Autechre
Cichlisuite

Released a few months before the excellent "LP5," the EP "Cichlisuite" (Warp, 1997) sets out to follow the paths of the latter, representing a sort of mini-bonus-cd, as often happens with EPs labeled Autechre, always somehow linked to certain albums, even though they are never promos or samplers.

Fully representing the transitional period that precedes the stylistic change of the late nineties, within the five tracks emerge both the same discrete melodic parts (although it would be more appropriate to refer to them as chords) reminiscent of the early Ae, and the first clear examples of decomposed and uncoordinated rhythms, more typical instead of the later Autechre. In the middle, two important novelties for the development of the future style: the first at the sound level, now darker and more opaque than what was heard on the very clean and midrange "Chiastic Slide," almost to highlight the increasingly acquired mechanical coldness of the compositions; the second opening the doors to distant yet clear electro influences - especially regarding the syncopated flow of the beats and the futuristic substrates - which will appear several times later ("Draft 7.30" in particular).

This novelty is clearly visible in the digital architectures of "Yeesland" (which then evolves into third territories that are 'drill-like' in some ways) opening up to the triumph of dissonances and dry glitches (to embellish the faint melodic parts) that will drag much of the work (especially on "Characi", a swarm of deformed noises, razor-sharp metal blades) and the madness of the phenomenal "Pencha": circular microsounds, space lasers, insane 8-bit pulses, and a bassline agitated by excessively low frequencies, which comes to cite the sickest examples of that forgotten miami bass of the early '90s, of which the two are said to be great enthusiasts. 

The only concessions to "pure" melody are found on "Krib" (nostalgic, very slow, but with the now classic undergrowth of glitch counterpoints) and on the epic closure "Tilapia" (which offers another beat with a clearly electro flow, but tactically masked by rough sound errors, minimalist carcasses, and the now-famous 'clicks and pops' of Mille Plateaux).

An essential piece in the evolution of the creation of Rob Brown and Sean Booth.