Autechre's 7th EP, was released in 1999 on Warp Recordings as catalogue reference: WAPEP7. It was also released in the U.S. on Nothing Records as catalogue reference: NTH90999. The EP itself is also available as two seperate releases, EP 7.1 and EP 7.2, each release sharing half the tracks. The Warp (British release) of EP7 contains a hidden track which can be found by reversing six minutes past the opening track, "Rpeg".
Tracklisting:
- Rpeg
- Ccec
- Squeller
- Left Blank
- Outpt
- Dropp
- Liccflii
- Maphive 6.1
- Zeiss Contarex
- Netlon Sentinel
- Pir
Although titled and released as an EP, this release was actually an album in scale; 11 tracks spanning the course of an hour, the motivation for this is unclear; but many critics have mentioned that because the release comes as an EP, it is easier to dismiss as what seems to be a disappointing follow-up to 1998's seminal "LP5".
There is a subtle change of pace for this EP, however, as it would seem Autechre have pushed aside the robotic glitch and funk of previous releases and slowed things down, producing a dirty, grainy trawl that pays homage to the dirt of 1995's Chiastic Slide. The beats are loose and flappy, rolling along in a sea of grainy mist from which melancholic synth tones permeate occasionally, playing at the edge of the listener's consciousness, as demonstrated by the excellent mid-album track, "Dropp". Other standout tracks include the epic, emotional, "Maphive 6.1" and the opener, "Rpeg".
However, despite this, most of the album is generally considered unremarkable and tedious, a spin-off release that can be ignored by casual or first time listeners. Between the sonic qualities of "LP5" and "Confield", it was clear that this release was a concept that didn't have enough ideas, or substance to really take off.
Sources: www.warprecords.com, www.allmusic.com