Electronic musician Aphex Twin has dropped two unexpected tracks on his SoundCloud account, appearing as alternate versions of the same song. The uploads, titled ‘Zahl am1 live track 1’ and ‘Zahl am1 live track 1c f760m1 unfinshd’, arrived on November 27. Richard D. James, the artist behind the moniker, shared details about the tracks' origins and mixing process.
Release Details
Aphex Twin, the alias of Richard D. James, uploaded the two tracks to his SoundCloud profile under the username user18081971. Both feature cover images of the artist with his partner at sea, one noting a recent trip to Sicily, Italy. The descriptions highlight fan requests for the material, which dates back a few years, and mention mixing on a device called the Zähl.
“Got many requests for this one from a few years back,” James wrote for one version. For the unfinished mix, he added: “Italy, pic with my love from Sicily recently. Need sun, relentlessly raining in the UK. Mixed down on the Zähl, think there are better mixes, will upload them if I find them.”
Background and Recent Activity
This surprise drop follows Aphex Twin's 2024 compilation ‘From The Merch Desk (2016-2023)’, which collected vinyl-exclusive tracks from his live shows. An expanded edition of his 1994 album ‘Selected Ambient Works II’ was released in October to celebrate its 30th anniversary. His last full studio album, the Grammy-winning ‘Syro’, came out in 2014.
In 2025, James has collaborated with streetwear brand Supreme, creating a playlist of nearly 200 low-tempo tracks and contributing to their Spring/Summer collection. Items include t-shirts featuring the artwork from his 1999 track ‘Windowlicker’, along with jackets, hats, jerseys, work gloves, and a coin knife.
The new tracks continue Aphex Twin's pattern of unannounced releases, keeping fans engaged with his experimental electronic sound.