This is the first Autechre album I ever bought, and it's still my favorite. There is something uniquely captivating about these particular sounds; these particular environments.

"Vietrmx21", the last track of the second CD, is stunning in its beauty.

this cd is so harsh, so.....umm....mechanical, that it is very hard to listen to. but, after a few listens, it really grabbed me.
in my opinion, the best song on this cd is the second song on the first disc: "clipper"
this song is scary. this is the only song i have ever heard that scared me. literally, i was shaking. trembling. it was an emotional overload......this song is powerful in ways that no other song is (or could ever hope to be).
i'm giving this cd three stars. but, only because of the song "clipper".
absolutely amazing.
buy this cd for "clipper" or, download "clipper" off of kazaa. i don't care. but you need, no, you MUST hear this song.

It must be quite annoying for Autechre to have a fan base a large slice of which, judging by most Amazon.com reviewers here, prefers and harks back to the first three albums. It's not really fair appraisal - a large chunk of their post-Tri Repetae output, Chiastic Slide in particular, is brilliant, definitely recommended further listening. Anyway Tri Repetae is, at a push, the best of the three first much-loved albums. It's like all the best aspects of Incacubula and Amber refined into one glistening masterpiece. Tri Repetae is a bit chunkier and less glacial than Amber, the clanking of machinery always lurks somewhere in the mix. It's drier than Amber and the sound is crisper and closer. It's dancier; too, if you can believe that, with some unmistakable hip-hop influences informing many of the grooves like Dael and C/Pach.
On Dael, ghostly voice samples fade in and out but remain just beyond hearing range, adding a spooky element. Overand is probably one of Autechre's most minimal tracks and would fit snugly on Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 2. Chirruping frogs kick off Gnit before yielding to a finely honed beat. This is one of my favourite tracks off this album. Autechre truly excel at creating multi-layered sonic sculptures with poignant, forlorn melodies traciong an arc above them (an approach also favoured by Arovane). Stud too is a very strong track that gets under the skin and stays there. I listened to it at low volume the other day and it sounded totally different, much better in fact.
The metallic feel of the record surfaces again in the album's closing salvo Rsdio, which sounds like naked, stoned construction workers performing a religious dance ritual. By Autechre's standards it is a fairly straightforward track at first listen, a meandering dub-infused jam, but as the track unfolds into so much more.
The album cover design is reassuringly minimal. Well, there's nothing, actually, apart from a plain matt gold sleeve and a footnote telling the listener that the album is `incomplete without surface noise'. Inside the tracks are listed but not numbered so manual track selection is tedious at first. Inside, though, there are cards with pictures of blurred machinery, a kind of visual accessory to the music, so you get your money's worth. Although Autechre's music is notoriously difficult to describe, Autechre are an essential listen to anyone even remotely interested in modern music. Like a certain brand of Danish beer, they refresh parts other artists cannot reach.

My introduction to autechre, several years back, Tri Repetae++ is still in my opinion one of the major electronic statements to this day. First off, I would like to say that I will not, as most reviewers, compare Aphex Twin to Autechre, seeing as both are as different as a pencil and a giraffe.

Autechre sounds like the the noises of the inner cortex of a robot, while Aphex Twin sounds like a kid playing in a robot factory.

Now, back to Tri Repetae. My advice would be to buy this record right away, listen to it a few times to let it penetrate your skull, and then read my review. Don't let blind praise by hardcore fans like me or dumb trash by NSync fans alter your first impression, which might totally define whether you like, or dislike Autechre, because this band is all about what it evokes in YOU. Whether it be an army of heartless machines coming to destroy your home, or a defective ventilation system, or even a dying robot uttering his last words to his loved ones, the way your mind will travel is what you will remember from this album.

Personnally, I must say that every song evokes in me something totally original, that I couldn't have thought up without the album. But some songs here are the top of autechre's game: Leterel, Rotar, Overand, Rsdio, Second Bad Vilbel (I work in a hardware store, this song is for me), and, let's be honest, most of the second CD.

In a universe of powerchords and MTV, an album like this is totally necessary for people willing to take a break (probably like you). Don't hesitate to buy this album, if you don't like it you can probably find a good resale price...

