| Collapse EP | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | 14 September 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 28:52 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | Richard D. James | |||
| Aphex Twin chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Collapse EP | ||||
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Collapse EP is an EP by the British electronic music artist Richard D. James under the pseudonym Aphex Twin. It was released on 14 September 2018 on Warp. The record received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised James for returning to his signature "Aphex Twin" sound.
In late July 2018 stylised Aphex Twin logo posters appeared in London's Elephant and Castle station. [5] By August, the same logo was found in various cities, such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Tokyo. At the same time, a since-removed Amazon listing for Collapse stated the release date to be 14 September 2018.
On 5 August 2018 Warp Records issued a press release via Twitter; an image of a document digitally obscured with the same Aphex Twin logo found days earlier. When edited, the document contained nonsensical, rambling sentences, such as "Y'wd Aphex Twin The legendary summer for this summer of love! love epoch, global phenomlomenamental", including words written in Cornish, similar to track titles from James' 2001 album Drukqs . [6]
On 7 August 2018 Adult Swim was scheduled to broadcast a track from Collapse, but ultimately cancelled as the track's music video failed the Harding test. [7] The music video for "T69 collapse" was released later that day through the Aphex Twin YouTube channel, [8] with Warp Records stating the music video, as well as the metropolitan logo posters, were created by London-based video designer Weirdcore. [9] [10] Weirdcore told Fast Company's DJ Pangburn that to make the "T69 Collapse" video, he processed collaged 3D scans of Cornwall using Transfusion.AI, an After Effects plugin with machine learning algorithms that recompose images or video based on another media's style. [11] Pre-orders for vinyl, CD and cassette copies of Collapse were made available on this day via the Aphex Twin store page, [12] and online store Bleep. [13] The music was leaked on the internet on 13 August 2018. [14]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Consequence of Sound | A− [17] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10 [18] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [19] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [20] |
| NME | [21] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [1] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [22] |
| Resident Advisor | [23] |
| Slant Magazine |  [24] |
Collapse was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream critics, the extended play received an average score of 82, based on 14 reviews. [15] Most critics noted the release for incorporating trademark Aphex Twin sounds similar to his previous releases. [16] [22] Paul Simpson from AllMusic lauded the "ironically titled" record which showcases a return to Aphex Twin's signature "ultra-glitchy beats and childlike melodies", [16] contrary to Robert Ham from Consequence of Sound who was less impressed with the familiarity and lack of surprise and shock in the songs. Alternatively, he praised the element of control within the tracks which came to "recognizable signatures at the center of the entropic sound that seems to be coming apart in real time." [17]
The individual tracks on Collapse were received positively by critics, with Daryl Keating of Exclaim! labelling the songs as "absolute gems" and Carlos Hawthorn from Resident Advisor feeling that each track had "moments abstract enough to grab your attention and human enough to keep it." [19] [23] Writing for NME , Tom Connick described the record as "music for Mad Max's post-apocalyptic parties [...] a mad-hatter's box of tricks, blown up and reconstructed" and called it Aphex Twin's "most essential" release in years. [21] Slant Magazine 's Josh Geller was surprised with how "warm and inviting" Collapse sounds, whose "dense bursts of intricate glitch to expansive, ambient soundscapes" makes it feel like a "more elaborate musical journey than its mere five tracks." [24]
Critics also compared the record to Aphex Twin's 2014 album, Syro : Andy Cush from Spin found Collapse matching closely to the ambition and structural shifts found in the album, while Spyros Statis of PopMatters wrote that the record "interchanges the Syro sound with a range of dissonant ideas and disfigured rhythmic patterns." [25] [22] Cush later acknowledged that Collapse is more willing to "follow those shifts to even more hazardous locales"; most songs start at "relative normalcy" before moving "growing out of control" and breaking down. [25] The Line of Best Fit 's Jack Bray instead compared Collapse to Aphex Twin's Cheetah EP, feeling that Collapse was a more confident release than the latter despite lasting for a shorter period. He particularly praised the musical arrangement on the record, which he observed was "packed with ideas" and "represents some of the finest and most varied to be found across any of [Aphex Twin's] projects". [20] Pitchfork 's Philip Sherburne saw that unlike Aphex Twin's previous releases, the music on Collapse "moves on a wider scale" with a "real sense of violence", but manages to stay "relatively unscathed" due to Twin's mastery of "juggling precision and chaos". [1]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "T69 Collapse" | 5:22 |
| 2. | "1st 44" | 6:09 |
| 3. | "MT1 t29r2" | 6:04 |
| 4. | "abundance10edit[2 R8's, FZ20m & a 909]" | 6:20 |
| 5. | "pthex" | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 28:52 | |
Notes
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "t69 collapse [durichroma]" | 6:39 |
| Total length: | 35:31 | |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [26] | 28 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] | 7 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] | 88 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [29] | 11 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC) [30] | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 [31] | 113 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [32] | 2 |
Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.
