Collapse marks Aphex Twin’s fourth release since his 2014 comeback. The five-track EP features some of the artist’s richest works of his career, with a set of intelligent and textured electronic gems.
Each track features various stages that he establishes, builds up and expands on in the most organised yet chaotic of ways. Expect a similar tone to his 2014 album Syro, but with a harder and more audacious vision.
‘T69 Collapse’ is a glitchy, thematic piece of cerebral techno that shifts through several compositions. The opening segment brings a bustling soundscape of snares, synth lines and elastic bass that move so quick they’re hard to keep up with. Then the shift happens and the track is thrown into complete digital chaos – bleak and frenzied. The polished sounds of the opening are replaced with unsettling synth lines and relentless, tumbling bass notes.
‘1ST 44’ is a more spacious and minimal track, predominantly featuring drum machine sounds. It’s filled with clicks, claps and snares, along with a distorted shouting. Aphex Twin builds them up slowly, before unleashing them and allowing the sounds to interact in an organic way.
