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Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 17:48:04 +0100
From: PAUL JARVIS <paul.jarvis@bbsrc.ac.uk>
Subject: Review - Autechre "Anvil Vapre"
Autechre - "Anvil Vapre" (Warp WAP 64CD)
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Second Bad Vilbel / Second Scepe / Second Scout / Second Peng
Industrial, ambient soundscapes. That sets the scene amply in three
simple words of average length for anyone who hasn't heard material by
Warp's pioneering techno-grinders. Autechre are masters in the art of
crafting "Artificial Intelligence" listening music with a harder,
metallic edge. If, like me, you haven't heard Autechre since "Amber," you
may find this slightly harder, less ambient and more, for want of a
better word, beefy. But the overall sound remains the same and is
unmistakably Autechre.
"Anvil Vapre" opens with intermittent, two second bursts of static
electricity distortion interspersed between slightly longer periods of
silence. Three rounds of fuzz noise pass by unaccompanied but the fourth
is nearly lost as driving percussion kicks in and gets opening track
"Second Bad Vilbel" underway. Every so often the rhythm is stripped back
to reveal the static underneath, and it's this which makes you realise
what an integral part of the sound the distortion is. Later on a
characteristic Autechre drone is introduced, bringing with it a haunting
air which pervades the rest of the track. Little more is added beyond
this, save a few samples, and "Second Bad Vilbel", like much of
Autechre's material, is surprising in its simplicity. Towards the end,
following on from a break in the rhythm, the pace is noticeably reduced
from the previous frantic clatter to a seemingly laid back groove. This
is a master-stroke and it instantly doubles the value of the piece.
"Second Scepe" begins with rather busy percussion, but this is soon
adorned with a shroud of (what sound like) chirruping vocal samples which
soften things up. The "voices" form an essential part of the rhythm,
before glorious, layered melodies arrive and "Second Scepe" really begins
to make its mark. Later on soft textures add to the ambience and this
number turns out to be classic Autechre. This is the stuff they do best
and is my favourite on the record. "Second Scout" is slightly less
interesting, more repetitive with less going on. The percussion here is
rather "bangin'" but the subtle melodies prevent it from being dismissed
outright. Spooky atmospheres and a twitching high-hat herald the arrival
of "Second Peng" before laid back percussion set the pace and lay the way
open for the emergence of a, somewhat abrasive, repetitive riff. This is
a long, laid back, drawn out trip through the darker side of ambience and
"intelligent" listening music which draws "Anvil Vapre" to a fitting end.
Four high quality slices of the inimitable Autechre sound providing
you with over thirty five minutes of music, all for a mere four quid,
make this an offer not to be missed. Don't know about the titles though.
"Vilbel," "Scepe" and "Peng" are not in the Oxford Dictionary. "Vilbel"
sounds German to me (anyone?) and "Peng" is the name of a Stereolab album
and a Chinese person I know - still don't know what it means though. And
as for why they're all "Second," your guess is as good as mine.
Released 2 October, 1995.
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s e n d c d s f o r r e v i e w t o :
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|||| \\// |||| ||// \\ /////
|||| |||| |||. ____ ///// Paul Jarvis,
\\\\\ ///// John Innes Centre,
\\\\\ ///// Norwich Research Park,
jarvisr@bbsrc.ac.uk \\\\\// Colney, Norwich NR4 7UH,
England, United Kingdom.
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