Exai

Last updated

Exai
Exai.png
Studio album by
Autechre
Released7 February 2013 (download)
5 March 2013 (CD/LP)
Recorded2012
Length120:32
Label Warp Records
WARP234
Producer Autechre
Autechre chronology
Move of Ten
(2010)		Exai
(2013)		 L-event
(2013)

Exai is the eleventh studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre, released on Warp Records. The double album was released in digital form on 7 February 2013, [1] with double CD and quadruple vinyl versions released on 5 March 2013. [2] At the time of its release, Exai was Autechre's longest album to date. [3]

Contents

Like many other Autechre albums, Exai was followed a few months later by a companion EP entitled L-event . The tracks, all from the same sessions, were conceived of as a series of 12" vinyl records, during which L-event ultimately "became a separate entity" that the duo sees as "interchangeable" with the 12"'s that comprise Exai. [4]

Artwork and title

Exai (and companion EP L-event) features album artwork by The Designers Republic. Following the album's release, fan speculation included theories that the artwork was based on Conway's Game of Life [5] or binary code. [6] Autechre members Sean Booth and Rob Brown were initially reluctant to discuss the album as they "wanted to see what people could figure out," [7] but ultimately confirmed that the artwork depicts a heavily pixelated typography exercise. [8] Exai is Autechre's eleventh album, and the title may be derived from a phonetic rendering of the Roman numeral "XI," or eleven, which also appears in the track "T ess xi." This is furthered by the grid of pixels on the cover being 11 squares wide and 11 squares tall.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Clash 8/10 [11]
Drowned in Sound 7/10 [12]
Mixmag Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]
Pitchfork 5.9/10 [3]
PopMatters 9/10 [15]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Resident Advisor 3.5/5 [17]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]

Exai has received positive reviews, with a Metacritic average rating of 80 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics. [9] Grayson Currin of Pitchfork thought the album had some good moments, but was too long at two hours, and would have been improved by more editing and trimming. [3] Chris Power of BBC Music was more enthusiastic, calling the album Autechre's best in fifteen years. [19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sean Booth and Rob Brown

No.TitleLength
1."Fleure"4:51
2."irlite (get 0)"10:01
3."prac-f"4:20
4."jatevee C"4:14
5."T ess xi"6:43
6."vekoS"6:42
7."Flep"6:43
8."tuinorizn"3:40
9."bladelores"12:20
10."1 1 is"7:18
11."nodezsh"8:40
12."runrepik"4:35
13."spl9"7:06
14."cloudline"10:13
15."deco Loc"5:27
16."recks on"9:22
17."YJY UX"8:24
18."18 (keyosc)" (Japanese bonus track)8:57
Total length:129:29

Release history

Country/RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogue number
Japan27 February 2013Beat Records2×CD BRC-365LTD
Europe5 March 2013Warp Records2×CDWARPCD234
4×LP WARPLP234

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autechre</span> English electronic music duo

Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are among the best known acts signed to UK electronic label Warp Records, through which all of Autechre's full-length albums have been released beginning with their 1993 debut Incunabula. They gained initial recognition when they were featured on Warp's 1992 compilation Artificial Intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warp (record label)</span> British record label

Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.

<i>Come to Daddy</i> (EP) 1997 EP / mini-album by Aphex Twin

Come to Daddy is an EP/mini-album by the British electronic music artist Aphex Twin. The EP's lead single, and the first track on the EP, "Come to Daddy "—often simply called "Come to Daddy"—is one of Aphex Twin's best-known songs; it peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Incunabula</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Autechre

Incunabula is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Autechre, released by UK label Warp on 29 November 1993, and again by Wax Trax! on 25 January 1994 in the United States.

<i>Amber</i> (Autechre album) 1994 studio album by Autechre

Amber is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Autechre, released on 7 November 1994 by Warp. It was the first Autechre album to be composed entirely of new material, as their debut album Incunabula (1993) was a compilation of older tracks.

<i>Tri Repetae</i> 1995 studio album by Autechre

Tri Repetae is the third studio album by English electronic music duo Autechre, released on 6 November 1995 by Warp in the United Kingdom. In contrast to the duo's previous albums, Incunabula (1993) and Amber (1994), Tri Repetae features a distinct style that incorporates more minimal rhythms and spacious melodies.

<i>LP5</i> 1998 studio album by Autechre

The untitled fifth studio album by English electronic music duo Autechre, commonly known as LP5, was released on 13 July 1998 on Warp. No title was printed anywhere within the artwork, so it became known as LP5 in line with the later EP EP7; it has also been called Autechre, as well as Album, as listed on promotional copies.

<i>Confield</i> 2001 studio album by Autechre

Confield is the sixth album by British electronic music duo Autechre, released on 30 April 2001 by Warp Records.

<i>Draft 7.30</i> 2003 studio album by Autechre

Draft 7.30 is the seventh album by English electronic music duo Autechre, released on 7 April 2003 by Warp Records.

<i>EP7</i> 1999 EP by Autechre

EP7 is the seventh EP by the electronic music group Autechre, released by Warp Records on 7 June 1999. It is classified as an EP by the band despite being long enough to qualify as an album. The record was released in two parts on vinyl, named EP7.1 and EP7.2. The name of this EP prompted Warp Records to give the name LP5 to the previously released untitled album by the band.