If you're at all curious about the possibilities of electronic music or just forward-thinking music in general, this album is a great place to start. To me, this is like the "Kind Of Blue" of modern electronic music: it can make great background music but at the same time it rewards close listening. This balance between the accessible and the complex is what makes it such a wonderful album. Autechre's later albums would become more sterile and academic, but on this one, they sound truly inspired. Check it out. Or else.

1996, the year the underground sent a 9.6 earthquake to topple the bullsh-- of the mainstream in popular music.
this album is gold. I understand that for some listeners the warmth of this album is hard if not impossible to feel. But these songs are warm to the touch. They move on their own, they compel you to listen closely enough to even hear melody. Once you hear it it becomes obvious where it was hiding camoflauged, disguised as another working part of the song.
This and Envane EP will consume you. Chiastic SLide EP after listening to those will allow you to realize what music is and can be. I don't have to tell you to keep investigating though, cause if you feel this you already know.

This CD would be worth buying just for the 'Tri Repetae' content - the whole of this first cd is brilliant. "overand" ranks amid the best Autechre tracks. The 'anvil vapre' and 'garbage' content on the second cd isn't quite as consistently engaging, but is still a good listen. "bronchusevenmx24" is a catchy, bouncy little track that is a fitting precursor to "vletrmx21" - a stunning track that again ranks amongst the best of Ae's brilliant ouvre and rounds off this 2CD set in a masterly and poignant way - the kind of final track that makes you want to spin the album again.

This latter track has an organic depth and emotional impact similar to the best moments of Zoviet France - and especially their knockout album "Shouting at the Ground", which is sadly not available.

The content of both these CDs hints at the more austere 'chopped up sounds and beats' albums to follow. I find it ironic that my first couple of listens to 'Amber' - the first Ae I bought - left me a bit cold. Just as well I perservered - I now have most of their albums and a lot of their 'toons' just love to warp my brain! I find they pop into my head at work and elsewhere at the weirdest times. Luckily they don't tend to interfere with my meditation. Better go and do some now...

PS If you are thinking of dipping into Ae for the first time, try Incunabula, Amber or this album before heading into the more ascetic, ascerbic and downright difficult later albums. (Mind you, any dose of Ae will have you on the streets drooling for another fix if challenging, intelligent electronica is your bent!)

Just wanted to say, and say it under this CD,
that when it comes to vocal-free electronica
with subtle melodies, futuristic percussion and
sub-woofer power, AUTECHRE in general---I mean
95% of ALL their CDs, are the best I've found, a real Godsend
to those searching for creative instrumentals that
challenge, inspire, and can be trusted to play as "background" music while you are involved in creative pursuits.
I'm not going to list what I feel are the best Autechre CDs; but I am saying: all in all, they are the best, with certain CDs by Amon Tobin coming in a close second. In fact Autechre and Amon Tobin
compliment one another quite well (in general) Autechre being more "clean" and "precise" and Tobin being more "romantically melodic."

The US release of tri repetae ++, includes Anvil Vapre and Garbage. This is one of the best of AE in my opinion, it's not as exploratory as the newer stuff (Graz Graf), thank God and it is lot tighter. The first CD from Tri Repetae++ is excellent, and all the tracks fit perfectly together, great beats with tweaked out synth sounds, flowing in and out creating prefect sounding rhythms, kind of like ambient music done by futuristic hip hop artists with skill. It sort of reminds me of TRON, or what it would actually sound like if you were to be transported into a computer world. Rob and Sean are true geniuses and I read they rebuilt, and tweaked most their electronic equipment for this album because they could not get the sounds they wanted from them. The 2nd CD is equally as good. Some tracks you may have to listen to more than once to figure out what they are trying to achieve, but it is not quite as complicated as peel sessions 2 (Which is another of my favorites). The first time I heard the 2nd CD I was disappointed, but through it in a few weeks later and it blew my mind. Kind of like all of AE albums do. Overall this Album is a classic and no one comes close do making these types of sounds....

definitely the best autechre album i have heard - their best work yet. beautifully and intricately mixed - the electronic complexity of it all makes for one of the best experimental cd's i've heard.
and not without variety either - tracks such as 'leterel' and 'stud' compare to leftfield's 'rhythm and stealth' album while 'rsdio' sounds like a bass test track with middle eastern influenced percussion.
the general feel of the cd however is very experimental, with a distorted, noisy sound, very sweet drum beats to ride to (perfect for cruising or chilling) and still a unique, unexpectedly french flavor all to its own.
if your looking for that new, underground, experimental sound this is it.

