{{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Use British English|date=June 2013}} {{Infobox album | name = Exai | type = studio | artist = Autechre | cover = Exai.png | alt = | released = 7 February 2013 (Digital)<br/>5 March 2013 (CD/LP) | recorded = 2010 – 2011<ref name="elseqetal" /> | venue = | studio = | genre = * Electronic * IDM * experimental * abstract * ambient | length = {{Duration|m=120|s=32}} (Standard)<br/>{{Duration|m=129|s=29}} (Japanese Edition) | label = Warp | producer = * Rob Brown * Sean Booth | prev_title = EPs 1991–2002 | prev_year = 2011 | next_title = L-event | next_year = 2013 }}<!--dummy comment-->
'''''Exai''''' is the eleventh studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre. It was released on 7 February 2013 through Warp Records, with physical versions arriving on 5 March 2013. Prior to the release of ''NTS Sessions 1–4'', ''Exai'' was Autechre's longest album.
Sean Booth and Rob Brown experimented with something they call "the system", a large network of software and synthesisers, during the creation of ''Exai''. Critics responded generally positively to the album, noting its complexity and its use of sounds from previous albums. Some criticised the selection of tracks on the album and their length. ''Exai'' was followed by a companion EP named ''L-event'' which released on 28 October 2013.
== Background == Brown and Booth, the duo that make up Autechre,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tingen |first1=Paul |title=Autechre |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/autechre |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=Sound on Sound |date=April 2004 |archive-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207082636/https://www.soundonsound.com/people/autechre |url-status=live }}</ref> released their first song, ''Cavity Job'', in 1991.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Gregory |title=Autechre Reissue Long-Lost Debut EP as Lego Feet |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/autechre_reissue_long-lost_debut_ep_as_lego_feet |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=Exclaim! |date=30 November 2011 |language=en}}</ref> Their first album, ''Incunabula'', was released in 1993 and became a surprise success.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/autechre-mathematics-is--the-new-rocknroll-683346.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331164931/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/autechre-mathematics-is--the-new-rocknroll-683346.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 March 2009 |title=Autechre: Mathematics is the new rock'n'roll |access-date=24 January 2025 | author=Mike Barnes |date=29 April 2001 |work=The Independent}}</ref> Throughout their discography, the duo gradually moved into less melodic and more experimental and glitchy music, notably with such releases as ''Confield'', ''Untilted'' and ''Quaristice''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Sean |title=Autechre Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/autechre-mn0000759998#biography |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=AllMusic |language=en |archive-date=14 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114141643/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/autechre-mn0000759998#biography |url-status=live }}</ref> Critics have described their newer sound as cold, distant and complex.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leone |first1=Dominique |title=Autechre: Draft 7.30 Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/364-draft-730/ |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=23 April 2003 |archive-date=25 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125041038/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/364-draft-730/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bola discusses the changing face of music technology and faking an analogue sound |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/bola-discusses-the-changing-face-of-music-technology-and-faking-an-analogue-sound |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=Music Radar |date=31 July 2017 |language=en |archive-date=25 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125041044/https://www.musicradar.com/news/bola-discusses-the-changing-face-of-music-technology-and-faking-an-analogue-sound |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Recording == Brown and Booth have stated that they primarily compose their newer music utilising "the system"—a large network of synthesisers, software and other digital processes built primarily in Max.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sherburne |first1=Philip |title=Autechre on Their Epic NTS Sessions, David Lynch, and Where Code Meets Music |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/autechre-interview-nts-sessions-david-lynch-where-code-meets-music/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=9 August 2018 |archive-date=8 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108100857/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/autechre-interview-nts-sessions-david-lynch-where-code-meets-music/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The duo have said in later interviews that the process is not entirely generative.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last1=Pareles |first1=Jon |title=Autechre Worked in Isolation for Decades. Now It's Unintentionally Timely. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/music/autechre-sign-interview.html |access-date=27 January 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=13 October 2020 |archive-date=14 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014051235/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/music/autechre-sign-interview.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, human input is still required to make changes and "guide" the system during track creation.<ref name="nyt" />
