Aphex Twin: Collapse EP Vinyl 12"

26 years on from the release of his debut album and Richard D. James has still got plenty of love for where he came from. Whether he’s living in the Scottish countryside or a former bank vault, the tiny southwestern province of Cornwall is never far from James’ mind. He’s frequently used the Cornish language for song titles (you thought "Vordhosbn" was made up jibberish?) and put Cornish beaches on album covers, and if you’ve spent hours trawling AFX interviews on Youtube (I have), you’ll probably recognize the topographical album art as a certain Cornwall landmark where John Peel once interviewed RDJ and Luke Vibert. This sort of spiritual homecoming is exactly what Aphex fans have been pining for after the (relatively) drab Cheetah and Orphaned Deejay Selek EPs, a return to the *Cornish Acid* realm. Those keen on Analord-era Richard have surely already fallen in love with the frenetic electro beats and slinky analog b-line of early leak “T69 Collapse,” but there’s three more new tracks to snack on here. The 808-mangling post-grime ruffage of "1st 44," Drukqs-grade braindance rush of "MT1 t29r2" and the hair-raising melody and singular moodiness of "abundance10edit" round out what is easily RDJ's most inspired and listenable work since Syro, maybe even since The Tuss. Standard black vinyl pressing with black paper inner sleeve, includes digital download for full EP plus digital-only bonus track “pthex.” Recommended.

• black vinyl pressing
• digital download included
• music label: Warp Records 2018

reviewed by Cow Cud 05/2018