We already know Aphex Twin can smash an erratic beat into the folds of a dreamy ambient soundscape. We know he can be gritty and scary, whimsical and soft-hearted, brainy and balls-to-the-wall. It’s what makes Aphex Twin such a fun artist to follow, and his latest release, the Collapse EP, captures each of these vibes in prismatic presentation.
Each of the EP’s tracks clocks in just about five minutes or longer, capturing a variety of moods within their patchwork compositions. It stars with the glitched-out groove of previously-released single “T69 collapse” before diving deep into the dark of “1st 44.” It’s a massive but minimal track, building a beastly rhythm out of drums and bass that’s meaner than most dubstep tracks with a touch of the Caribbean, some grime influence and definitely with classic electro edge. It’s got snarling teeth, but it’s somehow never in your face.
“MT1 t29r2” is eerie out the gate with electric ambience and slapping drums, building into the sort of thing you’d expect to hear at a warehouse rave held on a circuit board. It’s dreamy and unruly at the same time. “abundance10edit[2 r8’s, fz20m & a 909]” starts with a tribal cyber beat and moves into moody waters, while closer “pthex” draws on classic Aphex Twin-sian strangeness and a touch of ancient Asian chords.
It’s a real audible treat for anyone who enjoys music that makes you think. Take a big bite out of the Collape EP below and chew on it for a while.