Exai

''Exai'' is the eleventh studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre. It was released on 7 February 2013 through Warp Records, with physical versions arriving on 5 March 2013. Prior to the release of ''NTS Sessions 1–4'', ''Exai'' was Autechre's longest album.

Sean Booth and Rob Brown experimented with something they call "the system", a large network of software and synthesisers, during the creation of ''Exai''. Critics responded generally positively to the album, noting its complexity and its use of sounds from previous albums. Some criticised the selection of tracks on the album and their length. ''Exai'' was followed by a companion EP named '' L-event'' which released on 28 October 2013.

Background

Brown and Booth, the duo that make up Autechre, released their first song, ''Cavity Job'', in 1991. Their first album, ''Incunabula'', was released in 1993 and became a surprise success. Throughout their discography, the duo gradually moved into less melodic and more experimental and glitchy music, notably with such releases as '' Confield'', ''Untilted'' and ''Quaristice''. Critics have described their newer sound as cold, distant and complex.

Recording

Brown and Booth have stated that they primarily compose their newer music utilising "the system"—a large network of synthesisers, software and other digital processes built primarily in Max. The duo have said in later interviews that the process is not entirely generative. Instead, human input is still required to make changes and "guide" the system during track creation.

For ''Exai'', the duo decided to move away from MIDI, which was used during the recording of ''Quaristice'', stating that it "wasn't quite what heywanted to be doing". ''Exai'' and its tracks were a product of trial runs with the new system, subsequently processed and edited into completed tracks. In an interview with ''Resident Advisor'', Booth stated that ''Exai'' was discussed as a potential project at least a year before its release. According to Booth, most of the tracks were two or three years old when the album came out.

Composition

''Exai'' has been described as electronic, experimental, IDM, abstract and ambient. ''Exai'' is spread across 17 tracks, making it a double album. Compared to '' Oversteps'', one critic noted ''Exai'' was a lot more complex and "intelligent". Andy Kellman of AllMusic commented that many of the tracks on ''Exai'' were thrilling, and noted their accessibility. Kellman discussed tracks such as "recks on", calling it crisp, industrial and a hybrid of beats and bass; he also said that it was among one of the heaviest tracks Autechre had produced. Reviewing ''Exai'' for ''BBC Music'', Chris Power called the track "Flep" a unique breakbeat-powered track. The longest track on the album, "bladelores", is an echoing atmospheric track that contains a "wave of pads" surging throughout.

In a review for ''The Quietus'', Charlie Frame called the ten-minute track "irlite (get 0)" a battle between a sub-bass and a variety of random synth stabs. Frame also discussed "bladelores", calling it a highlight of the album. The track is made up of gradually slowing beats, trance-like chords and "gritty little acid squiggles", after which it becomes more ambient before it gets " ulledback under" and put "back into the boggy marsh". Frame also compared the track to "Cichli" and "Garbagemx36", two previous Autechre songs, in terms of its structure. Discussing ''Exai'' for ''Pitchfork'', Grayson Haver Currin stated that the track "T ess xi" made use of "fluorescent soul keyboards" as a basic building block in its composition. Currin also discussed "deco Loc", describing how the duo used cut-up vocal samples and other repurposed sound which created appealing soundscapes and atmospheres.

Lee Wang of ''Slant'' called the album's closer "YJY UX" a moody and empty ambient track featuring "groaning" basslines. Wang also noted "T ess xi", a track reminiscent of ''Chiastic Slide''. Andrew Ryce of ''Resident Advisor'' compared the melody of "jatevee C" to ''Incunabula'', and characterised the rhythm of the track "tuinorizn" as stuttering dubstep. Josh Becker of ''Beats Per Minute'' called the song "cloudline" a "malformed ode to trip-hop". Becker also compared "Fleure" to "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" by Radiohead, both exemplifying the genre of glitch music.

Release

''Exai'' was announced on 13 December 2012, originally planned for release on 5 March 2013. The album was released unexpectedly early though digital platforms on 7 February 2013. ''Exai'' was officially released on 2xCD by Beat Records in Japan on 27 February 2013, and on 4xLP and 2xCD by Warp on 5 March 2013.

Autechre typically release companion projects to accompany their albums; this includes ''Cichlisuite'' for ''Chiastic Slide'', ''EP7'' for '' LP5'' and ''Move of Ten'' for ''Oversteps''. A companion EP to ''Exai'', titled '' L-event'', was announced on 16 September 2013, releasing on 11 October 2013 on digital platforms and on 28 October 2013 on both CD and LP.

Reception

''Exai'' was received positively by critics. At Metacritic, which aggregates scores from mainstream critics, ''Exai'' has an average score of 80 based on 26 reviews, indicating a score of "generally favorable".

Matthew Bennett of '' Clash'' gave ''Exai'' an 8/10, lauding the mixture of Autechre's older hip-hop sound with their newer programming. Lee Wang of ''Slant'' gave the album 4/5, writing that the album represented a "career-spanning work" that drew inspiration and ideas from throughout their discography. Brandon Bussolini of ''XLR8R'' wrote that the album "more consistently evokes the club" than other projects the duo had previously released. For ''Exclaim!'', Nick Storring stated that ''Exai'' was not cutting edge, but still full of detail and intensity. Thomas Hannan of ''The Line of Best Fit'' said the album could "really do with being broken up in to as many chunks as possible", but recommended people to listen to it, saying "there's always room in one's collection for records as smart as this".

Andrew Ryce of ''Resident Advisor'' compared the tracks on ''Exai'' to data overload, more prominent than on their previous projects. Concluding his review, Ryce felt the duo were more confident in their sound, but showed its real cohesion only in its "resistance to linearity and conventional melody". Tom Fenwick of ''PopMatters'' stated how ''Exai'' didn't mark a major shift in the duo's sound, but instead expanded on it and offered "unfathomable depths" for dedicated listeners. In a review for ''The Quietus'', Charlie Frame commented that ''Exai'' drew ideas from entire Autechre's discography, while sound-wise remaining very similar to the projects such as ''Oversteps'' and ''Move of Ten''. In the ''Calgary Herald'' review, Francois Marchand gave the album 4/5 stars; while Marchand noted the relatively unapproachable nature of ''Exai'' for new listeners, he highlighted it as one of the duo's most accessible albums.

Both Grayson Haver Currin (''Pitchfork'') and Andy Kellman (AllMusic) criticised ''Exais tracklist, noting some songs should be shortened or cut out entirely. ''Mixmag''s Joe Muggs wrote that understanding the album wasn't easy, but nevertheless rewarding to the listener. Josh Becker of ''Beats Per Minute'' gave a positive review, praising the album's ability to "impl melody" rather than displaying it outright. Writing for ''The Irish Times'', Jim Carroll gave the album three stars, praising ''Exai'' for being as intense as other releases from the duo and their openness to take risks. Mark Shukla of '' The Skinny'' called ''Exai'' a "thrilling renewal that leaves them perfectly poised for whatever leap they may choose to make next". For ''BBC Music'', Chris Power called the album "often abrasive and fidgety" and said it was easy to see it as the "first chapter of late-period Autechre" due to the duo revisiting past sounds with new focus.

Track listing

Release history

References

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Autechre albums
2013 albums
Warp Records albums
Albums with cover art by The Designers Republic