Autechre - Quaristice (Special Edition)
Mar 17, 21:48 by Stefan Koopmanschap
Autechre is pretty much a legend in the realms of what people like to call “IDM”. Quaristice is their latest offering, and brings us even more legendary sounds. It is not as groundbreaking anymore as it was back in the days of, say, their first Peel session (or earlier even) but it doesn’t have to be. Listening to Autechre is always a refreshing shower in the overwhelming stream of music.
Quaristice is quite an abstract album, much more abstract than, for instance, EP7. Though there are definitely quite some rhythms in there, they are regularly accompanied by very abstract soundscapes, and quite a few songs contain little or no rhythm. The album starts off quite soothing and easy with Altibzz but then quickly picks up. Rhythms are thrown here and there but overall especially the first half of the album is very abstract. Then, as you move along the album, things get a bit more accessible, and as you’ve come through all the abstract sounds already, that makes listening all the easier. Having put it in an opposite order would probably make the album a bit easier and more accessible for most other listeners as well, but Autechre has never been known for making it easy on the listeners.
Starting with fwzE rhythms start to occur more often, usually in combination with the earlier mentioned abstract sounds or with very deep, pulsating sounds which have been crafted with lots of attention to detail, or at least so it seems. And a track like Theswere almost seems not in the right place, with a nearly soul-like sound to it. But it can also be seen as the eye of the storm, that little laidback island between the harder-to-understand rest. The album ends with two tracks that are beautifully ambient and get you back to the real world again.
Quaristice (Versions) is the bonus cd that is only available as part of the Special Edition version of the album. It contains remixes and reworks of the tracks on the first cd, and is in general a lot more accessible than the original cd. This cd also starts with a very laidback opening track that eases you into the album. What follows is a rhythmic storm combined with mainly atmospheric sounds. There are some threathening sounds in between (SonDEre-ix) but overall mainly minimal and atmospheric. This bonus cd also ends with a beautifully ambient track (nofour).
The special edition is not just about the music though. It’s also about the aluminum casing, designed (of course) by The Designers Republic, who again did a great job on giving the album it’s distinct feeling. The packaging fits with the album: cold, abstract.
All in all, this album is excellent for those into very complex music. It is not an album to take lightly, or to listen to on an early morning. It is the kind of album that you rediscover even after 20 listens. True Autechre.
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