Aphex Twin has warned fans against living in a “police state” and opened up on the loss of his father in a new note posted online.
The acclaimed producer, real name Richard James, posted in the Soundcloud bio of user user18081971 – which is widely believed to be his account.
“Huge heartfelt condolences to anyone grieving right now, I lost my father recently and it’s been really tough, it was not related to C19 [COVID-19],” he wrote in the note.
James’ father previously made cameos in the musician’s work – including his vocal samples on ‘4’ and ‘Lornaderek.’
He added: “When you are presented with C19 statistics, you must demand whether the figures reflect people who have died WITH C19 or FROM C19. Please do not forget this.”
Opening up on the concept of a “police state”, James said: “When police carry out wishes from government, without any law being in place, you are living in a police state and it is no longer a democracy. When you are held under house arrest, when no crime has been committed, you are living in a police state and it is no longer a democracy. You didn’t think this could happen did you? Do you know what rights you could lose next, can you guess? You have been warned.”
The last release from the reclusive producer came in 2018’s ‘Collapse’, which NME described as an “excellent, deconstructionist addition to a musical canon like no other.”
In a four-star review, Tom Connick wrote: “‘Collapse’ is Aphex Twin at, arguably, his most interesting – as a mutating electronic mastermind, his work at once intricate and immediate. Perhaps it’s those aforementioned Soundcloud dumps clouding the timeline, but it also feels like his most essential release in years.”