The enigmatic and at times odd Richard David James, better known as Apex Twin, shocked the world when he released an album this year after being silent for the previous 13. Using some rather ingenious marketing techniques, including an Aphex Twin Blimp over the London skies and Aphex Twin logos graffitied onto the streets of New York. The release of Syro has impressed his fans and music critics alike, earning plaudits and landing in the top spots of most end-of-year rankings. In honor of his 2014 and the 25th anniversary of Groove magazine, he fielded 25 questions from other highly touted DJs, including Skrillex, Caribou, Ben Klock and Richie Hawtin and answered them in kind. Below are some of the highlights, via FACT.
4. Mate Galic: How did you switch from using hardware to using software for making music — and maybe back again? Has that changed the way you write music?
... But I've actually recently hired a Chinese programmer to make a music software for me. It's taking the concept of mutation into music software. You give the program some sounds you made and then it gives you six variations of it and then you choose the one you like most and then it makes another six and it kind of keeps trying, to choosing the variations by itself. It's a bit like that, but more advanced, but basically it starts with a sound, analyzes it, then does different versions of variations. It randomizes, it compares all of them to the original and then it picks the best one. It sounds totally awesome, but it needs to be tweaked a little bit. I will continue with this. I have a whole book full of ideas for software and instruments.
6. Caribou: Are you ambitious? If so, toward what end?
I'm trying to do the best thing imaginable — that's my ambition. And I try this by making music. When you make music and you listen to it, it changes you and then it gives you an idea of something new to do. It's a constantly evolving process. Every time you make music, if you're on form, you should be imaging what you want to hear, which is basically how you want it to be.
13. Nicolas Jaar: Have you ever had a ghost, a spirit or an accident speak directly to you through making music or while making music?
Yeah, I always felt a presence or something, I don't know what it is, maybe it's just a human condition, but it always feels like the gods are looking on us and are like, "Ah, let's make him do this." And it's really weird, because the other day I got stoned and went to bed, and I had the biggest intense feeling of someone watching over me.
25. Luciano: What are your thoughts on the explosion of EDM worldwide, but especially in the U.S., and all those massive LED light shows with only one guy performing on a stage?
It's fine. I actually don't care what people are doing. I just care about what they're actually playing. It doesn't feel related to anything I'm doing. This guy Skrillex, I've only heard about his tracks, because my kids played them. It sounds like he has a good grasp of technology. I think it's pretty poppy, isn't it? It's too poppy for me.
Bonus Question. Skrillex: Do you still own your tank and, if so, can I come visit you, try it out and drive it?
He can come, yeah! It's still at my sister's house in Wales. It still works! Amazing old technology, when things were designed and they lasted forever. So, it's 50 to 60 years old and it sounds f--king amazing.
