Aphex Twin continues to emerge with new details about his first new album in 13 years, Syro. In a FADER interview, the producer said the record is a mix of new material and songs he stockpiled six or seven years ago.
“You can kind of have to draw a line under it somewhere,” he explained. “By banging something out it, it’s like the end of the chapter. It properly draws a line under it and allows you to move on.”
No kidding; four years ago, Richard D. James told Another Man (via FACT) he had six record already in the can.
“Two are very non-commercial, abstract, modular-synthesis, field recordings,” he said. “Those I finished four years ago. Another one is Melodies From Mars, which I redid about three years ago. There’s one of stuff I won’t go into; a comp of old tracks which is never really finished and always changing; and then one I’m working on now. There are also loads of tracks which don’t belong anywhere.”
As for any worries about whether new Aphex Twin material will actually sound as fresh today as it did during his ’90s peak—see: the flood of Syro ‘leaks’ that reflect his signature sound—James insisted he keeps up with everything that’s out there. “I buy ridiculous amounts of files,” he said. “I always go to that thing, ‘Listen to the last eight weeks of whatever.’ And it’s all those billions of genres, like Scouse house. There’s actually better music now than ever, that’s ever existed before in my life. It’s all kind of good listening stuff—stuff to play in the car—[but] not so much kicking stuff out there.”
Syro is due out September 23rd through Warp Records.
