ask what songs stand out as album leaders, but then realized we're talking about Ae so I'd need to discuss this after about 50 listens.

As for the leak legality, it's all fine and dandy to think they'll take a profit hit due to piracy, but meh. The people who lurk here waiting in salivating anticipation won't be the people that don't contribute. It's the internet.

My understanding of pre-release promos is that they are meant to elicit pre-release impressions of the recording, thus promoting it.

edit: to pixelives

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:50 PM, baph said:

My understanding of pre-release promos is that they are meant to elicit pre-release impressions of the recording, thus promoting it.

Thanks for clearing that up. I have always wondered about this and asked young and old to no prevail.

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:46 PM, pixelives said:

Does Joyrex not want me to give my impressions or talk about it? That seems odd. Does talking about art in an abstract manner qualify as a leak in this day and age?

Where did he say this? Through a PM?

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:50 PM, baph said:

My understanding of pre-release promos is that they are meant to elicit pre-release impressions of the recording, thus promoting it.

of course, my only confusion is that promo copies usually cause tracks to surface on various radio programs. The fail me one is literally the only one so far, which seems odd. Did they break some kind of embargo that was specified on the promotional materials? There was talk of either Warp or AE getting upset at the Wire for playing 2 songs from Quaristice right after promos were sent out.

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:46 PM, pixelives said:

Does Joyrex not want me to give my impressions or talk about it? That seems odd. Does talking about art in an abstract manner qualify as a leak in this day and age?

I think you're totally free to give impressions here. He just doesn't want you to mention or link to download sources for a leak file, which is clear you have no intention of doing. So keep fuckin' that chicken!!

Standouts will take a while I think. I mean it's two hours of music. Fuck. It was a bit easier to nail that down with the last LP, this is a different beast.

Some of these tracks have things in them that seem like tracks within tracks to the point where I'm checking my itunes to see if it is actually a different song. Usually it isn't.

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:43 PM, pixelives said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:37 PM, Bread said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:12 PM, pixelives said:

Haven't listened since last night. Been out all day. Going to give another good listen in a bit on the other system that is primarily for vinyl listening w the vintage studio monitors. i.e my non studio setup.

I think we're all interested to hear some more of your thoughts on the album. Does Exai closely resemble Oversteps or any other recent album?

There's bits of Untilted in some of the beat fuckery, Oversteps lushness in pads, hints of 90's color and timbre. But done in a way that seems contemporary with production techniques of the more recent work. Big beautiful reverbs, etc.. Some very interesting twists and turns in some of the tracks so it is very far removed from the Quar linear jam type thing.

Sounds excellent - almost like a mixture of elements from previous albums. But does it sound like a totally new direction though, just as their other albums have differing musical directions? Do you think ae have once again innovated their sound? I know the answers to these questions will be subjective but I'm still curious.

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:52 PM, compson said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:50 PM, baph said:

My understanding of pre-release promos is that they are meant to elicit pre-release impressions of the recording, thus promoting it.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I have always wondered about this and asked young and old to no prevail.

I fasted for weeks atop yonder mountain and devoted myself to pondering this Mystery. It was not until I came to know myself that I came to know the answer.

I mean "know myself" in the biblical sense. I whacked off a lot up there.

from his description above it makes me think of Simm from quaristice

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:54 PM, pixelives said:

Standouts will take a while I think. I mean it's two hours of music. Fuck. It was a bit easier to nail that down with the last LP, this is a different beast.

 

Some of these tracks have things in them that seem like tracks within tracks to the point where I'm checking my itunes to see if it is actually a different song. Usually it isn't.

Any completely ambient tracks?

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:55 PM, Bread said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:43 PM, pixelives said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:37 PM, Bread said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:12 PM, pixelives said:

Haven't listened since last night. Been out all day. Going to give another good listen in a bit on the other system that is primarily for vinyl listening w the vintage studio monitors. i.e my non studio setup.

I think we're all interested to hear some more of your thoughts on the album. Does Exai closely resemble Oversteps or any other recent album?

There's bits of Untilted in some of the beat fuckery, Oversteps lushness in pads, hints of 90's color and timbre. But done in a way that seems contemporary with production techniques of the more recent work. Big beautiful reverbs, etc.. Some very interesting twists and turns in some of the tracks so it is very far removed from the Quar linear jam type thing.

Sounds excellent - almost like a mixture of elements from previous albums. But does it sound like a totally new direction though, just as their other albums have differing musical directions? Do you think ae have once again innovated their sound? I know the answers to these questions will be subjective but I'm still curious.

it seems like a refinement of this newer era. Kind of like how the albums kind of work in blocks of three.

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:50 PM, sysyphus said:

I would ask what songs stand out as album leaders, but then realized we're talking about Ae so I'd need to discuss this after about 50 listens.

 

As for the leak legality, it's all fine and dandy to think they'll take a profit hit due to piracy, but meh. The people who lurk here waiting in salivating anticipation won't be the people that don't contribute. It's the internet.

That's true. No one...or hardly anyone...here who could afford the album will NOT buy it, leaking or no leaking. I want to avoid the leak encounter myself, as I've ruined the surprise of previous Ae album arrivals by getting the leaks. But that's only because I can be pretty much guaranteed a new Autechre album be interesting at the very least, and probably great. With certain other big IDM mainstays, I wish I HAD heard them early to avoid disappointment. But with Autechre, there is something special about waiting. This is sounding like an argument about marriage.

Written impressions are still totally welcome though! love reading those!

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:58 PM, CurlyAngryman said:

  On 1/18/2013 at 11:54 PM, pixelives said:

Standouts will take a while I think. I mean it's two hours of music. Fuck. It was a bit easier to nail that down with the last LP, this is a different beast.

 

Some of these tracks have things in them that seem like tracks within tracks to the point where I'm checking my itunes to see if it is actually a different song. Usually it isn't.

 

Any completely ambient tracks?

I don't recall any. A few you that you think will be turn out to have beats at some point.

I think there was enough ambient output from them on Oversteps/MoT so I personally welcome an album that is primarily beat-driven but with plenty of ambient textures going on in the background.

That's definitely what spl9 or whatever sounded like.

This is probably my favorite news. Not that Aembience isn't great and all but every other track on oversteps was ambient and then the last half hour of the album was all ambience. I'm glad we have it now but I'm way more excited with the prospect of beat fuckery.

Any kind of return to Untilted rhythmic mayhem = WIN in my books.

There is some Untilted type beat stuff. But it's less dry, harsh and vacuum-like. Lush?

  On 1/19/2013 at 12:13 AM, pixelives said:

There is some Untilted type beat stuff. But it's less dry, harsh and vacuum-like. Lush?

Damn! Along with non-4/4, I'm craving dryness. Less reverb than Oversteps? Please, pixelives!

the track we've heard, spl9, is kinda aggressive & dark (for lack of better words) compared to MoT/step over, the synth stuff towards the end sounds like a pretty crazy light saber battle imho lol, is it a good example for the overall vibe of the album (if there is such thing / if it's recognizable after only a few listens)? is there more mental material on there?