The first notes of the opening number recalled very early Human League to me, but then the track settles into a mechanical beat, like a conversation between machines. Clipper has a fuller sound, with bubbling beats and a slow, mournful melody, whilst Leterel is an impressive symphony of whooshes and Rotar is an edgy number, again with a melancholy tune over the jerky beats.

The next one, Stud, has moody synth loops and a slowly building ambient structure. My favorite is the hypnotic Eutow with its rousing synth lines, droning undertow and gripping arrangement, a challenging but compelling piece of music. Gnit, a charming sound collage of funky whirrs and burblings, follows the percussive industrial sound of C/pach. Overand is a soft gentle ambient piece and the album concludes with Rsdio, a mid tempo track with an impressive sonic and rhythmic mix.

The second disc provides further successful experimentation although no one track really leaps out at the listener the way that Eutow, Rsdio or Clipper does. Although complex, Autechre's evocative techno is surprisingly accessible. Tri Repetae is a feast of atmospheric sounds and varied rhythms, a most intelligently structured album of electronic textures.

Autechre is the epitimy of IDM music. Tri Repetae ++ is a great way to start getting into IDM. For one, it has a full-length on the first disc and 2 EPs on the second disc. This way you are getting essentially 3 Autechre cds for the price of one. This was actually my first IDM music and I have now moved on a little bit and I think that Peel Seesions 2 is even better than TR++.

I have to say that IDM is a little bit of an aquired taste (my parents normally turn it off if I have it on in the car) but once you give it a real chance, it is really worthwhile. I was listening to this cd earlier today and I thought, wow. These guys have put so much effort into making this cd as good as they can make it and I think that there isn't much more room for improvement.

Tri Repetae (as with all of Autechre's music) is mechanical, it sounds as if robots are chattering and meeting (I know that I haven't made that up myself, but it is a perfect description of what it is). If you think that you want to get into IDM but only want to buy one album to start with, then this is the one to get!

Although I haven't heard all of Autechre's stuff, I am confident enough to say this is the best collection of their work. I was intrigued by the video for Second Bad Vilbel (Directed by Chris Cunningham) and hunted down the track. The style is fresh and original; rusty, mechanical clockwork with hints of slightly awkward melodies an sometimes off-beat rythms. Autechre is cold and alien to the soul, the true music of a machine inherited world (ala "The Matrix') with a touch of crude imperfection. The songs each have distinct personalities : the only drawback is that many of the tracks carry on for way too long. Great for writing, reading, painting or drawing to, or falling asleep to.

I've found myself drawn to technological innovation like a moth to a flame, wanting to upgrade whenever something unique dancing onto the shelves, so it kinda made sense to me to go and try out different types of electronic music. Electronica, techno, dance, IDI; they all seemed to call me and they all seemed like marvels when I picked them up. Sometimes I'd simply sit anmd listen and what I heard would make me want to try new things, heaping sounds on top of one another unitl new classifications were born, and I was always trying to find something that would push the envelope a bit further each time I tried something. And then I ran into Autechre, and I was blown away.

There are some days when the level of what is being accomplished by bands like Autechre absolutely blows my mind. As I sit listening to those sculptures produced by very talented minds, I actually marvel at what they bring into being. By taking machines and a mathematics approach to sound, they produce something unique, a terra made exclusively out of elements shaped by technology, giving listeners like myself things we've never imaged before. Through digitally construed mediums, we've been allowed to taste something that our parents and their parents never imaged, actually allowing us to ride on the shaped experimental surf of some unnamed audio sea for the very first time. Its uttering amazing in that respect alone, with foreign worlds never before experienced finding themselves sonically cultivated in man's existence.
And then there's the music itself.

