New Aphex Twin Album, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 EP, Coming Jan 23rd

aphex-twin-computer-controlled-acoustic-instrumentsWarp Records has announced a new Aphex Twin EP, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt. 2.

The 14-track EP is due out January 23rd.

The EP, along with the recently released Syro, follow a decade long drought from the influential electronic fartist, Richard D. James.

James has previously talked about his interest in music robots. 

“‘I’ve got some electro-mechanical robots in one room and MIDI pipe organs in another room and a laptop setup in another room,” noted James in a recent interview.

“This guy called God [Godfried-Willem Raes] made me some drum robots recently. I’ve been playing with those, and it’s totally fucking awesome, the best toy imaginable. They’re really good robots, and I’ve had a lot of problems with ones before that weren’t very good. Then there’s Disklavier computer-controlled pianos, MIDI pipe organs, stuff like that – they’re real instruments, but they’re controlled by a computer.”

Here’s a NSFW video profile of Godfried-Willem Raes and his music robots. It’s NSFW! You’ve been warned!

No other details have been released.

Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 EP

Tracklist:

01. diskhat ALL prepared1mixed
02. 13
03. snar2( WAP375CD )
04. diskhat1
05. piano un1 arpej
06. DISKPREPT4
– – – – – – – – – –
07. hat 2b 2012b
08. disk aud1_12
09. 0035 1-Audio
– – – –
10. disk prep calrec2 barn dance ( s l o )
11. DISKPREPT1
– – – – – – – – – –
12. diskhat2
13. piano un10 it happened
14. hat5c 0001 rec-4

48 thoughts on “New Aphex Twin Album, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 EP, Coming Jan 23rd”

  1. Great to see hes staying active. Having said that, i am completely uninterested in “music robots”. I have no problem with music being played through artificial means (sequencing/midi etc), but having something physically played by a machine seems so… gimmicky.

    1. Why is using a MIDI-controlled acoustic instrument worse than using a MIDI-controlled synth or sampler?

      Not sure what your logic is there.

      It seems like using MIDI-controlled acoustic instruments would be an interesting option, because there would be interesting random variations in the sound.

    2. Not only that, it’s not even innovative or original. Pat Metheny already did the exact same thing about five years ago. The difference is Pat Metheny is actually a great guitar player while Aphex Twin just spams bleep bloops to his ignorant fanbase. I’m sure they will think this is the best new thing, since it’s unlikely they heard of Metheny. That’s not to say I like Metheney’s “Orchestrion Project” since it mostly just consists of him shredding over some mess of percussion. Sort of like a couple overclocked Chuck-E-Cheese drummers with a jazz professor thrown in…and frankly, I don’t expect Aphex Twin’s project sound any better, but I suppose it will sell many more copies.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPOqwisIy5g

      2. The only way for it to be good is to be the first? Dan deacon has a lot of midi acoustic piano as well and despite not being the first he made some interesting work with it.

      3. Wow your comment is not ignorant at all.

        “while Aphex Twin just spams bleep bloops to his ignorant fanbase.”

        You dont have to like Aphex’s music but don’t go throwing his entire fanbase under the bus like that.

        1. Well, everyone’s life experience is different I suppose but I find Aphex Twin fans tend to be very similar to Skrillex fans, but middle aged and British.

        2. That guy propably just isn’t teknofreak. Back in the days when I started to listen electronic music this kind of behaviour was common and I had to listen those comments daily basis. All classmates were into “heavy” or “rock’n roll” and they kept constantly yapping how anything where machines are used, is not music at all.

          Now couple decades later, one annoying comment in web is not ruining my day, things have gotten MUCH better over the years. Ppl. are more open minded. But there’s still some reminiscents of that behaviour around.

      4. Check your facts mate, Aphex already released music with musical robots way before Metheny on his Drukqs album in 2001, actually 10 years before Metheny!
        And that Orchestrion music is bland as hell imo anyway.

      6. Not sure how you can judge something as being original or not without even hearing it. lol!

        But dismissing any work with because someone has previously done something with the same technology or ideas is to be completely ignorant of music history.

        Bach may have conformed to the forms and styles of his time, but is remembered for his endless inventiveness. A composer like Philip Glass follows the traditional harmony of Bach’s time period, but his music sounds completely different, modern and immediately identifiable.

        And, suggesting that Metheny was first demonstrates ignorance of a tremendous history of robotic musicians – everything from orchestrions to Nancarrow’s works for player piano.

