Warp mainstays and acclaimed electronic duo Autechre, known for their eccentric sonic experiments, are back at it with their second album of 2010. Their full-length album, Oversteps, was released in February, and Move Of Ten picks up right where it left off. Move Of Ten could technically be classified as an EP, but it’s just as well-compiled as a full album (although it is short at just eight songs). That said, the songs here are every bit as advanced and freewheeling as Autechre’s past work.
The album opens with three tracks that jumble thumping dnb and hip-hop grooves into well-orchestrated movements draped with ambient layers. It is heavy listening, and while the overt repetition and unwillingness to veer from one drum loop for a whole track may bother some listeners, the value of this music actually lies in its subtleties. Off-kilter, machine-like whirs fly by, distorting the songs into eerie, somewhat melancholy spooks. The technical precision of “pce freeze 2.8i” is especially intriguing – and neck-breaking.
The rest of the album falls into progressive takes on modern electronica. “iris was a pupil” lacks a proper drum sequence, and instead uses a series of vibraphones and synths to produce its percussive elements. This is followed by the ambient, ultra-industrial “no border,” which sounds like a cross between DJ Shadow and Brian Eno.
It’s fascinating that a group such as Autechre that experiments so much has yet to truly blunder. But then again, that’s the main idea; Autechre rests its music on the premise that it will innovate surge forward at all times. Thus, Move Of Ten, is rather aptly titled (try taking away the space between “of” and “ten”), not just because the music is often danceable, but also because the music itself is music in motion.
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