The catchily-titled track delivers everything you'd expect from Richard D James, and is a mishmash of addictive chords and chopped beats. Hear it above, read about it below.
minipops is not actually a new track - it has frequented James' sets for a while now, and has become a live favourite amongst fans. Now it's here properly, though - does it stand up to scrutiny away from the live setting?
Yes. James straddles the line between melodic and experimental music so well with much of his music, but he particularly excels at this with minipops. It has a slightly more accessible vibe to it, and is slightly reminiscent of Windowlicker in that respect. AT takes a single, enigmatic chord progression that is delightfully unsure as to its tonality, and somehow manages to make it interesting for the 4 minutes 47 seconds that it delights your ears by cleverly manipulating the various elements that surround it.
His drum work has always been superb, and minipops is no exception. Beats are skipped, misplaced, and generally mixed up to give an air of uncertainty. Just as things start to become familiar, you can be sure that James will throw in some sort of rhythmical surprise to keep things rolling along.
And of course, it wouldn't be an Aphex Twin release if there wasn't something slightly sinister about the whole thing - as it so often does, in minipops this comes from the strange, distorted vocal samples employed liberally throughout. Make no mistake - this is no radio friendly pop song.
minipops does begin to become slightly stale in its second half, following an excellent breakdown where elements are exposed and get to shine individually. It's not unenjoyable, but it does start to slightly run out of steam towards the end.
But overall, minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix] will delight fans who have spent 13 very long and arduous years waiting for new material from their idol. It's a fantastic track, and a breath of fresh air in an all-too generic landscape of manufactured music. It certainly makes us excited to see what the rest of James' album has in store when it arrives later this month.
The Octopus' Rating: 7/8
Release Details:
Name: minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]
Artist: Aphex Twin
Label: Warp Records
Release Date: 4 September [OUT NOW]
Purchase: Album Pre-Order (Track instantly downloads)
Writer, musician, and all-round top guy. I set up Excited Octopus. Currently, I'm on a one man team. It gets lonely sometimes. But I don't mind, because I love you all.
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