...I Care Because You Do is the third studio album by electronic musician Richard D. James under the alias Aphex Twin, released on 24 April 1995 by Warp. Containing material recorded between 1990 and 1994, the album marked James's return to a percussive sound following the largely beatless Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), and pairs abrasive rhythms with symphonic and ambient elements. The cover artwork is a self-portrait by James.
Richard D. James Album is the eponymous fourth studio album by Irish-British electronic musician Richard D. James, under his pseudonym Aphex Twin. In the United Kingdom, the album was released on 4 November 1996 through Warp Records. In the United States, it was released on 28 January 1997 by Sire Records, with the Girl/Boy EP included as bonus tracks. A reissue on vinyl was released on 18 September 2012.
"Windowlicker" is a song by British electronic musician and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 22 March 1999 through Warp Records. The artwork for the single was created by Chris Cunningham, with additional work by The Designers Republic. Cunningham also directed the song's music video, which was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Video.
Selected Ambient Works Volume II is the second studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of British electronic musician Richard D. James. It was released by Warp in March 1994. Billed as a follow-up to James' debut Selected Ambient Works 85–92, the album differs in sound by being largely beatless ambient music. James claimed that it was inspired by lucid dreaming, and likened the music to "standing in a power station on acid."
Drukqs is the fifth studio album by Aphex Twin, the alias of British electronic musician Richard D. James, released in 2001 on Warp. It is a double album alternating primarily between tracks of meticulously programmed drum and bass-inspired beats and computer-controlled classical piano pieces. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th," one of James's best-known recordings.
Come to Daddy is an EP/mini-album by British electronic music artist Aphex Twin. The EP's lead single, and the first track on the EP, "Come to Daddy "—often simply called "Come to Daddy"—is one of Aphex Twin's best-known songs; it peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.
26 Mixes for Cash is a compilation album of remixes produced by Richard D. James, mainly for other artists between 1990 and 2003. It was released on 24 March 2003 by Warp Records.
"Ventolin" is a 1995 EP by Aphex Twin, the alias of Richard D. James. It is noted for its harsh, abrasive sound. James recorded numerous versions of the piece under his Aphex Twin alias.
Donkey Rhubarb is a 1995 EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. The EP was released on 14 August 1995 by Warp. The EP contains a version of the song "Icct Hedral" from James' album ...I Care Because You Do by Philip Glass.
Seefeel are a British electronic and post-rock band formed in the early 1990s by Mark Clifford, Daren Seymour (bass), Justin Fletcher, and Sarah Peacock. Their work became known for fusing guitar-based shoegaze with the production techniques of ambient techno and electronica.
Richard David James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient, and jungle. Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact,Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.
Succour is the second studio album by British band Seefeel. It was released on 20 March 1995 on Warp and did not receive a release in the United States.
Syro is the sixth studio album by Aphex Twin, the alias of British electronic musician Richard D. James, released on 19 September 2014 on Warp. It was James's first album under the Aphex Twin name since Drukqs (2001).
"minipops 67 [120.2]" is a song by the English electronic musician Richard D. James, credited under the pseudonym Aphex Twin. It is the opening track and lead single from Aphex Twin's sixth studio album, Syro (2014).
Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 is the ninth EP by the British electronic musician Richard D James. It was released under the pseudonym Aphex Twin on 23 January 2015 on Warp. It is meant as a companion piece to his fifth studio album, Drukqs (2001).
Orphaned Deejay Selek 2006–08 is the twenty-second EP by Richard D. James, released under his AFX moniker, the first EP under that alias since 2005's Analord. It was announced by Warp Records on 2 July 2015 and a listing appeared on Bleep.com on the same day. An announcement for the EP also appeared on the Aphex Twin Twitter account on that date. Along with Warp Records' announcement, "serge fenix Rendered 2", the first track on the EP, was made available for streaming on SoundCloud.
"Come to Daddy" is a song by British electronic music producer Richard D. James, released under his main pseudonym Aphex Twin. It was released as a single through Warp Records on 6 October 1997, coinciding with the lengthier extended play release of the same name. A music video for the song was released, which ranked at number one on Pitchfork's Top 50 Music Videos of 1990s list. In October 2011, NME placed the song at number 42 on its "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years" list. The song peaked at number 10 on the Danish Singles Chart and number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.
Cheetah is an extended play by British electronic musician Richard D. James, released under the pseudonym Aphex Twin on 8 July 2016 on Warp. The name is a reference to Cheetah Marketing, a British manufacturer of microcomputer peripherals and electronic musical instruments in the 1980s.
"Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" is a song by English electronic musician Richard D. James, first released as the lead single in promotion of the EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760, his first new music under the Aphex Twin alias in five years since 2018's Collapse EP. The EP also contains an alternate "Parallax mix" as the final track on the record.
| Studio albums | |
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| EPs | |
| Singles |
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| Compilations | |
| As AFX | |
| As the Tuss | |
| As Polygon Window | |
| As Power-Pill | |
| As Bradley Strider | |
| As Caustic Window | |
| As GAK | |
| As Mike & Rich | |
| Unreleased | |
| Related articles | |