I've actually never found an Autechre album that I've disliked, although there are some whose results I've managed more splendidly than others. This is one of those albums I've found myself marveling at, me lapsing into places with my eyes shut that almost seem alien to my psyche, and I sometimes find myself having to replay a few times just so I can set it aside. Songs like "leterel" and "rotor" birth atmospheres all their own, robust and ripe with brooding flavors, and they're tastes that I, a sampler sampling, find myself needing to experience over and over again. And those are only parts and the work, the whole, is truly something worth experiencing.
This also includes a second disc as well, with "anvil vapre" and "garbage" on it. The first is remarkably done and milked from the audio veins to the point perfection and makes this worth having for it and it alone. And there are two discs here, giving you something you something alien and yet beautiful at the same time.

This is all just wording, though, and its keeping you from sampling the primordial stew of sound that you should give a chance. Just allow yourself some time to adjust to it if you've new to it, a loose translation of the word "beauty," and you'll find yourself something that'll bridge years of your life.

-TastyBabySyndrome

If you like industrial music or IDM you'll love this. If you like your techno melodic or with catchy hooks, you probably won't like this. This album is somewhere in the middle between IDM and techno. It has at times the minimalistic and isolationistic approach of Plastikman while at other times it moves you with the haunting unsettling sounds of Skinny Puppy. Compared to other more popular acts in techno this is IDM but compared to other IDM acts like Matmos, or Boards of Canada, I'm not really sure. It's a bit simple in progression in comparison to other IDM acts(like Mouse on Mars) but still complex enough in sound to keep a critic like myself satisfied. This could be a great soundtrack to a movie about someone stranded on the moon looking for a way home. As a Post Rock/Experimental/IDM fan, I now have a party CD without having to resort to my guilty pleasures. An area I needed to fill, seriously.

but tri repetae is a seminal release within the realm of IDM (along with Boards of Canada's Music Has The Right...) so if you're not a true fan of IDM or if your idea of experimental/ ambient is John Cage or Brian Eno then of course you're proabably not going to like this. Any IDM more than likely will befuddle and alienate you.

At the time of tri repetae's release, it completely changed my perspective of what music IS and CAN be and I've never looked back. tri repetae (along with BoC's MHTRTC) is a disc that to this day I still pull from my shelf at least once a month and listen to. Nothing since has touch the sheer genius and brillance of this classic. 'rotor' still chills me like it did the first time with its rolling bassline and creepy synthesized yelps. I still can't get enough of the eerie, atmospheric 10+ minute slowburn of 'second peng' and 'garbagemx36'. No one since has come close to making anything as compelling as this . . . not even autechre.

So Stephen it's simply a matter of taste, not soapbox preaching or hero worship. For me, Eno's 'music for airports', 'on land' and 'plateaux of mirror' hasn't withstood the test of time and I found myself selling them (vinyl copies!) for credit to purchase other soon to be IDM classic releases.

If you haven't heard tri repetae yet but are continuing to listen to the hype around it . . . believe it and hear for yourself.

Autechre's Tri Repetae++ is a must have for anyone who's into ambient/techno music. It's solid from beginning to end. There isn't a bad track to be found on the two CDs. Though some tracks stand out more than others (vletrmx21 is probably the one you've heard on some internet radio channels), the whole thing is balanced and original, never boring. Excellent background music when I paint or draw, or just when I'm in a certain mood.

I imagine anyone who "raved" about this stopped listening to it soon after (6 months, a year) while those of us who rememeber the release of Eno's On Land Still listen 20+ years later (yeah, I'm pretty old but you'll understand how fleeting enthusiasms can be someday). This will will not stand the test of time. I'm getting rid of it to make space for something interesting. Sure its better than whatever pop music is hot now but not by much.

Tri Repetae was one of the first big albums that made me start getting philosophical of why I liked music. Almost everyone around me likes their music to heartfilled and emotional. Autechre is about the most inhuman sounding music one can listen to. Its devoid of heart and soul. Its droning, mechanical and repetitive but at the same time complex and moving. The strange part of it all is that honestly I think one can take comfort in the unfeeliing machine that is Tri Repetae. Something about it is just downright beautiful.

