Roughly two weeks ago, Aphex Twin carried on his rich pastime by leaving cryptic billboards in cities around the world. Unlike previous guerilla marketing campaigns geared towards albums or shows, this one was co-signed by the musical instrument producer, Novation. The two have now announced the release of a limited-edition Bass Station II synthesizer designed in collaboration with Aphex Twin (real name Richard D. James) himself.
Named after one of his other monikers, the AFX Station is both cosmetically and functionally designed by James. While minimalistic in design, the synth will display both his name and logo. From a technical standpoint, one of its main selling points is the exclusive AFX Mode detailed on James’ website.
“AFX Mode was conceived by Aphex Twin himself, to turn Bass Station II into a sound designer’s dream. When in AFX Mode, every key becomes a new patch, revolutionizing the way Bass Station II can be played,” reads a description.
“With a completely different sound on every key, the instrument transforms into a hugely powerful analogue drum module, a sound design beast, or a killer bass or lead machine,” it goes on. “Whether playing, sequencing or using the arpeggiator, AFX Mode brings a huge sense of creative character to users’ musical creations. Labels for AFX Mode functions indicate how to unleash the potential of the new features.”
Although it boasts a range of features geared towards experienced producers, entry-level musicians will appreciate that, like other Novation releases, Ableton Live Lite 10 is included with the synth. Collectors in particular will enjoy that the new device is set to arrive in a specially-designed gift box designed by James’ visual artist Weirdcore.
Aphex Twin and Novation’s limited edition AFX Station is available for pre-order now for $549.99 and is set to ship on October 29th. You can learn more about the synthesizer and pre-order one for yourself here.
