Richard D. James is getting serious. This time, instead of fastening his synthesizer-collection with hundreds of knots, Aphex Twins has been caught behind acoustic instruments, making them vibrate through computer commands. At first glance, this reminds us of Squarepusher’s project »Music For Robots« from last year, in which he had costum-made roboters make wild music. Thankfully, this coincidence is the only thing that these works of the two friends have in common. While Squarepusher focuses on virtuosity and technical precision, Aphex Twin is concentrating on atmosphere and groove. In terms of composing, Aphex Twin is falling short of expectations on »Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt2 EP«. However, the 13 impressions, often shorter than usual (five of them don’t make it above the one-minute-border), surprise the listener with exceptionally funky rhythms and warm and organic sounds. Frankly, not all of the tracks needed to be on this EP (»Snar 2«, »Disk Aud1_12«, »0035 1-Audio«), but the rest of them actually give us the impression that Aphex Twin has discovered something like underground Hip Hop – including DIY-charisma. When thinking of all the high-tech-electronica of these days, the EP appears somewhat reactionary. However, it comes across as damn lovely, giving us the finger in the most likable way. All that’s missing is Danny Brown and Ishmael Butler behind the mic, and we’re all set for the next coup. After all, the first part of this EP must be hidden somewhere…
Oh No Noh
As Late As Possible
Teleskop