First off, despite being sometimes insesently repetious, its beyond complex. In recent times I would be hard pressed to find anyone who can make the chaos sound so beautiful. Chimes and swirling lines of melody and ambience layered intensely over off-kilter rtythms all played out in bizarre time signatures confusing to the average listener or the prog-rock upsessed. Strangly their early work was mostly based around improving the sound of James's ambient works(which they succeed at least in making SAW volume 2 absolutely obsolete). All of these elements would be tinkered and toyed with in later releases(mostly in Confield and Draft 7.30 where they truly begin to test the limits of what defines "music" and what is listenable). Of all of Autechre's work, I find Tri Repetae to be that perfect middle ground. Its still listenable and enjoyable but still is as mindexpanding and thought provoking as their later and earlier releases. Its quite perplexing though that something lacking any sort of real musical convention could be this compelling.

But there's more! For the price of a normal CD, Tri Repetae also has a the ++, which are two EPs(Anvil Vapre and Garabage)made around the time of the album. Both seem to strip down the two elements of what make up Tri Repetae into two seperate entities. Anvil Vapre(the first four songs) are made largely of shredding rhythms while Garabage is made mostly of intoxicating melodies and ambience. The first track from both EPs are astounding(especially Garabage) while the rest of the CD sort of boils off into moody territory.

What I will always find funny is the amount of people who love and listen to Autechre. They will probably always be a left of center band and will never return to their older more melodically solid days. However, anyone who has been looking for something unique and undeniably original to add to their musical collection, this is certainly a mechanical adventure worth taking.

The title says it all. Not only because of the value of a 2-disc set that STILL leaves you craving more, but really, this was Ae at their total peak. A lot of people recommend their earlier releases in addition to this one, but Tri R. captures the ambience of the earlier releases even better while also offering a much more sophisticated exploration of musical dissonance and resolution. It's the start of their more bold experiments with form, while still making total intuitive sense, and allowing for pure minimalist bliss at times. Regrettably, as the initiated will attest, they stopped even trying for aural-pleasure since 1999, even though they've kept their name and are supposedly the same people, per heissenberg's uncertainty principle, they're not. They've basically fallen prey to their own nano-tech experiments and are now adrift in grey-goo/digi-poo... but thankfully they left behind these incredible CDs before that happened! Also worth applause are the 1997 release Chiastic Slide and respective bookend EPs, but unfortunately the oblivious record company did not have the good-sense when recently re-issuing that CD to include them as a second disc as WaxTrax had brilliantly done on US release of Tri Rep., so here we have both EPs and their LP from 1996, the year the sounds of this scene began to really mature. "I hope you know that this should go down (with) your permanent records! Oh yeah..." g.gano

I love the sounds. It's the kind of music you can read to, or just listen to. Today I heard music at a bus stop that I thought sounded like Autechre, and found it was an art installation that put traffic sounds thru a pipe in a wall and came out of two "speaker" benches, it was actual traffic sound but it had a beat. Autechre has unimposing introspective sounds that I enjoy.

(the installation is in Los Angeles, corner of La Cienega and Santa Monica)

i listended to amber and Incunabula and they didnt impress me much
i then went to more advanced releases like ep7 which is amazing and made me investigate other releases.
the price for this double cd is what made me buy it and i was glad i did
tri itself is a good cd, dancey and melodic compared to other later release. the ++ eps are good to have some songs are not that good. i dont listen to the two eps as much as i listen to tri

This is a brilliant set by 'Otteker'. Who needs psychedelic drugs when you can listen to this as you're about to go to sleep? This is one of a few occasions on which the music industry has given us more than we expected, in terms of quality vs. price. The others that come to mind are the "#1 Record/Radio City" CD package by Big Star, and the extra CD of "1000 Hurts" by Shellac included in the vinyl version's packaging, courtesy of lovable crank Mr. Albini. P.S. ... and [] mean this review was edited by outside forces.

i think autechre is a good name...i also like the word hibble. Maybe because it rhimes with nibble. anything that ends in ibble is funny. i've never heard this cd

I'm a huge Autechre fan and own every release still on the market. I rank Tri Repetae++ as their best.

