Named after a synth released in the eighties that was as cumbersome to use as it was unusual, Cheetah is the latest release by Richard D. James since his decade long hiatus ended with the release of Syro, one of my favourite albums of 2014.
Whereas Syro was a far more accessible record than drukQs before it and a majority of music released under the Aphex Twin banner, Cheetah is more of the same, with the majority of the EP either using the aforementioned Cheetah or the Cirklon sequencer in the second half.
Both of longer songs that use the Cheetah (CHEETAHT2 [Ld spectrum] and CHEETAHT7b) have similarities; the former is the most experimental on the EP with unusual, dragged out sequences and trippy flickers of edited synths. The latter uses similar pieces, but feels more chilled and relaxed, along with
Lead single CIRKLON3 [ Колхозная mix ] (formally heard as cheetah3 teac on the numerous Soundcloud accounts with a lower bit-rate and a different title) is the obvious highlight; it's incredibly catchy with a great bass and equally great layers of synths. CIRKLON 1 features similar credentials, it as a far slower tempo for the beat and allows the higher pitches of the synth to carry the song.
If you, liked me, fount the more accessible traits of Syro as welcome change, than the Cheetah EP is more of the same. Whilst there's some experimentation with different tempos and erratic beats, it's nowhere near as unusual as drukQs or earlier album cuts and instead, something much easier on the ears, but still sonically interesting and diverse enough to make Aphex Twin still, after thirty years, still one of electronic music's more interesting and consistently enjoyable artists.
8/10
H
@Retcon_Nation
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