Aphex Twin has released six new tracks on his secret Soundcloud, his first release since 2018’s Collapse EP.
Of particular note, qu 1‘s dreamy modulating synths create a warm soundscape, in sharp contrast to Tha2’s sharply measured beat and crisp drum backing. On a somber note, the track qu 1 is dedicated to his recently passed father with the mp3 file containing a message addressing the loss. (Author’s note: check out the history of hidden pictures in his songs).
Aphex Twin (real name Richard D. James) is no showboat. The Irish-English producer is notorious for being a very private, quiet figure among the glittery upper echelons of major electronic music producers.
Starting his career at local raves in the late 1980s in the UK, followed by his debut album Selected Ambient Works 86-92, he did not actually have a charting single until 1999’s Come To Daddy. Accompanied by dark basslines, jarring presentation and genre-bending artistry, AT is recognized as one of the leading figures in IDM.
This said, what is IDM? Intelligent Dance Music is recognized here as a subset of experimental electronic music, mostly ambient in nature, propagated by the likes of Boards of Canada, The Orb, and The Future Sound of London to name but a few.