I personally favor the duo's early work (Incunabula, Amber) to the later output (Chiastic Slide, LP5, Confield). This album, coming in the middle of their creative career thus far, mixes characteristics from both eras, with fantastic results.

The early releases were soft, warm, structured, and boasted some of the greatest melodies of any genre. The later releases were the polar opposite of what came before. They were harsh, cold, random (or so they seem), and boasted some great melodies (but one has to look harder to find them).

On Tri Repetae, you get everything. "Dael," "C/Pach," and "Rsdio" sound similar to tracks from later albums, but have the pre-1995 song structure. The rest of the songs on disc one mix the two eras. There is a layer of harsh, cold beats on top of a soft, warm background.

Disc two is a novelty in that it has Autechre's most danceable song (Second Bad Vilbel) and one of their few songs with no beat (Vietrmx19). The songs here are taken from two EPs, and are all strong in their own ways.

I made the "mistake" of buying this album first. Seeing the beauty in this album takes time, and most people won't play an album they dislike more than once. I didn't like this album until about a month after I bought it. I only gave Tri Repetae a second chance because I bought Incunabula and instantly liked it from beginning to end. If you already like Autechre, add this album to your collection. If you're new to the duo, buy Incunabula first. It won't take you long to make your way to this release. I guarantee it.

For anyone who wants to see what all this "new music" business is about, this album makes possibly the best introduction. Autechre's latest releases have been what some might kindly call esoteric, while Incunabula and Amber CDs more described the beginning of their chosen tangent. Tri Repetae++ includes much of the soft ambient textures and delay structures that their first two albums introduced to us, while also indicating the wealth of possibilities offered by the obscure applications of electronics. If electronically synthesized music sounds a little unfeeling, though, Booth and Brown work together here to promptly refute that idea. While much of Tri Repetae++ is dark and cool ambience, it is more thoughtful than sad. Listening to this album, I get the irresistible impression of exploring a strange unpopulated landscape by moonlight, finding evidences of the people who used to call the place home- though why they left is a mystery, of course. This is not bitter or angry music.

Oh, and for those who love freebies (don't we all?) the second disc is actually a bonus, composed of two EPs: Anvil Vapre, and Garbage. Both fit well with the original Tri Repetae, which is presumably why the three have been packaged together in this new release.

... Tri Repetae is very very good in itself... For one thing, it is a much cleaner sound, the production is stellar... This probably is Autechre's best album to start with because you have their sweet melodies (and they are sweet), and you also have more complex beats, and percussion work... They mix both of these things together with an excellent end result... Another fantastic point about Tri Repetae++ is that it comes with the Anvil Vapre and Gabage eps which are as good, or possibley better then the actual album... The whole album is fantastic, and is really something to listen to... give it numerous listens before you judge it, because it seriously goes from downright repetative with your first listen, to downright NON-repetative as the subtle changes and progressions come into view... This album is marvelous, and my highpoints are Clipper, Stud, C/Pach, and Rsdio from the first disc, and Second Scepe, Second Scout, Piobmx19, and Vletrmx21 from the second disc... this is essential...

"Electronika" had never sounded like this before its release in late 1996. Tri-Repetae++ came as somewhat of a shock, dividing critics left and right. There was never an album quite like it before. Many dismissed it as being repetitive, while others saw the complexity of the album, acknowledging its sheer beauty and architecture. Even six years after its release, the album still sounds fresh. This album changed the course of ambient music, if not ALL of electronic music, after 1996 and even now, it is universally accepted as the definitive IDM album. And for two discs, not once do Autechre step wrong. Tri-Repetae++ was easily the best album of 1996, and is also one of the greatest albums of the past decade.

A song-by-song review of this album is pointless. The album must be taken in as a whole. It is incredible and is guaranteed to change the way you perceive music. Tri-Repetae++ is truly a masterpiece.

