"minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix]"- Aphex Twin

A major mistake I made when listening to "minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix]," British producer Richard D. James' first new work as Aphex Twin in 13 years, was assuming the stirring vocals that end the song were lifted from some "ancient" source. They're so frail and wobbly that I just imagined James clearing them off a hard-drive labelled "Samples" from the year 2000. 

It's the only thing though from "minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix] that feels "dated."  The layers of fluttering drum machines, watery synthesizers and stray noises are remarkably of the moment; recalling Aphex Twin disciples like shadowy post dubstep artist Burial and experimental hip hop producer Flying Lotus. James' aforementioned sighing at the song's end could be confused for a new Radiohead effort. Aphex Twin's been dormant since the maligned Drukqs in 2001, but James has clearly been paying attention to his imitators.

So much so that it sounds like he's read ahead of the class. As much as "minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix] is of 2014, it’s simultaneously out of time. Individual ripples of synth keys are soundtracking a sci-fi flick that won't be made for another 10 years. The robotic heaves throughout the track are alien to my ears. There's no Rosetta Stone to decode the language of James' vocal manipulations. Aphex Twin is unquestionably back and already out in front of the field.




Aphex Twin's new album Syro is out Sept. 23 through Warp Records. You can find James' mangled bio accompanying the new release here and view the tracklist below.

Syro:
1. "minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix]"
2. "XMAS_EveT10 (thanaton3 mix)"
3. "produk 29"
4. "4 bit 9d api+e+6"
5. "180db_"
6. "CIRCLONT6A (syrobonkus mix)"
7. "fz pseudotimestrech+e+3"
8. "CIRCLONT14 (shrymoming mix)"
9. "syro u473t8+e (piezoluminescence mix)"
10. "PAPAT4 (pineal mix)"
11. "s950tx16wasr10 (earth portal mix)"
12. "aisatsana"

"Attak" ft. Danny Brown- Rustie

Are we sure Detroit rapper Danny Brown and Glasgow producer Rustie aren't twins separated at birth? Never mind the age and race differences. When I hear Brown's schizoid voice doing cartwheels across Rustie's rapidly shifting electronic landscape in "Attak" my mind start's inventing JFK-sized conspiracy theories. One household could never contain so much fiendish energy, so the two were split up for the sanity of their parents. 

Developing such an outlandish theory is all I can do to explain why Brown and Rustie work so well together. Some of Old's most awe-inspiring moments came when the two were teaming up and creating addictive, MDMA-fed trap rave. But efforts like "Side B (Dope Song)" and "Break It (Go)" are relatively "sedate" when compared to the blinding speed of "Attak." The drum machine hi hats tic faster than a clock in a time travel montage. Futuristic air raid sirens swirl around the track at F-5 tornado speeds. What I can only describe as glitch-ridden noise swipes across "Attak" like an insanely judgmental person on Tinder. In short "Attak" is fast, but remarkably Brown is able to keep up. He raps "back in 2003 used to post up and roll up bag of pounds of meat, used to trap OG with E, Greyhound bus one pair of jeans," with such lightning quick detail you'd swear it happened yesterday. Brown never seems to be straining, whether he’s remembering his days of slinging or the times he had to scrap. "Knock your brain out the hat while I cop that," he nasally threatens in the second verse. If he doesn't follow through on the threat, Rustie surely will.



Rustie's sophomore album Green Language drops August 26 on Warp Records.