Unboxing “Cheetah”

Unboxing Aphex Twin’s new Cheetah EP… Check it out: Good stuff.

https://youtu.be/Mn1pUbp0PZU

It’s no Ambient 1, but it’s good. I haven’t listened to it through good headphones, since I don’t have any, and haven’t played it over the stereo with any level of attention, but it’s good.

There’s a rather breathless review at Pitchfork, and Philip Sherburne has probably done some closer listening than I have. I’m way behind on writing and unboxing videos and photo stuff, so I’ll leave this here for now and maybe revisit later, or maybe not.

The EP came out on limited edition cassette tape… Cool, I guess. They’re all gone, but you can still find vinyl and CD and downloads all over.

Update: I’ve done some closer listening on the equipment that I have, and this rates among my favorite recent Aphex Twin releases. I’d put it up there with Ambient 1, near-enough. The Cheetah MS800 synthesizer with its modulating, phase-shifting thing produces some fascinating warbly tones, the beats are solid and not overly fast, and it makes for some pleasant work time  listening and some close evening relaxation.

If only it was a bit longer…

Concept
Content
Design
  • Concept: As a fan, pretty much anything from RDJ gets my attention, and an EP based around experiments with the Cheetah MS800 is as good a concept as any
  • Content: 2 longer Cheetah tracks and 2 snippets, plus 2 made (probably) with the Sequentix Cirklon that was used on some stuff on Syro… if only it was full-length
  • Design: great packaging, good design, and a sticker in the box? Who could ask for more?

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