    3. RDJ said that he has a ton of material coming. im sure that this is just one of the things that he has coming out. I find it interesting, but not for everyone.

  3. This video should have have come with a NSFW tag… The dude gets butt naked… I like synths as much as the next guy but there is a limit… Watching old men swinging their tackle about is the limit.

    1. Sorry that “Here’s a NSFW video profile of Godfried-Willem Raes and his music robots. ” wasn’t clear enough. We’ve put it in bold to help people see it.

      1. No need to be bitchy and defensive. The NSFW was not clear enough, it was unexpected and I’m am glad I was not in an inappropriate setting when I saw it. To clarify NSFW tags are included in the title of the post not in the body of the post. I responded genuinely where you responded sarcastically… Must be nice feeling like such a hero.

        Was it bold earlier on or have you changed it since I posted. I think you have changed it.

  4. i am jealous because i would like to play with these kinds of toys, but alas i do not have the space or money to house a collection of music robots. richard d and godfried w are very lucky boys indeed.

  5. OK… some kind of warning might have been appropriate?

    I’m glad I wasn’t in work and watching that when a client came over!!

    Nice robots though!!!

    EDIT: Just spotted the NSFW in the text above… maybe bold or something would have made it a bit more obvious?

    1. What’s the problem with nudity? Gun shooting mayhem fine, nudity not? I’ll never get it. Other than that, damn nice experimentation grounds he has.

        1. Well, because that’s where people usually don’t complain, not at home nor at work… but show some guy doing the helicopter to control some modulation rate and off they go

          1. I see what you mean.

            Please don’t include me in your generalisation. I don’t watch that kind of stuff if I can possibly help it; it’s deeply upsetting.

            1. Gladly. I’m still trying to find someone complaining about a NSFW not being bold enough on a GI JOE clip or any action movie really 😀 And getting to Aphex, I can’t wait, had to relisten to drukqs, just the opening part of that makes curious what he might’ve come up with this time. And contrary to some, I pre-ordered Syro and did not regret it at all, so I’ll probably do it again.

              1. Oh… that kind of gun shooting mayhem – I thought you were talking about real world stuff. Now I see what you mean – it’s a good point!

                And yeah I’m really looking forward to this too, as I understand it, and this is potentially all complete and utter nonsense because there’s no way to know what is real or not, but from the interview he did recently these releases are all about getting older stuff done ages ago out before he moves on to releasing new stuff.

  9. I’m very glad to see Richard release something else so quickly. The pretense is interesting I suppose. I do sort of doubt it will be very good, since it’s at least not that high level synth programming wizardry we see from him other times.

  10. I’m excited … Afx is older now, he’s not a bratty genius kid whipping his programing out to show he’s an alpha technoist. Afx is doin what he does best and I think finally comfortable with his place in music history. He single handedly created a million types of music with every song he’s released. I like that he is entering a creative and open state in his art, I believe he’s doing exactly what he wants. That’s the afx I want to hear. He’s been a defining figure in music for so long, because he did it first. I think it’s great to hear afx indulge in his own interests and not what people expect or want to hear from him…I hope this next release is only the begining.

    1. The rumour mill says there’s ten works in the pipeline so your wish may very well come true!

      Then again, we all know what a prankster he is so anything could be true, or not, maybe? 🙂

  12. There are some people that always seem to search for excuses to get naked.
    I don’t really mind, but it is kind of pathetic.
    Obviously for non native speakers NSFW doesn’t mean anything.
    The robots project seems fun though…

    Aphex twin has released a couple of masterpieces back in his day (which is at least two more than what pat metheny has.)
    I found his last album syro to be really really disappointing, i hope this one is great
    but i am not going to pre-order as i did with syro.

  15. i liked the orchestrion, but it sounds much like Pat’s other works.
    could be much more adventurous to explore different sounds and techniques.

    Look forward to hearing new sounds from aphex twin.

  16. I would not call Aphex Twin’s type of music awful, but I do find it tedious. After trying to give it a serious listen, I switch it off with a shudder and reach hurriedly for the nearest Mozart.

  20. It’s the music itself that matters, not how it’s made. I don’t care if it is played by a master musician or a person who cannot read music notes – the same for what instrument or computerprogram is used. The genious is in the mind. Just how he/she uses sounds and how he/she gets to an endresult. To me electronic music opens a fantastic new playground with endlessly sounds compared by traditional instruments. I love both.

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