Autechre
Quaristice (Limited Edition)

Let's start by saying that this disc has nothing to do with the "Quaristice" with the light blue cover: it is indeed a completely new creature, as new is (almost) everything that the great innovators Autechre have released on the market in over two decades of remarkable experimentation. The 2008 album, also known as "Quaristice", here in its limited edition of 1000 copies, divided into two discs, the first almost identical to the standard version, the second with twelve re-edits that, beware, are closer to new compositions than useless and superfluous revisions, clearly does not deviate from this modus operandi based on the continuous grafting of new ideas and rewrites of electronic music.

The duo rediscovers melody and analog equipment, producing an album less abstract by their 2000s standards; a more linear work, but not for this less intricate, that once again and in parallel delves into the darkness of "Confield" and the alien depths of "Amber", essentially giving equal importance to rhythms and melodies, rather than to the complex percussive quagmires, glitch earthquakes, and those magnificent abstract labyrinths that were typical of the period - notably on the mythical "Untilted" - not hesitating nevertheless to indulge in max/msp, as is custom in their now highly artificial offering. Curious is also the issue of being restricted to an unusual 'pop' format, i.e., with 3-minute songs that, at least for cd1 - the durations in cd2 will instead severely test the less patient ears - does not particularly harm the flow of ideas that arise from it.

"Quaristice" ultimately comes out in various editions that, aside from the duration factor, among bonus tracks, remixes, re-edits, differences between digital and physical formats, have created a bit of confusion, which we will clarify here, starting with the limited double edition, in my opinion, far superior to the standard version.

• CD 1 - Quaristice

A faint watercolor of ambient-analog music, in the wake of the SAW series by Aphex Twin, is the opening we never expected from these digital Autechre of the new millennium; it's "Altibzz", a composed and very soft start tasked with warming up the machines for the journey already embarked on with "The Plc", an obsessive and mysterious track that plays on the idm/electro chromatics that were of the entity Gescom, in a cryptic progression that leaves no escape - and certainly more appreciable on the long re-edit of the bonus cd - frantically shooting a burst of lo-fi distortions, scratchy microrifinements, and space riffs among which even a cancerous glitch human version sample of Reverend Run finds space.

"IO" and "Perlence" are extremely successful experiments, a return to the total abstraction of "Untilted", with permuted breaks and glitch spoken word in the first, rhythmic fractures and timbre dissonances in the second; "plyPhon", on the other hand, is largely self-referential, and perhaps for this very enjoyable, where a digital intro akin to gantzgrafiana makes max/msp speak introduces a dubtech-based beat (more "Garbagemx36" than Basic Channel), surrealizing the whole through rhythmic decompositions and sonic abrasions that lead straight to "EP7". "SonDEremawe" is a sonata for sinusoidal feedback, and the hysterical and contorted rhythms of "Simm", embellished by the full repertoire of alien textures and amorphous tones that quote "Amber" as well as "Confield" (two ghosts particularly recurring here as already mentioned), instead write a sort of sound-graphy of the long-lived duo.

The Basic Channel materializes entirely on the extrasensory messages of "paralel Suns", displaying cavernous drones probably more appreciable on the techno-mental waterfalls of "Tankakern", so surgical, meticulously calibrated, and manically dissected in every detail as to make Robert 'nerdy' Henke seem like the most clumsy beginner. On "Steels" the ears become one with the sharp percussive blades that are tasked with laying the foundation for what is a track so cold, mechanical, and artificial as to reach the grotesque, something never heard before, a dead-end where structures and metrics seem to have never existed.

If the steep "bnc Castl" is the funk of the 4000, the monumental "rale" represents its hip-hop metamorphosis: in the first, the tonal dissonances, the dirty acidisms, and those dusty 808 pushed to the limit lay waste to every woofer on this earth, in the second a shamelessly regular beat leaves space for advanced synthetic coagulants which, in their lying nebulous and inhuman, revive the battles of "Rsdio", yet showing even darker cadences, even more apocalyptic schemes, and endless vortices conceptually identifiable as the continuation of the black hole of the same. Acid layers used in the IDM manner and further rising electro make "90101-5l-l" a bridge between old and new school; an analog kaleidoscope of even more scratching acid textures and complex syncopated architectures are as illegal as what "chenc9" vomits, the DSP cabaret of "Theswere" does not leave a mark, "WNSN" leaves it too much, through disorienting dead carcasses of feverish atonal deliriums, killer kicks and scorching basses devoured by the aberrant 13/8 signature, now aimed more than ever at eardrum membrane terrorism.

Here's where it gets interesting. Here, the famous third ear is required: Take Richard Devine, New Blockaders, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Otto Von Schirach, and Nurse With Wound, lock them in a studio forced to use the equipment and patches of Autechre's max: "fwzE" (experimental-retarded-miami-boogie reminiscent of vonschirachiana memory) and especially the totallyoutofthisworld "Fol3" will be the monsters conceived, nothing but total abstraction, fourth millennium industrial, rhythmic epilepsy, dronic tumors, noise loquacity, endless experimentation. A segment so lethal that it calls for a relaxed, ambient, arrhythmic finale. No less heavy.

