Autechre
Peel Session

If there is a single misstep in Autechre's impeccable '90s production, it's found in "Peel Session," the 1999 EP that arrives right after the splendor of the monumental "EP7" for the format of the late BBC guru, but actually consists of recordings dating back four years earlier, right in the "Tri Repetae" era.

It's not just because of the "uncomfortable" predecessor that the two stumble; it's that it's difficult to make any sense of this work. Clearly, everything is as usual perfect, the experimentation is present, the sound programming is excellent, the final result is the same, however, there seems to be a lack of deep inspiration, as well as innovation, which has regularly characterized each of their releases; what is missing - and this is an absolute novelty - is the foresight in their always brilliant and pioneering rhythmic construction (here just things already heard), also missing is the skill in providing particular colors to the tracks, through the intelligent use of (dissonant, rarefied, futuristic, deep..) organic parts, and therefore in the melodic layers and their timbres.

And so the stunning hypnosis and the digital-noise spectacle offered by the striking "Drane" won't be enough to lift the fate of an EP that says absolutely nothing in the other two tracks, "Milk DX" which seems like a leftover from Tri Repetae, and "Inhake 2" which recalls the similar hip-hop beats of "Chiastic Slide" but with very few structural variations, resulting in monotony and also flaunting playful sounds and trivial tunes that seem played at random in a moment of studio frustration.

Probably a period of haze, since a second volume will follow that, if possible, is even worse. And after that? "Confield" + "Gantz Graf," two gigantic masterpieces: when they say dress rehearsals.