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Is Aphex Twin’s ‘minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix]’ the Song of the Summer?

PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 28: Aphex Twin performs on stage during day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival at the Grande Halle de La Villette on October 28, 2011 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Photo: Kristy Sparow/Getty

Although British electronic-music pioneer/Aphex Twin mastermind Richard D. James has promised the upcoming SYRO will be his “most accessible” album to date, the name of its first single (and the first piece of new music he’s released in 13 years) doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue: “minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix].” But don’t let the title scare you off — this is actually some of the most inviting music we’ve ever heard from this enigmatic and occasionally inscrutable producer. As “minipops” flows and burbles through an elegantly paced five minutes, it serves as a refresher of just how many electronic artists have picked up cues from James in the years he’s been silent: Four Tet, Caribou, even Daft Punk. James has teased the September 23 release of SYRO with some predictably mysterious high jinks (he flew an Aphex Twin blimp over London, then officially announced the album’s release … on the deep web), but this first track promises that — for once! — the album might turn out to be even be more interesting than the viral marketing campaign.

New Aphex Twin Song Is Actually Pretty Catchy