Indeed, new and more liquid sounds for Autechre degenerate, an unsettling digital-dark-ambient minimalism that probably suffers from the collaborations with Andrew McKenzie as well as the influence of figures such as Hecq and Axiome. This style permeates "Notwo" and "Outh9X", as well as the majestic "nu-Nr6d", pure dark-ambient and drones from the other world, surely the most interesting of these three experiments, but unfortunately confined to the Japanese version only.

With such a quantity of ideas, cd2 becomes necessary at this point, and among pieces of eight minutes, others of eleven, and assorted prolongations, there is surely no lack of space.

• CD2 - Quaristice (Versions)

"Altichyre" takes up "Altibzz" but only for the synth used, if before it was a rarefied ambient miniature here it ventures more into singular neoclassical territories. "The Plclcpc" develops "The Plc" by relocating it now on an even more futuristic dimension, emphasizing reverbs and the frenzy of rhythmic sections, bordering on pure noise at the end; "I O (Mons)" rewrites "IO" circling around it several times, losing the compass and disorienting the listener at the same time, a track for brave ears that once again erects that complex schema of maze without exits that characterized the unspeakable "Untilted". "Phylopn" is a punch in the face, glitch, and bass even more accentuated constitute the minimal variations compared to the twin "plyPhon"; "Perlence Range3" develops the promising insights that appeared only at the end of "Perlence", while "SonDEre-ix" does the same but deepening the initial part of "SonDEremawe" (previously swept away by a long drone that continued throughout its duration).

After experimenting for years with titles, now it's time to experiment with the position of letters on the same titles. As the title suggests, indeed very little changes from "Tankraken" to "Tankakern", it is essentially an extension of the draft and imperceptible variations in the arrangement. What was however mandatory is the examination carried out on "Fol3", here in the guise of "Fol4", extended from four to twelve minutes, a necessary work for what is to be considered the pinnacle of the entire Quaristice project; the coordinates are the same: abstraction and massive experimentation, a parade of avant-garde and noises of all kinds reminiscent of the most radical industrial experiments but brought on a 100% Autechre format.

"90101-61-01" is instrumental techno-masturbation: taking "90101-5l-l" ("Quaristice"), "90101-51-19" and "90101-51-6" ("Quaristice.Quadrange.ep.ae", additional branching that we will explore elsewhere) a free electronic is coined that lives off the mental process of the two Englishmen, of their flaunted challenge in the 'wanting to generate music and sounds that follow the same'. "90101-51-4" is instrumental techno-masturbation: taking "90101-61-01" ("Quaristice Versions") which in turn took "90101-5l-l" ("Quaristice"), "90101-51-19" and "90101-51-6" ("Quaristice.Quadrange.ep.ae", further branching that we will delve into elsewhere), a free electronic is coined that lives off the mental process of the two Englishmen, of their flaunted challenge in 'wanting to generate music and sounds that follow the same'. 

Confused? That's nothing yet, the multiple references persist: "chenc9-x" clearly pairs with "chenc9", which here is significantly elongated and fortified by an abstract ending that showcases background noise and hyper-artificial rhythmic incidents à la "Draft 7.30"; "Nofour" takes up "Notwo" daring a reverse re-edit that shortens it significantly, but enriching it with a statuesque glitch closure that could represent an authoritative spot for algorithmic experimentation.

"Quaristice" itself is a good album. "Quaristice" in the limited edition is an enormous album, but it is certainly among the weakest of Autechre. The duration that approaches four hours if we also count the third part ("Quaristice.Quadrange.ep.ae") doesn't help much but if the system where it's played is performing enough, in terms of quality and wattage - and therefore not the tin-can hi-fi speakers intended for Beatles' guitars - it will give you satisfaction, this is assured. Conversely, if armed with a 'lesser' means of comparison, or with limited cones, you may clearly encounter a total flatness of sounds, an annoying sense of 'tracks leading to nothing', a boring and tiring listening. It is one of those albums falling into a certain category, where for example lowercase, microwave or dub works are placed, where the medium assumes a supporting role to the work as such, due to certain ranges of frequency not reachable for example with a compact, basses stationing at 45/50 hz that a cone of 6'' with a limit of 70 hz will evidently not translate as such, bass trap drones, or still very pumped rhythms that would lose emphasis if left to float in the ipod of the moment. Not accounting for these factors would be the equivalent of playing Napalm Death through the intercom speakers, or perhaps having "Bitches Brew" reproduced via telephone. However, system or no system, duration or no duration, we are talking about an enormous album.

Which is objectively among the weakest of the Autechre entity. This should explain what kind of minds conceived it. Superior minds.

Minds above average.