The first new music from Aphex Twin in five years. A titan of electronica, ambient, acid, and well, leftfield machine music in general; Richard D James has consistently stayed both illusively out of step yet painfully ahead of pack when it comes to trends in electronic music. A producer who's mere name sparks excitement into otherwise reclusive electro-nerds; his across-the-board appeal has united clans in aircraft hangers, muddy fields, pitch back nightclubs and art galleries for nearly three decades and if this new 12" is anything to go by, he's still the vanguard of electronic music and the benchmark against which others are judged.
"Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" gets us underway with suitably solumn synth parts dancing between rapid fire AFX-patented drums with a dizzying dexterity. Their drizzly mood reflecting the global dismay as we watch the elite plunder the world's resources whilst the rest suffer. As you'd expect James introduces new methods of drum destrucution and programming that sound deliciously fresh and intricate. "Zin2 Test5" sees more dystopian atmospheres propelled by swung, skitty breakbeats and suspended on taut synthlines and static bass plumes.
"In A Room7 F760" is a masterclass of breakbeat manipulation and contemporary synthesis - perfectly balancing melancholy, tension and drama into an effortless tapestry quite unlike anything else the producer has previously constructed. Finally, "Blackbox Life Recorder 22 [Parallax Mix]" is a moody, almost-club track with possibly the straightest arrangement out of the four. Drifting atmospheres, space-age strings and rounded bass punctuated skillfully by a vintage electro drum palette. Delicate, poised, beautifully composed - like a classic oil painting. He's not lost any of the allure and charm; another beauty from the Cornish acid king!
"Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" gets us underway with suitably solumn synth parts dancing between rapid fire AFX-patented drums with a dizzying dexterity. Their drizzly mood reflecting the global dismay as we watch the elite plunder the world's resources whilst the rest suffer. As you'd expect James introduces new methods of drum destrucution and programming that sound deliciously fresh and intricate. "Zin2 Test5" sees more dystopian atmospheres propelled by swung, skitty breakbeats and suspended on taut synthlines and static bass plumes.
"In A Room7 F760" is a masterclass of breakbeat manipulation and contemporary synthesis - perfectly balancing melancholy, tension and drama into an effortless tapestry quite unlike anything else the producer has previously constructed. Finally, "Blackbox Life Recorder 22 [Parallax Mix]" is a moody, almost-club track with possibly the straightest arrangement out of the four. Drifting atmospheres, space-age strings and rounded bass punctuated skillfully by a vintage electro drum palette. Delicate, poised, beautifully composed - like a classic oil painting. He's not lost any of the allure and charm; another beauty from the Cornish acid king!
STAFF COMMENTS
Matt says: Dressed in a suitably modernist jacket; the new 12" by Aphex Twin doesn't disappoint. Poignantly melancholic and hi-tech; Richard D James uses machines to perfectly convey the emotion of our tense, uncertain, semi-artificial lives better than any organic / human source available.TRACK LISTING
1. Blackbox Life Recorder 21f
2. Zin2 Test5
3. In A Room7 F760
4. Blackbox Life Recorder 22 [Parallax Mix]