Aphex Twin
Come To Daddy Ep

Do not watch it...
Do not stare into its eyes...
Do not dare to cast your gaze upon it...
It wants to devour your soul, and it wants it now.

In the hands and especially in the mind of Richard D. James (known to most by the name of his famous project Aphex Twin), one never knows what will become of the soul of music.

This EP, released in 1997, encompasses eight tracks in which one can sense the musical hell and paradise of one of the greatest contemporary artists: pieces capable of torturing the mind without leaving you a moment of peace, and others that will cradle you, transporting you to ethereal and beautiful atmospheres.
Listening to the music of "Come To Daddy Ep" is akin to dealing with a psychotic madman: smiling, speaking with you amicably, yet observing you with bloodshot eyes, holding a cleaver behind his back.....

The torture begins and it bears the name "Come To Daddy (Pappy Mix)": a small gem of electronic schizophrenia. Aphex Twin seizes our souls, and like an exalted devil, shapes them to hardcore-flavored beats, making this piece a continuous descent into a modern and deformed hell... too late when we realize we are chained and made entirely similar to our master.
But already our soul flies elsewhere, seeking in the sky a place to contemplate the world; "Flim", with its light and simple melody like a cloud, leads us gently toward new scenarios where the mind can reflect and relax.
In my opinion, these two pieces alone would suffice to effectively describe the music contained in the EP, an ambiguous music full of contrasts, and for this reason extraordinarily varied and effective.

The minutes roll by, but the scenarios painted by Aphex Twin are endless: "Bucephalus Bouncing Ball" plays with jagged melodies and thanks to the modulated sound of a bouncing ball will make your ears shoot from your head; with "Funny Little Man" you will dance along with many other curious little men, nodding your head and tapping your foot thanks to its lopsided groove, while "Iz-Us" bids farewell to our minds from beats and noises to embrace a sleep dominated by light touches of synth and drum machine...

Ambiguous, contradictory, and ready to deny what it affirmed two seconds earlier: this, in my opinion, is how to understand the art contained in "Come To Daddy Ep", which, along with other works, offers us a possible answer to the question of the greatness and brilliance of the English artist (of Irish origins). It is not just electronic, it is not just IDM, it is not just techno, it is not just ambient: Aphex Twin puts into music simply himself, finding in electronics a valid ally for enacting his personal sonic assault... and this is what makes him unique.

Now it's up to you to decide whether to let this madman of modern music devour your soul.

I hear a voice; it is time to go to daddy...
"I WANT YOUR SOUL
I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL..."