For ''Exai'', the duo decided to move away from MIDI, which was used during the recording of ''Quaristice'', stating that it "wasn't quite what [they] wanted to be doing".<ref name="nialler9">{{cite news |title=Exploring the parameter space: A conversation with Autechre |url=https://nialler9.com/autechre-conversation-about-music-art-funk-and-emotion-interview/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Nialler9 |date=23 January 2024 |archive-date=15 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215142512/https://nialler9.com/autechre-conversation-about-music-art-funk-and-emotion-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Exai'' and its tracks were a product of trial runs with the new system, subsequently processed and edited into completed tracks.<ref name="nialler9" /> In an interview with ''Resident Advisor'', Booth stated that ''Exai'' was discussed as a potential project at least a year before its release.<ref name="elseqetal">{{cite news |last1=Muggs |first1=Joe |title=Autechre: elseq et al |url=https://ra.co/features/2756 |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Resident Advisor |date=8 June 2016}}</ref> According to Booth, most of the tracks were two or three years old when the album came out.<ref name="elseqetal" />
== Composition == ''Exai'' has been described as electronic,<ref name="pitchfork"/> experimental,<ref name="ra">{{cite news |last1=Ryce |first1=Andrew |title=Autechre - Exai · Album Review |url=https://ra.co/reviews/12427 |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Resident Advisor |date=7 March 2013 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504201227/https://ra.co/reviews/12427 |url-status=live }}</ref> IDM,<ref name="igloo">{{cite news |last1=Knapman |first1=James |title=Autechre :: Exai (Warp) |url=https://igloomag.com/reviews/autechre-exai-warp |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Igloo Magazine |date=16 March 2013 |archive-date=15 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215142512/https://igloomag.com/reviews/autechre-exai-warp |url-status=live }}</ref> abstract<ref name="igloo"/> and ambient.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite news |last1=Kellman |first1=Andy |title=Exai - Autechre |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/exai-mw0002472542#review |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> ''Exai'' is spread across 17 tracks, making it a double album.<ref name="quietus">{{cite news |last1=Frame |first1=Charlie |title=Autechre — Exai |url=https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/autechre-exai-review/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=The Quietus |date=25 February 2013}}</ref> Compared to ''Oversteps'', one critic noted ''Exai'' was a lot more complex and "intelligent".<ref name="bestfit" /> Andy Kellman of AllMusic commented that many of the tracks on ''Exai'' were thrilling, and noted their accessibility.<ref name="allmusic" /> Kellman discussed tracks such as "recks on", calling it crisp, industrial and a hybrid of beats and bass; he also said that it was one of the heaviest tracks Autechre had produced.<ref name="allmusic"/> Reviewing ''Exai'' for ''BBC Music'', Chris Power called the track "Flep" a unique breakbeat-powered track.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Chris |title=BBC - Music - Review of Autechre - Exai |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/q9j9/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=BBC Music |date=2013 |archive-date=15 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215142511/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/q9j9/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The longest track on the album, "bladelores", is an echoing atmospheric track that contains a "wave of pads" surging throughout.<ref name="bbc" />
{{Listen | filename = Autechre - T ess xi.mp3 | title = "T ess xi" | pos = left | description = The fifth track on ''Exai''. "T ess xi" features a synthesiser-based melody and crunching drums }}
In a review for ''The Quietus'', Charlie Frame called the ten-minute track "irlite (get 0)" a battle between a sub-bass and a variety of random synth stabs.<ref name="quietus" /> Frame also discussed "bladelores", calling it a highlight of the album. The track is made up of gradually slowing beats, trance-like chords and "gritty little acid squiggles", after which it becomes more ambient before it gets "[pulled] back under" and put "back into the boggy marsh".<ref name="quietus" /> Frame also compared the track to "Cichli" and "Garbagemx36", two previous Autechre songs, in terms of its structure.<ref name="quietus" /> Discussing ''Exai'' for ''Pitchfork'', Grayson Haver Currin stated that the track "T ess xi" made use of "fluorescent soul keyboards" as a basic building block in its composition.<ref name="pitchfork"/> Currin also discussed "deco Loc", describing how the duo used cut-up vocal samples and other repurposed sound which created appealing soundscapes and atmospheres.<ref name="pitchfork" />