Grade: A++

I don't know what I was waiting for (someone to drop it into my lap I guess). I listen to all the other bands that are usually in the same sentence as Autechre but hadn't gotten around to them yet. It's hard to recall exactly where the IDM scene was in '96 but it doesn't seem like these guys were *too* far ahead of the game, as others might suggest. My biggest disappointment was the lack of creativity with the percussion here. The rhythms just aren't all that complex. Personally, I divide all music into two categories: background and foreground. Though interesting at time, this just isn't quite foreground music but then again, maybe that's what they intended.

This is an excellent, scary electronic album, but it is so ungodly repetitive I cannot listen to it unless I'm engaged in some other activity. The songs loop and loop and loop in their electronic minimalist way until it's hard to take. Some of the melodies are quite interesting. I think if they had perhaps varied the sound a bit, or if they wanted to keep their cool insectoid/pure robotic motif intact reduce the number of times each layer is repeated, then this would be an excellent album. But as it is, if you're used to the spastic, short, and consistantly interesting sounds of newer Aphex Twin or Squarepusher or any of the less mainstream semi-organic IDM artists, stay away from this! Download a few MP3s first and see if you can stomach it.

This is an excellent album for many purposes-- perhaps playing in the background while you study or read. Most people nowadays listen to electronic music at a party or while they are high. That might get a little dangerouse with this album.

There are three sorts of tracks: scary, mechanical, and driving. The scary and mechanical tracks are for the real aesthetes out there-- other people will find their hidden beauties to be too difficult to understand. The driving tracks are good-- but a little dull.

If you've never heard this band before, shop around some more. If you like this band or Aphex Twin, try this album out-- it's top notch for this sort of peculiar genre.

This album is not one of my favourite Autechre albums; I am more partial to Amber, Chiastic Slide, and LP5. It is, however, Autechre, and it is interesting, quality music. I believe that this is their last album before switching to mostly computers, and it shows - they had become almost overly proficient with their equipment, and at times this album sounds claustrophobic, with the machines bursting at the seams as Booth and Brown torture them, squeezing out every last drop of bizarre texture and spooky melody. I much enjoy "leterel" - for some reason it reminds me of the happier parts of Hitchcock's "Vertigo". I also like "c/pach" - pragmatic, busy yet casual and very funky. The rest of the album is mostly dark, though I enjoy parts of that very much as well, particularly "overand" which frankly scares the crap out of me - paranoid and reflective like an empty, dark room during a summer rain.

The second disc, contains "anvil vapre" and "garbage". The former I enjoy very much. It is very summery and a lot slicker than the first disc. The opener, "second bad vilbel," is probably Autechre's most cinematic, accessible work to this point in their career - and at the same time, the least melodic. The only instantly recognisable melody is a single note slidingly its way seductively down every bar that appears about 1/3 of the way through the 10 minute epic. The track stops and re-invents itself again about 2/3 of the way through, either sneaking away slowly or surrounding its prey, about to move in for the kill. But enough about "second bad vilbel". :) The next 3 tracks are even darker and less trigger happy (more melancholy.) "second scepe" is brooding and alien, while maintaining busy, nailbiting percussive work, nervous and watchful like an alien craft zooming over earthly fields coated in yellowy summer sunset. "second scout" attempts optimistism, but remains slightly melancholy, like a kid during the last week of summer. "second peng" is a wanting, regretful goodbye, sneaking away in ghostly morning blue light.

I didn't enjoy "garbage" much - it was overly minimalistic (by the way my favourite album of all time is Selected Ambient Works 2 by Aphex Twin) and sounded forced to me. It had a couple of moments, such as "piobmx19" (well, at least the first couple minutes or so) but mostly felt like swimming through murky sewage with a headlamp, getting nowhere. This is forgiven, however, as the rest of the recording more than makes up for the last four tracks.

Taking a step away from the more melodic, listener friendly moods that their first 2 LP's conveyed, Autechre shoots out Tri Repetae++. I had no particular intent to buy this album, mostly because it seemed so different from the other things I was listening to (Chemical Bros, Orbital). I was, however, an Aphex Twin fan and was seriously anxious to hear the full extent of this sound.

I found it at the record store labeled with nothing but a sticker on the wrapper that said the album name, track names, and a phrase I'm still trying to figure out "incomplete without surface noise". I took it home, unsure what to expect. I found it was a 2 CD set. Interesting.

