Oversteps

I would have said that "Oversteps" is one of Autechre's best albums, but I can't. Because ALL their albums (and EP's and singles) are equally great. Sean and Rob never let themselves fall into the trap of repeating themselves or settling for the same old thing over and over. They always innovate and explore new avenues of electronic expression. In fact they were doing that even on their earliest releases, and to this day (2023) they still deliver innovative and mind blowing sounds. They make electronics sing with human devotion and expression. If you're wondering where to start with Autechre's massive output, "Oversteps" is as good an entry point as any.

Honestly, I never liked Autechre before. I know I'm uncultured, but I always thought they were: cold, without the emotional delicacy of early Aphex Twin ; mechanical, with simplistic rhythms stretching out interminably with little variation; and pretentious, passing off their melodic deficiencies as brilliant avant-gardism. But before you get angry, think of how humbled I was when I heard Oversteps, which is their best album, if not ever, then certainly since Amber . I realized from the first song that this wasn't business as usual. "R Ess" begins the album with a glacially calm keyboard sound, best described by the adjective "regal." This melody fades in excruciatingly slowly, but the slow pace is amazingly effective -- the sound is so clean and soothing, I got really into each repetition and wanted it to keep going. Eventually it stops; the rest of the track consists of very quiet background noise, with fragments of the original lead occasionally breaking through, like isolated recollections of some fantastic experience. But after all, Oversteps isn't a radical departure. The very next song, "Ilanders," is full of loud, burbling acid-bass, almost drowning out the gentler melodic elements laid on top. It's pretty much the quintessential Artificial Intelligence sound, typical of early Autechre . Tracks like "Qplay" and "St Epreo" incorporate some of Autechre's infamous randomly generated beats. Even fairly melodic pieces like "Known(1)" and "O=0," which use a keyboard lead, have a slightly flat, sullen off-key tone. The melodies sound just a bit too loud to be comfortable. But the dissonance in Oversteps is very restrained, the chaotic percussion in "Qplay" is considerably toned down and muted compared to Confield . In these songs, Autechre are pushing the listener's patience, but never quite stepping over the line, which eventually starts to become interesting, even if these aren't my favourite parts of the album. In other songs, though, they're making beautiful, classicist electronica. The last fifteen minutes of the album are a great pleasure -- "Redfall," "Krylon" and "Yuop" are all played on lovely, shimmering, echoing chimes. "Pt2Ph8" is a wonderfully soothing drone, languidly shifting around in waves for four minutes. "Treale" starts with more of those muted, swampy keyboards, but quickly brings in a sturdy dance beat to anchor a variety of ambient noises and synths. The careful pace of the song, the upbeat but very low-key rhythm and the interplay between the diverse keyboard sounds makes for an unexpected highlight, a track that sounds spookier and more mysterious than any trip-hop. Basically, Oversteps is a classic IDM album, fulfilling the promise of electronic production techniques in making original melodies. But the production is much fuller and more detailed than in most actual nineties IDM, the beats are more varied than those standard 808 snares and hand-claps, and the music uses more diverse instruments. You can still hear that nineties synth-bass on Oversteps, as well as those acid squelches and bleeps. The staccato synth line in "D-Sho Qub" sounds exactly like an ambient interlude from Black Dog's Spanners . However, you wouldn't have heard the sweet chimes of "See On See" on most nineties albums. Even the more typical nineties sounds like the bleeps in "Os Veix3" sound better and softer here than they ever have before. Although Oversteps is much gentler than the Autechre stereotype, it's not complacent. "Treale" has real forward movement, the opening sounds different from the midsection, and the background ambience changes as the song progresses. There is enough detail here to satisfy the patient listener, but the music is generally harmonious enough to make the effort rewarding. The dissonant moments are easier to get past, or even to appreciate, and the peaks are so good (for instance, much better than Aphex Twin's recent return-to-roots) that I'm really reconsidering my view of Autechre.

Easily my favorite Autechre release since Confield. Oversteps isn't just a throwback to earlier more ambient Autechre, it's the first time they have played heavily with organic sounds like bells and string instruments. They still maintain the schizophrenic ADD style production of their recent albums, but manage to make the songs more immediately likeable. Often there is still just as much going on as you would expect from recent albums, but something will stick out and carry your attention making it easier to "get" right away.