Lee Wang of ''Slant'' called the album's closer "YJY UX" a moody and empty ambient track featuring "groaning" basslines.<ref name="slant">{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Lee |title=Review: Autechre, 'Exai' |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/autechre-exai/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Slant |date=3 March 2013}}</ref> Wang also noted "T ess xi", a track reminiscent of ''Chiastic Slide''.<ref name="slant" /> Andrew Ryce of ''Resident Advisor'' compared the melody of "jatevee C" to ''Incunabula'', and characterised the rhythm of the track "tuinorizn" as stuttering dubstep.<ref name="ra" /> Josh Becker of ''Beats Per Minute'' called the song "cloudline" a "malformed ode to trip-hop".<ref name="bpm">{{cite news |last1=Becker |first1=Josh |title=Album Review: Autechre – Exai |url=https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-autechre-exai/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Beats Per Minute |date=11 March 2013 |archive-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126141844/https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-autechre-exai/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Becker also compared "Fleure" to "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" by Radiohead, both exemplifying the genre of glitch music.<ref name="bpm" />
== Release == ''Exai'' was announced on 13 December 2012, originally planned for release on 5 March 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Warp / Records / Autechre / New album 'Exai' announced |url=http://warp.net/records/autechre/exai |work=Warp Records |access-date=15 December 2024 |date=13 December 2012 |archive-date=13 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213200341/http://warp.net/records/autechre/exai}}</ref> The album was released unexpectedly early though digital platforms on 7 February 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Autechre releases new album a month early |url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/02/07/autechre-releases-new-album-a-month-early/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Fact |date=7 February 2013}}</ref> ''Exai'' was officially released on 2xCD by Beat Records in Japan on 27 February 2013, and on 4xLP and 2xCD by Warp on 5 March 2013.<ref name=spin>{{cite journal | url=https://www.spin.com/2012/12/autechre-new-two-hour-album-exai/ | author=McGovern, Kyle | title=Autechre Ready Two-Hour, Double-Disc Album 'Exai' | journal=Spin | date=13 December 2012 | accessdate=13 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Battan |first1=Carrie |title=Autechre Announce New, Two-Hour-Long Album |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/48942-autechre-announce-new-two-hour-long-album/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Pitchfork |date=13 December 2012 |archive-date=15 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215142511/https://pitchfork.com/news/48942-autechre-announce-new-two-hour-long-album/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Autechre typically release companion projects to accompany their albums;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hughes |first1=Josiah |title=Autechre Drop Surprise New Album 'PLUS' |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/autechre_drop_surprise_new_album_plus |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=Autechre Drop Surprise New Album 'PLUS' │ Exclaim! |issue=Exclaim! |date=28 October 2020 |language=en |archive-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126141630/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/autechre_drop_surprise_new_album_plus |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Autechre: New Album Details |url=https://thequietus.com/news/autechre-new-album-details-exai/ |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=The Quietus |date=13 December 2012 |archive-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126141825/https://thequietus.com/news/autechre-new-album-details-exai/ |url-status=live }}</ref> this includes ''Cichlisuite'' for ''Chiastic Slide'',<ref>{{cite news |last1=Langley |first1=Keir |title=Cichlisuite - Autechre |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cichlisuite-mw0001011387#review |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> ''EP7'' for ''LP5''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schreiber |first1=Ryan |title=Autechre: EP7 Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/363-ep7/ |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=6 July 1999}}</ref> and ''Move of Ten'' for ''Oversteps''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Autechre: Move of Ten Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14461-move-of-ten/ |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=15 July 2010 |archive-date=28 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228054813/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14461-move-of-ten/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A companion EP to ''Exai'', titled ''L-event'', was announced on 16 September 2013,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Neyland |first1=Nick |title=Autechre: L-event EP Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18672-autechre-l-event-ep/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Pitchfork |date=28 October 2013 |archive-date=15 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215142512/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18672-autechre-l-event-ep/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Autechre announce L-Event EP out next month on Warp |url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/09/16/autechre-announce-l-event-ep-out-next-month-on-warp/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Fact |date=16 September 2013 |archive-date=15 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115215928/https://www.factmag.com/2013/09/16/autechre-announce-l-event-ep-out-next-month-on-warp/ |url-status=live }}</ref> releasing on 11 October 2013 on digital platforms and on 28 October 2013 on both CD and LP.