About 2 weeks passed before I really started to enjoy the album. One night I fell asleep listening to it with my headphones on and had a severe nightmare... something I haven't had in a long long time. I decided I would do a study on dreams and what you are listening to at the time of the dream. I fell asleep listening to it again and I had no nightmare, which proves that one can interpret this album differently each time you listen to it.

The first disc is all new material from Autechre. Some songs are real good, others not so which led to the 4/5 stars rating. I really wish I could give the album 5, because the second disc is so outstanding, but it just wouldn't work. Back to the first disc. Highlights include "Dael," a harder edged, more structured piece; "Clipper," with a some excellent synth and background atmosphere; "Eutow," which could almost make you cry; "Overand," which sounds like some sort of spy movie music set to a more chilled tone; and "Rsdio," an excellent excellent track which could not have ended the album better.

The second disc is the combination of two import-only EP's, Anvil Vapre and Garbage. I was truly amazed by this album. It stands as one of my favorite discs of all-time. Every song is most excellent, except posssibly "Second Peng" which is only really good :). It seems as if Autechre has made the formula of combining the moving alien pulses of the new with the moving melodic poignant synth of the first, to produce one of the greatest sounds ever. It can even send you into a trance if you are lying down in your bed. It starts with "Second Bad Vilbel," a more powerful track with the sound of static and a huge number of hard-hitting layers. "Second Scepe" follows with two things Autechre is not known for doing: piano and vocal samples. It really works, though and is one of my favorite songs ever. "Second Scout" is next which does an excellent job of progressing towards an excellent, strangely seductive atmosphere. "Second Peng" is next, which is a slight let down. It is a little bit irritating, but is still real good. "Garbage mx36" is next. It needs some time to get rolling, but when it does, it works itself into a really exceptional piece. "Piobmx19" is next. It starts with a functional beat that seems prepared for any thing that might follow, and what does is beyond what you probably imagined. "Bronchusevenmx24" follows with a pleasant suprise. And what is next you could never imagine. Autechre tries their hand at one of the most touching, emotional, yet illustrious and pain revealing songs of all time. They call it "Vietrmx21" and you have to hear it to believe it.

And so the albums come to a finish. It is not the end though. If you are like me, you will be relistening and remembering this album forever.

Autechre's seminal masterwork has claimed many fans and stunned many skeptics. Amber was the first LP I heard of theirs, but I consider this one superior. The 10 songs on the first cd are uniformly stunning. The complexity that only emerges upon multiple listens rewards the studious listener. Naturally, at face value, many of the songs might be considered noise; Second Bad Vilbel on the 2nd cd is a prime example. But as I said, noise soon gives way to beautiful melodies melding with complex beats. This LP is definitely the best starting point for anybody new to Autechre, it touches on most everything they do. Don't start with their new work, such as LP5 or Confield, it is likely to kill you. Give this cd a listen on da net, then if you like, buy. That's what I did, you might get converted too.

Before Tri Repeatae ++, I'd classify Autechre's sound as pleasant, yet simple, and rather accessible. But, TR++ is a world away. The noises and stutters that form the foundations of the tracks are very complex and geometrical, almost to the point of chaos. When I listen to this CD, the images in my head are of massive objects floating in space. Objects so large that they seem to stretch to infinity. Tri Repeatae ++ can give even the most well adjusted listener a good case of vertigo. Tracks like "Clipper" and "Eutow", which are probably the most accessible, present themselves as almost larger than life. If these songs had physical manifestations, they'd be incredibly large, almost intimidating cities. "Dael" and "C/Pach", and "Gnit" wander around like robots on narcotics, and the closing track, "Rsdio", dangles on a thread 30,000 feet above the ground, at points getting too close for comfort. You almost wait for the track to spiral into insanity...

The second CD is a compilation of tracks from two previous EPs, Garbage and Anvil Vapre. It's a more accessible CD than the first disc, and both EPs fit together rather well too. Listen and become enraptured in "Second Scepe" and "Garbagemx36".

I'd recommend this CD to about everyone who's looking for an intellectual reason, or people who want to expand the horizons of their musical tastes. There's bound to be something that will make your mind and ears perk up.