Everyone else has called this Drukqs in EP form, a seemingly self-conscious release in response to everyone who thought Syro – released 4 months earlier – was too safe (raises hand).

Except, this is nothing like Drukqs, and if it weren’t for the short interludes (“snar2,” which is a snare drum solo; “piano un1 arpej,” which could have been a Yes instrumental from Fragile; “disk aud1_12,” which exists and that’s all I can say about it; “0035 1-Audio,” which ends as soon as it establishes its groove), and the piano piece “piano un10 it happened,” no one would be saying that. In fact, since all of this is so groove-centric, it’s actually safer than Syro, not that that’s a negative thing. What is a negative thing, however, is how inconsequential most of this is, partly because Aphex Twin’s own restrictions on which instruments he uses (piano and drums, and piano detuned to not sound like pianos, and, in the case of “DISKPREPT1”, children’s vocals buried somewhere in there). I like the second half of “disk hat ALL prepared1mixed 13” where the piano weaves itself in and out of the drumming, especially as the groove picks up; “diskhat1,” where he makes a riff – yes, riff – out of a detuned piano, alternating between low and high, punctuating the drums; “DISKPREPT4,” where he juxtaposes the low growl of the piano with the opposite end of the spectrum.

B