<ref>{{cite web |title=Autechre - L-event. |url=https://bleep.com/release/46422-autechre-l-event |website=Bleep |access-date=19 May 2025 |date=11 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Warp / Records / Releases / Autechre / L-event |url=https://warp.net/records/releases/autechre/l-event |website=Warp Records |access-date=19 May 2025 |archive-date=2 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002041610/http://warp.net:80/records/releases/autechre/l-event |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Reception== {{Album rating | ADM = 7.9/10<ref name="adm">{{Cite web |title=''Exai'' by Autechre reviews |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/5250/Autechre-Exai.aspx |access-date=2026-05-23 |website= |publisher=AnyDecentMusic?}}</ref> | MC = 80/100<ref name=metacritic>{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/exai/autechre/critic-reviews | title=Critic Reviews for Exai | publisher=Metacritic | access-date=3 March 2013 | archive-date=5 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130305231255/http://www.metacritic.com/music/exai/autechre/critic-reviews | url-status=live }}</ref> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="allmusic"/> | rev2 = ''Clash'' | rev2score = 8/10<ref name="clash">{{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Matthew |title=Autechre - Exai |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/autechre-exai/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Clash |date=4 March 2013}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Exclaim!'' | rev3score = 7/10<ref name="exclaim">{{cite news |last1=Storring |first1=Nick |title=Autechre│Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/autechre-exai |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Exclaim! |date=4 March 2013 |language=en}}</ref> | rev4 = ''Mixmag'' | rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="mm">{{cite web |last1=Muggs |first1=Joe |title=AUTECHRE |url=https://mixmag.net/words/reviews/albums/autechre |website=Mixmag |accessdate=8 March 2013 |date=8 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311160209/https://mixmag.net/words/reviews/albums/autechre |archive-date=11 March 2013 }}</ref> | rev5 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev5score = 5.9/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite news |last1=Haver Currin |first1=Grayson |title=Autechre: Exai Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17691-autechre-exai/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=Pitchfork |date=19 February 2013 |archive-date=15 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215142512/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17691-autechre-exai/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | rev6 = ''PopMatters'' | rev6score = 9/10<ref name="PM">{{cite news |last1=Fenwick |first1=Tom |title=Autechre: Exai |url=https://www.popmatters.com/168929-autechreexai-2495774104.html |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=PopMatters |date=6 March 2013 |archive-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126142312/https://www.popmatters.com/168929-autechreexai-2495774104.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | rev7 = ''Record Collector'' | rev7score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Atkins |first1=Jamie |title=Exai - Autechre |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/exai |website=Record Collector |accessdate=25 February 2013 |date=25 February 2013}}</ref> | rev8 = ''Resident Advisor'' | rev8score = 3.5/5<ref name="ra"/> | rev9 = ''The Skinny'' | rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="skinny">{{cite news |last1=Shukla |first1=Mark |title=Autechre – Exai – Album Review |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/autechre-exai-album_review |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=The Skinny |date=13 February 2013 |language=en}}</ref> | rev10 = ''Slant Magazine'' | rev10score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="slant" /> }}
''Exai'' was received positively by critics. At Metacritic, which aggregates scores from mainstream critics, ''Exai'' has an average score of 80 based on 26 reviews, indicating a score of "generally favorable".<ref name="metacritic"/>
Matthew Bennett of ''Clash'' gave ''Exai'' an 8/10, lauding the mixture of Autechre's older hip-hop sound with their newer programming.<ref name="clash" /> Lee Wang of ''Slant'' gave the album 4/5, writing that the album represented a "career-spanning work" that drew inspiration and ideas from throughout their discography.<ref name="slant" /> Brandon Bussolini of ''XLR8R'' wrote that the album "more consistently evokes the club" than other projects the duo had previously released.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bussolini |first1=Brandon |title=Autechre Exai |url=https://xlr8r.com/reviews/exai/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=XLR8R |date=5 March 2013 |archive-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126141638/https://xlr8r.com/reviews/exai/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For ''Exclaim!'', Nick Storring stated that ''Exai'' was not cutting edge, but still full of detail and intensity.<ref name="exclaim"/> Thomas Hannan of ''The Line of Best Fit'' said the album could "really do with being broken up in to as many chunks as possible", but recommended people to listen to it, saying "there's always room in one's collection for records as smart as this".<ref name="bestfit">{{cite news |last1=Hannan |first1=Thomas |title=Autechre – Exai |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/autechre-exai-119723 |access-date=20 May 2025 |work=The Line of Best Fit |date=5 March 2013}}</ref>
