Another act that we expect an uncompromising set from is Aphex Twin. A typical gig from this messer consists of a mangled drill and base interpretation of his back catalogue interspersed with the odd middle finger raised aloft to his unfortunate fans. The faithful land down at him expecting the usual punishment. He then astonishes everyone by playing one of the most revelatory straight up dance sets I’ve ever heard, replete with strange visuals and strobing lights. When one of my mates manages to pick his jaw off the ground, he remarks to me, “Aphex Twin is actually playing Aphex Twin music”. Richard D James has obviously come to terms with the fact that he has one of the richest back catalogues in modern electronica. He spins out one blinding masterpiece after another, with material from his Analord series, Drukqs and even the seminal Richard D James album getting a straight up airing. It is a revelation, and if it is an omen of what is to come, we are in for some serious treats.

I guess the folks at state magazine didn’t listen to the Twin’s live set at last year’s Coachella festival, which was pretty much a straight dance DJ affair.
I hope someone taped the Primavera Sound show!

Photo by Loreana Rushe @ State.ie magazine

Here is an interesting quote:

In recent years, Warp have faced a wider problem. Thanks to the resurgence of guitar bands, says Kirk, the bottom has fallen out of the market for electronica. Beckett insists he was getting bored with it as well. “I didn’t want to end up doing Now That’s What I Call Artificial Intelligence,” he says, explaining the thinking behind signing different types of electronic acts, such as Andrew Weatherall’s dub outfit Sabres of Paradise and Birmingham psychedelicists Broadcast.

However, when Warp signed Newcastle guitar band Maxïmo Park, purists were up in arms. “Everyone went, ‘How dare they?!’” says Beckett. He points to Warp’s roots in an indie record shop and suggests he has always just wanted the best music. That enthusiasm led Maxïmo Park to opt for Warp over majors who wanted to change their sound, as singer Paul Smith explains: “They’d say stuff like, ‘You could be the new Radiohead if you did this.’ We were worried about what was going to happen to our songs.”

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