Aphex Twin - Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt2

Lucky, then, that this collection is engaging and accessible enough to sate any inertia listeners may feel and settle them into step with its distinctive rhythm. This 27-minute EP is a sprightly, relatively light-hearted cousin of Syro, endowed with a similar fluidity but with a greater emphasis on groove. Funk and hip-hop influences are more readily apparent here than almost anywhere else in the Aphex canon; the opening three tracks alone are evidence enough of this. Elsewhere, we find atmospheric, unsettled jazzy interludes (“piano un1 arpej”), infectious Afrobeat-influenced percussion (“0035 1-Audio”, “hat5c 0001 rec-4”) and, best of all, a disarmingly beautiful piano piece (“piano un10 it happened”). The latter is the EP’s unlikely highlight; despite providing a dramatic change of direction, it is a brief but worthy addition to James’ catalogue of piano and prepared-piano studies (the most famous and accomplished member of which is 2001’s “Avril 14th”). Instead of jolting the flow of the record out of step with its abrupt shift from persistent groove to lush, impressionistic introspection, it serves as a welcome period of relaxation, away from the bounce and the click of the rest of the record.

There is nothing particularly new here; the left-field atmosphere and sinuous, twisting feel of the overall groove of the record frequently recall moments from Aphex classics such as Selected Ambient Works and The Richard D James Album. Neither does each track flow into the next with the same effortlessness as on those records, or indeed on Syro. But neither of these quibbles are particularly important; this feels like a collection of ideas and textures rather than an intentionally cohesive, fluid piece of work. Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt2 is no game-changer, but then that isn’t really the point. Even when operating within his own (admittedly wide) boundaries, Richard D James still manages to be one of electronic music’s most captivating producers, and even if this does not have quite the same effect on the listener as much of his other work, it still feels far more engaging and accomplished than a simple genre exercise.