<i>Peel Session 2</i> 2000 EP by Autechre

Peel Session 2 is the second John Peel session that Autechre recorded. The tracks were given to Peel in August 1999 and aired on 8 September 1999. The EP was released by Warp Records at the end of 2000.

<i>Garbage</i> (EP) 1995 EP by Autechre

Garbage is the third EP by British Electronic music duo Autechre, released by Warp Records on 27 February 1995. Garbage is a companion to their album Amber, being based on material from the same sessions. The cover and interior illustrations are digitally garbled versions of the cover of Amber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We R Are Why</span> 1996 single by Autechre

"We R Are Why" is an Autechre 12-inch single released by mail-order and available at some concerts, by Warp Records in 1996. It was written and produced by Rob Brown and Sean Booth.

Sean Booth:
"we r are why were the first two tracks we did on the ry30
they're both entirely done in the ry30 – with a bit of fx on the diff channels maybe, can't rem"

<i>Quaristice</i> 2008 studio album by Autechre

Quaristice is the ninth studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre, initially released on 29 January 2008 by Warp Records. It was made available for download via bleep.com in FLAC and MP3 format on 29 January 2008 and then received a physical release on 3 March 2008.

<i>Oversteps</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Autechre

Oversteps is the tenth studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre, released on Warp Records in 2010. The album was made available for official download on bleep.com and the Japanese iTunes Store on 22 February 2010; the CD and deluxe vinyl editions were released on 22 March 2010. Critics were generally quite positive about Oversteps, with many considering it more focused and accessible than previous albums. Four months after its release, Oversteps was followed by a companion EP entitled Move of Ten.

<i>L-event</i> 2013 EP by Autechre

L-event is an EP by electronic music duo Autechre, released on Warp Records on 28 October 2013. The EP is a companion to Autechre's double album Exai, which was released earlier in the same year.

<i>AE_LIVE</i> 2015 live album by Autechre

AE_LIVE is a series of live recordings by British electronic music duo Autechre, initially released on 29 October 2015 by Warp Records. As of 2019, it consists of 28 soundboard recordings, each roughly an hour long, made during their 2014-2015 live tour. Said tour had its inception at Warp Records' 25th anniversary Warp25 celebration in Krakow, Poland on 20 September 2014, the duo's first live show since 2011. The recordings are accompanied by individualized abstract geometric artwork produced by The Designers Republic.

<i>elseq 1–5</i> 2016 studio album by Autechre

elseq 1–5 is the twelfth studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre, released by Warp Records on 19 May 2016. The album consists of five segments, each roughly 50 minutes in length. All five were made available for individual or group purchase as a digital download only, making it Autechre's first album without a physical release.

<i>AE LIVE 2016/2018</i> 2020 live album by Autechre

AE_LIVE 2016/2018 is a series of live recordings by British electronic music duo Autechre, released on 7 April 2020 by Warp Records. It consists of 7 soundboard recordings made during their live tours in 2016 and 2018. The 2016 dates were recorded during Autechre's European "onesix" tour, and the 2018 dates were recorded during a short tour of Australia, Japan and Ireland. Autechre has said some dates from these tours were not recorded due to technical difficulties. Both tours feature variations of the same set. AE_LIVE 2016/2018 follows the previous series AE_LIVE, which features a different set performed during 2014 and 2015.

<i>Sign</i> (Autechre album) 2020 studio album by Autechre

Sign is the fourteenth studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre. It was announced by Warp Records on 2 September 2020 via their Twitter page, and was released on 16 October 2020. The album was broadcast for the first time on 8 October on the Autechre website. Shortly after, it was made available as a digital download to those who pre-ordered. The cover and packaging artwork was created by The Designers Republic.

References

  1. ↑ "Download 'Exai' now. Pre-orders of 2XCD + 4XLP receive instant digital". Warp Records. 7 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  2. ↑ McGovern, Kyle (13 December 2012). "Autechre Ready Two-Hour, Double-Disc Album 'Exai'". Spin . Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Currin, Grayson (19 February 2013). "Autechre: Exai". Pitchfork . Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Booth, Sean (2 November 2013). "AAA – Ask Autechre Anything – Sean and Rob on WATMM! – Page 12" . Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "Autechre Exai Cover Art – Life Pattern". 12 March 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  6. ↑ "Hidden Message in Autechre Cover Art?". 18 September 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Booth, Sean (2 November 2013). "AAA – Ask Autechre Anything – Sean and Rob on WATMM! – Page 21" . Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Booth, Sean (2 November 2013). "AAA – Ask Autechre Anything – Sean and Rob on WATMM! – Page 72" . Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Exai". Metacritic . Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  10. ↑ "AllMusic review". AllMusic .
  11. ↑ Matthew Bennett (4 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". Clash. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Autechre – Exai". Drowned in Sound. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  13. ↑ Muggs, Joe (8 March 2013). "AUTECHRE". Mixmag . Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  14. ↑ Steven Johnson (1 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". musicOMH. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Tom Fenwick (6 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". Pop Matters. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Atkins, Jamie (25 February 2013). "Exai - Autechre". Record Collector . Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  17. ↑ Andrew Ryce (7 March 2013). "Autechre – Exai". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  18. ↑ "Slant review". Slant Magazine . 3 March 2013.
  19. ↑ Power, Chris (15 February 2013). "Autechre Exai Review" . Retrieved 21 February 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.