I'd say this album is a mix between cichlisuite and quaristice but is in general more laid back than either of those. I think it is still an evolutionary advancement on their sound and incorporates other influences of the genre to my ear like mu-ziq and certainly AFX. I found it actually relaxing to listen to and so if in the pattern of albums this is the "release" for the built-up suspension of draft 7.03 and "untitled" then it suits me fine.

90% synch wash. If you want their superlative beats, skip this.

Autechre is an English electronic music duo formed in 1987 in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, UK by Rob Brown and Sean Booth. The duo are one of the most prominent acts signed with Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music. Their album, Oversteps, is their most recent record, released in March of 2010. For their album, Oversteps, Autechre mainly uses analog synthesizers, though they also incorporate a variety of other synths, samplers, and drum machines. For me this album encapsulates the typical technosonic music, which is defined as digital music and sound art composition that creates "computer music." Oversteps is most definitely experimental through their use of tools and creates a unique sound that is memorable for the listener. Most of the tracks are more ambient with deep base sounds, for the more transient and tranquil listener. Something I picked up on was the layers of sound that the composers create throughout each piece. It made me feel as if I was drowning in sound and after listening to a song more than once I started to pick up on the layers of sounds that were intricately weaved through each piece. There is not doubt that this CD is very creative and uses experimentation to capture the listener and feed my imagination. They also use melodic elements to create a complexity that is very enjoyable. I felt like I was put in a trace when listening to the CD, which made me feel very engaged in the music. The sound is also very fresh, in that it is not so complex that I feel lost when listening, but it gives me a feeling of newness and simplicity, but fulfills my listening cravings at the same time. Two songs that I particularly liked where llanders and D-Sho Qub. Llanders has a more ambient sound to it throughout the song, starting out with deep bass sounds that are very trance-like and slow moving. The piece then gets hit with one large base boom and speeds up with more deep drumming with a layer of humming in the background. It is upbeat, but with more of a dark tone throughout. The melody stays the same throughout the piece only getting slower and faster in particular places. The deep booming base made me feel like I was in the matrix, giving me a futuristic experience. In contrast to llanders, D-Sho Qub is more "club like." Creating a sound that is transports me into a European techno club. It starts off making me question what is to come, playing with my mind with short bursts of sound that build up to a crashing of beats that are lively, light hearted and make me want to bob my head to the beat. As the song evolves, more layers are built in, once again, giving me an experience that is new and refreshing. It keeps me guessing as to what is going to come next in the song. There are places of pause that are followed by new sounds that emerge as the song progresses. At the end there is monk like singing that turns the song into to a darker piece. This type of music is inspirational and opens my mind to new ideas. It takes me to places I would not normally go to through experimentation and sounds that one does not typically hear in everyday music. I like how with each track there is something new and different to look forward to hearing. From ambient to lively Oversteps keeps me guessing and makes me want to hear more.

Great album and great group !

Autechre revient avec "Oversteps" aux fondamentaux de sa musique cérébrale à savoir des MÉLODIES ! Et dieu sait que ça fait du bien ! Car bien que toujours plus travaillée et complexe leur musique va droit au but et renoue avec l'émotion. Le génie comtemplatif aperçu sur leur triptyque initial "Incunabula", "Amber" et "Tri Repetae" refait enfin surface sur "Oversteps" (bien qu'aussi entraperçu sur le LP5 qui m'a fait découvrir ces musiciens extraordinaires). Il n'y a qu'à écouter les 5 premiers morceaux pour s'en rendre compte. Les enchevêtrements de cliquetis et de rythmiques syncopées laissent place aux sonorités de synthés amples qui les caractérisent si bien. Cela bonifie leur musique dans une veine plus ambient et electronica. Grand disque.

One of the best Autechre EPs

awesome noise. i like exai and the first 3 albums better but this one has some great noise too. I m not a gamer but i could totally see my self listening to this album while playing some crazy futuristic game. I always thought it sounded like a video game sound track or something lol. If you're going to buy this one...you already have...if your new to Autechre..this is one of the harder ones to digest. I would recommend the first 3 albums to start but if your into experimental glitch/noise than just jump in. also these are the kind of albums i love... hard to digest and get use to. nothing "catchy". just exploration. I listen to this one maybe once or twice a month at this point and its still fresh as you dont always remember what to expect. Doesn't get boring!

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