| 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 [a] " | 4:57 |
| Total length: | 28:52 | |
| 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 the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released on 24 April 1995 through Warp Records and contains material recorded between 1990 and 1994. It marked James's return to a beat-driven sound following the mostly ambient album Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), and combines abrasive rhythms with symphonic and ambient elements. The cover artwork is a self-portrait of James.
Richard D. James Album is the fourth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released on 4 November 1996 through Warp Records. It was composed by James on his Macintosh computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast breakbeats and intricate drum programming which draw from jungle and drum and bass. James' drum loops are paired with lush string arrangements, and ambient melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as modulated vocals from James.
"Windowlicker" is a track by the British electronic music artist 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.
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Drukqs is the fifth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released in October 2001 through Warp Records. It is a double album that explores two broad styles: rapid, meticulously programmed beats inspired by drum and bass, and mellower classical-style piano, ambient, and electroacoustic pieces. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th", one of James's best known recordings.
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26 Mixes for Cash is a compilation album of remixes produced by Aphex Twin. Most of the remixes were produced for other artists between 1990 and 2003. It was released on 24 March 2003 by Warp Records.
"Ventolin" is a 1995 EP by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It is noted for its harsh, abrasive sound. James recorded numerous versions of the piece. The record entered the Dance Singles Chart at number 15 in April 1995.
Donkey Rhubarb is a 1995 extended play record by the electronic music artist Aphex Twin. It 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 is 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 a British musician, composer and DJ active in electronic music since 1988. His idiosyncratic work has drawn on many styles, including techno, ambient, acid, and jungle, and he has been described as a pioneering figure in the intelligent dance music (IDM) genre. 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.
Syro is the sixth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released on 19 September 2014 through Warp Records. It was James's first album under the Aphex Twin name since Drukqs (2001).
"minipops 67 [120.2]" is a track by the British 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).
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"Come to Daddy" is a track by the 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.
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| As AFX | |
| As The Tuss | |
| As Polygon Window | |
| As Bradley Strider | |
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| Related articles | |