Andrew Ryce of ''Resident Advisor'' compared the tracks on ''Exai'' to data overload, more prominent than on their previous projects.<ref name="ra" /> Concluding his review, Ryce felt the duo were more confident in their sound, but showed its real cohesion only in its "resistance to linearity and conventional melody".<ref name="ra" /> Tom Fenwick of ''PopMatters'' stated how ''Exai'' didn't mark a major shift in the duo's sound, but instead expanded on it and offered "unfathomable depths" for dedicated listeners.<ref name="PM" /> In a review for ''The Quietus'', Charlie Frame commented that ''Exai'' drew ideas from entire Autechre's discography, while sound-wise remaining very similar to the projects such as ''Oversteps'' and ''Move of Ten''.<ref name="quietus"/> In the ''Calgary Herald'' review, Francois Marchand gave the album 4/5 stars; while Marchand noted the relatively unapproachable nature of ''Exai'' for new listeners, he highlighted it as one of the duo's most accessible albums.<ref name="ch">{{cite news |last1=Marchand |first1=Francois |title=Now Hear This |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/488202792/ |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=Calgary Herald |date=5 March 2013 |location=Alberta, Canada |page=41 |archive-date=26 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126141743/https://www.newspapers.com/image/488202792/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Both Grayson Haver Currin (''Pitchfork'') and Andy Kellman (AllMusic) criticised ''Exai'''s tracklist, noting some songs should be shortened or cut out entirely.<ref name="pitchfork"/><ref name="allmusic" /> ''Mixmag''{{'}}s Joe Muggs wrote that understanding the album wasn't easy, but nevertheless rewarding to the listener.<ref name="mm" /> Josh Becker of ''Beats Per Minute'' gave a positive review, praising the album's ability to "impl[y] melody" rather than displaying it outright.<ref name="bpm"/> Writing for ''The Irish Times'', Jim Carroll gave the album three stars, praising ''Exai'' for being as intense as other releases from the duo and their openness to take risks.<ref name="irishtimes">{{cite news |last1=Carroll |first1=Jim |title=Autechre: Exai |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/autechre-exai-1.1327252 |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=The Irish Times |date=6 March 2013 |language=en |archive-date=27 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127215413/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/autechre-exai-1.1327252 |url-status=live }}</ref> Mark Shukla of ''The Skinny'' called ''Exai'' a "thrilling renewal that leaves them perfectly poised for whatever leap they may choose to make next".<ref name="skinny" /> For ''BBC Music'', Chris Power called the album "often abrasive and fidgety" and said it was easy to see it as the "first chapter of late-period Autechre" due to the duo revisiting past sounds with new focus.<ref name="bbc"/>
==Track listing== {{tracklist | headline = ''Exai'' track listing | all_writing = Sean Booth and Rob Brown | title1 = Fleure | length1 = 4:51 | title2 = irlite (get 0) | length2 = 10:01 | title3 = prac-f | length3 = 4:20 | title4 = jatevee C | length4 = 4:14 | title5 = T ess xi | length5 = 6:43 | title6 = vekoS | length6 = 6:42 | title7 = Flep | length7 = 6:43 | title8 = tuinorizn | length8 = 3:40 | title9 = bladelores | length9 = 12:20 | title10 = 1 1 is | length10 = 7:18 | title11 = nodezsh | length11 = 8:40 | title12 = runrepik | length12 = 4:35 | title13 = spl9 | length13 = 7:06 | title14 = cloudline | length14 = 10:13 | title15 = deco Loc | length15 = 5:27 | title16 = recks on | length16 = 9:22 | title17 = YJY UX | length17 = 8:24 | total_length = 120:32 }}
{{Track listing | headline = Japanese bonus track | title18 = 18 (keyosc) | length18 = 8:57 | total_length = 129:29 }}
==Charts== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Chart performance for ''Exai'' ! scope="col" | Chart (2013) ! scope="col" | Peak<br />position |- {{Album chart|UK2|88|date=20130316|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |- {{Album chart|Scotland|100|date=20130316|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |- {{Album chart|UKDance|39|date=20130316|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |- {{Album chart|UKIndependent|15|date=20130316|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |- {{Album chart|Flanders|84|artist=Autechre|album=Exai|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |- {{Album chart|Wallonia|110|artist=Autechre|album=Exai|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |- {{Album chart|BillboardDanceElectronic|21|artist=Autechre|access-date=30 June 2025|rowheader=true}} |}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable" ! Country/Region ! Date ! Label ! Format ! Catalogue number |- | Japan | 27 February 2013 | Beat Records | 2×CD | BRC-365LTD |- | rowspan="2"|Europe | rowspan="2"|5 March 2013 | rowspan="2"|Warp Records | 2×CD | WARPCD234 |- | 4×LP | WARPLP234 |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Autechre}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Autechre albums Category:2013 albums Category:Warp Records albums Category:Albums with cover art by The Designers Republic