"shimripl casual" deserves paragraph for itself, but "all end" manages to outstrip it. Perhaps it's the melodic synth arps that seem to so faintly echo Amber's inquisitive hues. There's something strangely suggestive here. It seeps perfectly into "column thirteen," which is sublimely bizarre, warm and enveloping. Once we course through "frane casual" we're hit by "mirrage," one of the most concise and beautiful ambient pieces Autechre have ever produced. If you've been skeptical of Autechre, you'd best check the fourth session. "gonk tuf hi" definitely needed the word "gonk" in the title. "shimripl air" summons aurora borealis out of the night sky. "xflood," meanwhile, sounds like Ligeti jamming with Gerald Donald. What words can't describe is the space between these sound images, where we're morphing from one thing to the next. You can feel them searching out sweet spots in the patch, alternately conjuring screaming twisted metal, high-pressure blow-off valves, a billion broken cellos, a fleet of disgruntled lawnmowers and more besides. Even though they're challenging themselves, there's no doubt as to who's created the rules. They navigate treacherous skies but they always breach the cloud line, providing clarity, a sense of scale and structure. You can feel their own sense of discovery as they're pushing and pulling parameters. The range Autechre get out their patches is staggering. The awe-inspiring "violvoic" falls on the other end of the spectrum, containing some of the most evocative, bewildering and downright fucked-up synthesis out there. (It's almost funny when Autechre gesture toward "normal" music in this way-"four of seven" might even get some club play.) "gonk steady one" becomes similarly funky around the halfway mark, too. "four of seven" is a relatively straightforward electro track made exceptional by the sensitivity and liveliness of the sound design. And when those moments do come, like in "carefree counter dronal," "32a_reflected" or "eO," it's a revelation. But it can make a huge, memorable impression, even with only traces of straight-up melodies and repetition. The eight-hour package is still imposing and non-linear. It's as if the preceding decades of work were acts of research leading to this point. The upshot is that NTS Sessions 1-4 feels like a pinnacle. This cursory list barely scratches the surface of what Autechre are up to, but the point is that there's a sound signature here that provides a semblance of orientation, even if it's bamboozling by nature. There are the metallic, morphing prisms of frequency modulation the scrubbing scree of microsound freezing comb filters and splintered shards of feedback interconnected networks of envelopes, gates and sequencers, all playing off each other. The sound world of NTS Sessions 1-4, which debuted live on the London-based radio station NTS over the past few weeks, is still one of vast possibilities, but the overall palette is coming into relief. But the logic governing the twists and turns is becoming clearer and more powerful. We're still being led down a discombobulating maze. Especially since elseq 1-5 and the live recordings of 2015, patterns have emerged. Over the past decade or so, important refinements were being made that are now coming to fruition. The often overlooked fact, though, is that Autechre have been steadily refining their craft. Melody, repetition and clear structure are only mirages on the horizon. They don't appeal to conventional sensibilities. Records like Quaristice, Oversteps and Exai are equally respected and maligned. Those who followed were led into one of the most labyrinthine sound worlds in modern music. If you're after melodies and repetition, Autechre stepped off a precipice in the mid-'90s. elseq 1-5, said Andrew Ryce, "moves without rhyme or reason, and resists whatever narrative you might want to put on it." Peter Chambers once said of Quaristice, "If this is the cutting edge, then it has become a blunt and pointless object." Critics started describing the music as impenetrable. As Autechre started using probability and intertwined networks to sequence and control sounds, their tracks became longer and less repetitive.
Music without clear repetition is often described as chaotic. You can hum along to "Bike" or "Autriche" or "Slip." They're approachable and digestible.
Their early records, for this reason, remain their best-loved by a great many people. Autechre wouldn't have become so well-known without great melodies. They activate chemicals in your brain like a key turning a lock.
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