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Image: Syro (Pitchfork) It was the surreal winter of 2012 when I...

Image: Syro (Pitchfork) It was the surreal winter of 2012 when I first became properly acquainted with the novel, glitchy, and oftentimes sinister discography of Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin. Prior to that, all I knew about the man was that he was a former electrical engineer, he owned a decommissioned tank, and he had, in one way or another, influenced every quality electronic act and artist since the early 2000s. Oh, I had heard “Windowlicker” once or twice as well. I remember being amazed by how the abrasive bassline, which, set in towards the end of the track, was actually synthesized by James using an audio plug-in that converted a picture to an audiogram which could then be interpreted as sound. If I remember correctly, a picture of concentric circles was the visual input. I suppose that innovative technique would be enough intrigue for anyone to check out his offerings for themselves. For me, it was enough to savor every one of his full-lengths spanning all the way from the late ‘80s to 2001 when he released his latest album, Drukqs, which, in my opinion, wasn’t Aphex Twin at his inventive best. If you’re well-versed in the genre of electronic music, James’s first new record in 13 years, Syro, will provide frequents sensations of déjà vu. One might think that this is because Richard is being Richard and he’s making IDM the way he knows best. While this is possible, I beg to differ. I think that this feeling of familiarity one perceives is because many artists––from Modeselektor to Squarepusher to Jon Hopkins and even Daedelus––have drawn sounds and inspirations from Aphex Twin. Beyond this, I feel that the opposite is also true. Throughout Syro, James draws inspiration from a plethora of styles; techno, glitch, breaks, ambient, jazz, and even classical elements are present. Name any genre or style, and you will find that Syro contains it to some degree. I realize that this is a bold statement, but we are talking about Aphex Twin, after all. Syro begins with James’s very catchy single, “minipops 67[120.2][source field mix].” I remember having this track on repeat when I first received it, not being able to get over how listenable it was despite being so extremely novel and experimental; a happy contradiction that is present for the entirety of the record. There are several other happy contradictions to be found on this track and throughout the album, namely, how simple the rhythms sound despite having a dynamic swinging quality to them––something ridiculously challenging to mimic using physical drums. Through this, James is able to display the power of programmable electronics with regard to musicianship quite well. This quality of percussion continues on for the next few tracks, with “XMAS_EVET10” getting support from spacey analog synths that often serve to be one-shoots of rhythm themselves, and “produk 29” being arguably the catchiest track on the record. Halfway through the album, my mind shifted from the drum patterns to the other dynamics of each track that make James’s entire body of work so cohesive. In this instance, it is the use of highly processed, ghostly vocals and warm, bright synths that somehow sound distinctly alien and distant. A perfect example of this can be found on tracks like “s950tx16wasr10 (earth portal mix),” with its signature '90s-esque breaks, synthetic chaos, and words of wisdom from his children. With regard to the voices on this track and throughout Syro, many vocal samples are in fact sourced from James’s family. One could argue that this is probably why he chose these tracks over his numerous others to include on the album. However, despite the familial link, these vocals sound far from warm and inviting; James has distorted, modulated, and time-stretched his way into making the sound sinister and mysterious. It is always impressive when an artist displays his or her music ability over a wide range of styles and tempos, and this is precisely what is so striking about Syro. For instance, James decided to forgo the catchiness of track names in favor of titling them with their respective tempos. Additionally, all his track names and tempo selections go well with the fact that James makes music primarily for himself. He has stated quite clearly in interviews that music should be purely self-expressing. And, while he made this brilliantly cohesive record for himself, Syro will undoubtedly shape any and all electronic music to come, continuing Aphex Twin’s legacy and creative reach within the IDM community. -Aman Sardana, 91.1 WMUA

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