Can’t Get You Out of My Head offers a broad cultural analysis of the history leading up to current affairs around the globe. Curtis told AnOther Magazine that isolation and paranoia are recurring themes throughout the series, saying that the experimental styles of SOPHIE (full name Sophie Xeon) and Aphex Twin (real name Richard James) captured such feelings.

“What I think is brilliant about Aphex Twin is that he does two things. He combines in his lyrical work a wonderful expression of that yearning for something beyond,” Curtis said. “But then also expresses in other pieces the fractured and uneasy mood of the present moment. And to combine the two together is really what art should do I think. Showing you in a heightened way the mood of now – and the feeling of what might be beyond that.”

He continued: “I think that that is also what SOPHIE did beautifully as well, jumping back and forth between the two without having to bother with the old idea of transitions.”

James’ big breakthrough came nearly three decades ago with the 1992 release of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 via R&S Records sub label Apollo Records. He’s been cited as an influence by a pool of artists diverse enough to include Daft Punk, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead.

With tracks like “Bipp,” “Lemonade,” and later her 2018 debut album OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES, Xeon introduced the world to a “hyperpop” sound that earned her collaborations with pop artists like Charli XCX and Lady Gaga. She died on Saturday, January 30th after falling from an apartment balcony in Athens, where she lived.

Can’t Get You Out of My Head is available to watch via BBC iPlayer.

After sharing insight on his new Bejing exhibit, Weirdcore was asked about future projects. He responded with a list of artists he’s working with, revealing a potential collaboration with Aphex Twin (real name Richard D. James).

“I’m currently working on something with Yaeji, and other projects with A. G. Cook and Slikback are also in the pipeline,” he said. “Some epic new Aphex stuff – hopefully, maybe.”

Back in October, James released his limited-edition AFX Station synthesizer which featured packaging designed by Weirdcore. Over the years, the visual artist has also provided James with artwork for his live streams, in-person performances, albums, merchandise, event trailers, and more.

Unfortunately for fans, the previous quote is the only bit of information given about the two artists’ return. Considering the scope of the duo’s work, it’s difficult to speculate as to what their “epic” new venture could be. At the time of writing, neither Weirdcore nor Aphex Twin have formally announced an upcoming collaboration.

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.

Novation shared images of the billboards via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In the post captions they included the aforementioned locations along with a date: October 20th, 2020. They have yet to reveal what might come on the day in question.

Intelligent Dance Music

A partnership with Aphex Twin (real name Richard James) certainly lends credibility to Novation. The enigmatic artist introduced experimental elements to the electronic music landscape throughout the ’90s with albums like Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and I Care Because You Do. In the process, he helped put Belgian label R&S Records on the map and was dubbed “the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music” by The Guardian‘s Paul Lester.

In more recent memory, James teased his Grammy-winning 2014 album Syro with a blimp emblazoned with his logo that flew around London. His releases themselves often arrive in unconventional ways as well; in 2017 he released a 12-inch record exclusively available at Todd Osborn’s Technical Equipment Supply in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Aphex Twin fans can look out for Novation’s upcoming announcement by following the hashtag #WeAreNovation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

No other acts have been named for the 2018 edition of the festival, which will mark its 18th annual installment. Previous Club To Club Festival lineups have included such artists as Jeff Mills, Modeselektor, Disclosure and Ben UFO. The theme for the 2018 edition of the gathering is “La luce al buio,” which roughly translates to “light over darkness.”

Club To Club Festival follows a format similar to that of Amsterdam Dance Event. Its program will be spread across a handful nightclubs and venues throughout Turin, and a series of talks and panels will take place in conjunction with the festivities.

The 2018 Edition of Club To Club Festival will take place from November 1st-4th. Find “Super Early Bird Weekend Passes” here, and learn more about the festival on the event website.

Source: Resident Advisor

26 Aphex Twin releases are available on the store – some studio-length albums, some EPs, and some singles. An additional entry at the bottom features no playable content or album art. Instead, a note reads, “ALL Rephlex material will be going up here in due course+xtras (sic)”

In addition to enabling fans to purchase music in MP3, WAV or FLAC formats, the store offers much of James’ discography as vinyl records or CDs. Quirky easter eggs in the interface render the website a novelty in and of itself, even for those who don’t enjoy his music.

Between his back catalogue and archives of unreleased music, the 27 listings still hardly scratch the surface of James’ generation-spanning body of work. For example, as part of his partnership with KORG he recently cut a track using only their Monologue synthesizer.

More music will be added to Aphex Twin’s website in the months to follow. Find it here.

Source: Mixmag

Aphex Twin A.K.A. Richard James is certainly known for his challenging concepts, but “korg funk 5” sounds more like a tongue-in-cheek gag than an introspective odyssey. The only element of the arrangement that didn’t originate from the Monologue is a sample of James’ son enunciating its name. The rest were made using Korg Volca Beats, Korg Volca Keys, Korg Volca Sampler, a Korg Poly-61M, a Korg MS-20 kit, in addition to Korg Minilogue.

James participated in an interview with Korg advisor Tatsuya Takahashi for Warp Records, and revealed the quirky track at that time. He went on to discuss his the thought processes that led him to suggest that the manufacturer included microtuning, segueing into the topic of inventor Nikolai Tesla.

Aphex Twin still has yet to reveal what might be forshadowed by the video he posted to his Facebook page in May.

Source: EDM.com

Included on the record are two tracks, “3 GERALD REMIX” and “24 TSIM 2,” both of which he had cryptically shared via decoy SoundCloud accounts in 2015. The uploads followed James’ highly anticipated return to electronic music which saw his 2014 album Syro win a Grammy in the Best Dance/Electronic category (which the producer himself did not show up to accept).

Todd Osborn’s Technical Equipment Supply is about an hour outside Detroit and is run by Osborn and his son, who also founded their own small record label. Osborn emerged as a fixture of the local scene in the ’90s when he opened a record shop called Dubplate Pressure in nearby Ann Arbor that specialized in underground hip-hop and jungle records.

A mysterious video from a month ago showcasing a pitched-down and distorted sample of the iconic sample from Chuck Roberts‘ “My House” was posted on the Aphex Twin Facebook page a month ago with the caption “SOON,” so fans of the producer may look forward to new music on the horizon.

Source: Resident Advisor