Listen Up
From mind-bending Aphex Twin to a sublime song by Diana Gordon, plenty of new music this week
Aphex Twin: T69 Collapse
From digitally-dressed Cornish architecture to throbbing manipulations of space and time, the Weirdcore-directed music video for Aphex Twin’s brilliant “T69 Collapse” swirls together various realities. As a visual accompaniment to the new track, it’s a true rhythmic partner. As a stand-alone work of art, it leaves a trail through layer after layer of allusion and reference. Both the video and underlying track offer a wild ride through the imagination of Aphex Twin (aka Richard D James) and it’s one that audiences, inside and out of his devout fan group, will have fun trying to decipher.
Diana Gordon: Thank You
Diana Gordon is back. A self-described “breakdown” in 2016 sparked change, Gordon was largely reclusive for the following year. No, she never “left”–she penned a few of the most famous lines on Beyonce’s Lemonade–but after experiencing largely commercial success under a different moniker, Wynter Gordon, she felt it was time to be truer to her roots. Though not a single from her new EP, “Thank You” is a vulnerable anthem about finding inner strength. Gordon’s roots are in R&B–penning hits for Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez–and she feels, and sounds, at home in the genre’s soundscape. Her self-released EP, Pure, is out now.
Matthew Dear: Bunny’s Dream
Matthew Dear has been releasing new tracks from his upcoming Bunny LP (out 12 October) for over a year, and today two more: “Echo” and “Bunny’s Dream.” The genre-spanning DJ/producer/vocalist once again blends pop and minimal electronic in the deliciously slow-burning seven-minute “Bunny’s Dream.” The song ebbs and flows effortlessly, punctuated by Dear’s echoing baritone and glitchy effects—the result being a sultry, synth-heavy, ultimately uplifting tune. Available for pre-order at Ghostly now, Bunny will be offered in a rainbow-splattered vinyl option.
A-Trak + Todd Terry: DJs Gotta Dance More
Two famous figures in DJing and productionA-Trak and Todd Terrycombine forces on “DJs Gotta Dance More.” In an ode to “the good old times” when DJs struggled to break onto the scene, Todd Terry tells tales of annoying his mother with his music, crate-digging, and finding one’s own style. The result is a funky spoken-word house hit. It’s out now on A-Trak’s label Fool’s Gold Records.
Tyler, The Creator + Kali Uchis: See You Again
Tyler, The Creator has just released the self-directed (under moniker Wolf Haley) video accompaniment to Scum Fuck Flower Boy standout “See You Again,” featuring Kali Uchis. The video is a jubilant, cinematic portrayal of the song’s duality—loud but carefully orchestrated. Though the song isn’t new, the video breathes new life into the tune that dropped just over a year ago; and, as the first minute of another of Tyler’s tracks “Where This Flower Blooms” closes out the video, his artistic vision comes full-circle as a swarm of bees—the focal point of the album’s cover—fades the screen to black.
What are your thoughts?