Aphex Twin’s new single “Minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]” is getting a lot of attention from fans of electronic music. This song is the only excerpt put out by the European artist from his first album in over 13 years. Did it live up to the hype?
Aphex Twin new single signals that good things are coming. Aphex Twin whose real name is Richard D. James debuted the creative song via YouTube on Thursday. “Minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]” is very interesting in the sense that it sounds like vintage Aphex Twin, but updated for this new era where computers have taken over. It’s a nice place where nostalgia meets modernity. When asked about the state of dance music, the 43-year-old musician recently told Rolling Stone:
Oh, yeah, definitely. It’s taken people a long time to work these new tools out, and now it’s just now kind of like an acoustic guitar. We’re half-cyborg already, whether we like it or not. Everything is based on computers – our whole economy, and most of our creative pursuits, as well. We’re not physically connected to them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not part of our brains.
Aphex Twin’s first album in over a decade will be called Syro and will be released on September 23 via Warp Records. Some early fans of James find his new single promising and they are interested to hear the rest of the album. Can their favorite artist deliver after such a long absence?
If the titles on the Syro album track list indicate something, is that the father-of-two stayed true to his brand. The titles are really creative. Check them out below.
01. minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]
02. XMAS_EVET10 [120][thanaton3 mix]
03. produk 29 [101]
04. 4 bit 9d api+e+6 [126.26]
05. 180db_ [130]
06. CIRCLONT6A [141.98][syrobonkus mix]
07. fz pseudotimestretch+e+3 [138.85]
08. CIRCLONT14 [152.97][shrymoming mix]
09. syro u473t8+e [141.98][piezoluminescence mix]
10. PAPAT4 [155][pineal mix]
11. s950tx16wasr10 [163.97][earth portal mix]
12. aisatsana [102]
James is apparently here to stay this time around. In the same interview with Rolling Stone published few days ago, he says that he is very motivated to put out new music and this is just the beginning. The “Windowlicker” artist explained:
I’m in that mode now, so hopefully I’ll stay in it for a while. I’ve got a few more things planned – at least a couple more albums, some EPs, things like that. Some more dance-y things I did about 10 years ago. Experimental things, noise things, weird things. Shitloads of stuff.
Aphex Twin always had a penchant for exaggeration, this may be again the case, so his followers will have to wait and see if he keeps his word. James’ work has influenced artists like Daft Punk, but what does he think of talents like Avicii, Calvin Harris and Zedd who have crossover appeal and are hugely popular right now? The answer is kind of ambiguous in true Aphex Twin’s fashion, he stated:
Guys like Avicii, Calvin Harris and Zedd are all over the radio.
It’s a way in for people, isn’t it? That’s a start, the commercial things. And if you’re really into it, you can look further, investigate and find people like me [laughs].
13 years after his last official release, Aphex Twin remains a singular figure on the dance and electronic music scene, he helped expand. With his new single he is trying to bring some of the spotlight back to him, but can he compete with those he inspired?
“Minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]” garnered over 564,955 views on YouTube in about three days, so it seems that the clever marketing is working and there is a public patiently waiting for him.
What do you think of Aphex Twin new single? Is this comeback you had hoped for?
