XI year old Autechre Album Released: Exai (WARP234)

you know, i've spent all day yesterday jamming with the A4 & Machinedrum, came home late night and downloaded Exai, then when i hit play it sounded like a seamless continuation of some earlier jams soundwise, it's that familiar.

Yeah, although I've got an Octatrack, I've never used a Machinedrum or Monomachine, though I've lusted for them forever. Now I'm starting to see how the A4 and OT complement each other at least as much as that pair, but in a much different and more flexible way. It's all starting to make sense.

  On 2/8/2013 at 9:12 AM, digit said:

just gave it a first listen -

 

first of all, super impressed by the sound design and production on here. it is amazing how absolutely pristine & clear everything sounds. the production here puts oversteps to shame. there is also an amazing spatial sense to this album in that every sound seems to have it's own place in the mix. i'm not just talking frequencies but more like everything existing in an actual physical space. there is a definite sense of foreground and background, with lots of elements panned a bit to one side or the other. it comes off almost like a surround sound effect.

 

this album really sounds to me like ae immersing themselves in modular analog synthesis, with insane cv modulation via max/msp. the only thing i can really compare it to sonically is some of the recent analog jams by richard devine. there are just so many incredibly fluid changes and modulations and movements of all the elements. everything on the album really seems to have that analog character, but instead of going for that usual analog 'warmth' that a lot of people go for with this gear, autechre instead get this razor sharp, edgy sound that still has an organic character to it.

 

on first listen, bladelores is definitely the standout track for me. i actually wish they had emphasized melody a bit more on Exal because the few times they did the results were incredible. going to take a lot of listens to absorb all of this but i think this could be their best work yet.

Pretty much this

finally got the 24 bit wavs from bleep, indeed it seems they've fixed the white noise issue (because it's not there on the copy I downloaded)

 

and it also plays perfectly in Foobar2000 and VLC.

Flep is st epero's nephew.

Flep is st epero's ugly and retarded nephew.

  On 2/8/2013 at 5:09 AM, jules said:

this album makes me wish I still smoked

 

I practically didn't smoke the last past months, and my girlfriend surprisingly bought some weed three days ago. I thought I'll ask her a little bit quite quickly through my first listen of Exai haha

i hope everyone who is speculating about their influences when doing this album and the equipment/software used is completely wrong.

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:31 PM, eugene said:

i hope everyone who is speculating about their influences when doing this album and the equipment/software used is completely wrong.

lol.

uh, why?

Edited February 8, 2013 by sweepstakes

A noobish question about the 24-bit version, does the soundcard/soundchip play a role in if the files are truly played back as 24-bits?

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:35 PM, azatoth said:

A noobish question about the 24-bit version, does the soundcard/soundchip play a role in if the files are truly played back as 24-bits?

Yup. If your equipment can only do 16 bits, it'll get played back as such.

Fuck. It's a good one.

 

Too hyped initially to even really listen. And then the second half and recks on / YJY UX just completely wiped me out. Haven't heard an album this threatening in a long time, it's like they woke up from a quiet retirement and went for it full jets.

Diving through the outer atmosphere of a distant moon, to reveal a waterworld of swamp islands and long dead alien civilisations.

Eerie as fuck.

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:34 PM, sweepstakes said:

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:31 PM, eugene said:

i hope everyone who is speculating about their influences when doing this album and the equipment/software used is completely wrong.

lol.

uh, why?

what's the point of demystifying it ? to score some watmm prestige points if you accidentally get it right? keep that unmusicial technical stuff in ekt subforums.

it's ok eugene, until proven correct, all guesses are wrong by default.

I hope the entire album was made in fruityloops.

i think the "promos" pictures posted 2 pages ago, come from an old photo shoot made for The Wire (1997).

Regarding the album yeah it's totally fantastic. Even if i loved to death those medieval melodies on Oversteps, it's great, that Ae is going somewhere else on this killer album.

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:59 PM, feltcher said:

I hope the entire album was made in fruityloops.

or even better... on one of those iPhone/iPad music apps.

 

lol or on the ps2 game MTV music generator

Edited February 8, 2013 by StephenG

  On 2/8/2013 at 3:04 PM, k h o v said:

i think the "promos" pictures posted 2 pages ago, come from an old photo shoot made for The Wire (1997).

Regarding the album yeah it's totally fantastic. Even if i loved to death those medieval melodies on Oversteps, it's great, that Ae is going somewhere else on this killer album.

yup, you are correct.

i hope it is actually based on whole tracks, ideas and samples, posted in ylc threads that received no replies.

lol

  On 2/8/2013 at 3:15 PM, eugene said:

i hope it is actually based on whole tracks, ideas and samples, posted in ylc threads that received no replies.

zole

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:51 PM, eugene said:

 

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:34 PM, sweepstakes said:

 

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 2:31 PM, eugene said:

i hope everyone who is speculating about their influences when doing this album and the equipment/software used is completely wrong.

lol.

uh, why?

 

 

what's the point of demystifying it ? to score some watmm prestige points if you accidentally get it right? keep that unmusicial technical stuff in ekt subforums.

 

 

Because these sounds are awesome and it's fun to pretend that we'll ever be capable of making some of them, or at least get in the neighborhood.

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 3:04 PM, k h o v said:

i loved to death those medieval melodies on Oversteps, it's great, that Ae is going somewhere else on this killer album.

There's some of that in Exai too.

im not sure i have ever been this giddy or amazed at an album so immediately

  On 2/8/2013 at 8:28 AM, Awepittance said:

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 7:00 AM, auxien said:

 

6. vekoS - anyone complaining about 'weak sound design' or whatever needs to fuck off

 

anyone complaining about any criticisms or nit picks needs to fuck off actually. Yes I'm talking to you.

 

I mostly love the album, but I get irritable when defensiveness kicks in as a response to a nit pick

 

 

it wasn't a nitpick, i was typing up half-assed first impressions as i listened and chatted elsewhere. i had recently read where a couple people (honestly don't remember that it was you or whoever but considering how butthurt you are i'm gonna assume it was) said that there was weak sound design on the album...the album sounded great and that point in particular in vekoS i was impressed enough to make an offhand comment. and before anyone says 'well you said fuck off first!' i also compared the song to being in a sewage pipe. so yeah, chill out. i wasn't being defensive, if the album or sound design or anything in particular sucked, i'd have no problems saying so...as i did on a couple tracks. nodezsh and runrepik didn't impress me at all. criticisms on the album are the most interesting part, but it seems you just get upset when someone disagrees with something you said? who cares, chill out baby...there's new AE to listen to.

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 8:30 AM, 3849 said:

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 8:28 AM, Awepittance said:

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 7:00 AM, auxien said:

 

6. vekoS - anyone complaining about 'weak sound design' or whatever needs to fuck off

 

anyone complaining about any criticisms or nit picks needs to fuck off actually. Yes I'm talking to you.

 

someone else who said something about the weak sound design i guess? meh, it think y'all are nuts, but whatever.

 

  On 2/8/2013 at 3:31 PM, jules said:

im not sure i have ever been this giddy or amazed at an album so immediately

 

Lateralus!