Music From The Merch Desk (2016-2023) [compilation]

  On 12/23/2024 at 8:59 PM, chim said:

Lazy as hell release, dig the cover though 

I feel like it’s more or less for the unobsessed. It feels like a nice stocking stuffer for the casuals who haven’t been tracking down every track from the SoundCloud event, interviews and exclusive vinyl hunts. This will appear in their Spotify feed for their bafflement/pleasure. But yeah your point still stands. It’s just a straight up ‘here’s all these tracks in order of release’ release. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Also digging the bootleg of a bootleg album art.

The artwork is from one of the shirts they sold at the merch desk last summer.

...which in turn Isa bootleg of a bootleg:

zt01 [sketch 1] looms way heavier now than I remember it. Such a killer track.

also, random but which song do you prefer more? Both bangers imo and feel strangely related (maybe it’s just the drums and the track titles)

Good point. I prefer the second one. Listening to them side to side, they do sound related. And it’s not just the title. It reminds me of how related the tracks from saw2 are. The tracks have similar ingredients but different moods. A strange dark sinister twisted  mood in zt01. And a dark sweet nostalgic (cute?) mood in z2t5. Those different moods are also on saw2. And I have the same preference there, btw.
Funny thing I realize now is how much I’m a creature with a hunger for certain moods. As despite the similarities, the mood makes all the difference for me. If the mood doesn’t fit, I’m kinda undecided on a track. Yeah, it’s good. But it doesn’t really have the feels I resonate with . Or I’m looking for. (Feel like I’m looking in a mirror right now )

  On 12/24/2024 at 6:15 AM, Satans Little Helper said:

Good point. I prefer the second one. Listening to them side to side, they do sound related. And it’s not just the title. It reminds me of how related the tracks from saw2 are. The tracks have similar ingredients but different moods. A strange dark sinister twisted  mood in zt01. And a dark sweet nostalgic (cute?) mood in z2t5. Those different moods are also on saw2. And I have the same preference there, btw.
Funny thing I realize now is how much I’m a creature with a hunger for certain moods. As despite the similarities, the mood makes all the difference for me. If the mood doesn’t fit, I’m kinda undecided on a track. Yeah, it’s good. But it doesn’t really have the feels I resonate with . Or I’m looking for. (Feel like I’m looking in a mirror right now )

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Word. I definitely am feeling similar vibes that you are with respect to both songs. Right now I’m feeling zt01 right now but that’s subject to change. As far as SAW 2 is concerned you know you’re in a better place when you’re feeling Lichen more than you are Rhubarb  

  On 12/24/2024 at 3:23 AM, psn said:

...which in turn Isa bootleg of a bootleg:

 

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Not confirmed whether or not this shirt was one of the ones available on William Montgomery’s Etsy shop.

@2:48

  On 12/24/2024 at 7:05 AM, Hail Sagan said:

Word. I definitely am feeling similar vibes that you are with respect to both songs. Right now I’m feeling zt01 right now but that’s subject to change. As far as SAW 2 is concerned you know you’re in a better place when you’re feeling Lichen more than you are Rhubarb  

Rhubarb is not such a bad place, is it? Sure, it sits nice on a playlist for a funeral. But it’s nowhere near the scary shit like #5/grass. Play that to your normy friends and they’ll think you’re weirdo hiding body parts in your fridge. Silence of the lambs style! 

I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest Aphex fan these days, but somehow I’ve actually got all of these tracks already. I guess I did periodically check this subforum, his SoundCloud, website etc. and grab new things whenever they emerged. 

  On 12/24/2024 at 8:34 AM, Satans Little Helper said:

Rhubarb is not such a bad place, is it? Sure, it sits nice on a playlist for a funeral. But it’s nowhere near the scary shit like #5/grass. Play that to your normy friends and they’ll think you’re weirdo hiding body parts in your fridge. Silence of the lambs style! 

Rhubarb is beautiful, as is Lichen. I just have always felt as though they had some sort of connection. Rhubarb kinda has a reflective and slightly somber feeling to it the way good memories sometimes do where Lichen sounds like emergence of something beautiful in the present. Man wtf am I talking about anymore. I need to log off lol. Also love Grass and listening to Tree as we speak. Some of my favorite works he has ever released. 

Sometimes I feel like the only one that thinks Rhubarb is boring/ uneventful

  On 12/23/2024 at 11:13 PM, DavieAddison said:

The artwork is from one of the shirts they sold at the merch desk last summer.

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Here’s the original discussion of the official bootleg of the Etsy bootleg shirts. Pure genius, Rich! 

  On 12/23/2024 at 11:04 PM, Hail Sagan said:

I feel like it’s more or less for the unobsessed. It feels like a nice stocking stuffer for the casuals who haven’t been tracking down every track from the SoundCloud event, interviews and exclusive vinyl hunts. This will appear in their Spotify feed for their bafflement/pleasure. But yeah your point still stands. It’s just a straight up ‘here’s all these tracks in order of release’ release. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Also digging the bootleg of a bootleg album art.

It's kinda nice to see on Spotify, I agree. And there's something very comfy & traditional about getting more Aphex on Christmas. I just don't know how much more evidence we need that the many machines dude has truckloads of drafts. Back when it was first rumored in magazines how he had hundreds of unreleased tracks, everyone imagined entire albums' worth of top grade insanity squared away on DAT tapes. Thankfully we now know there are no XMAS_EVE's hidden in that pile, most are wanky and experimental, some are pretty damn good (I just love the latest Matriarch joint), but a stark difference to feature tracks on the lp's. He can probably do this for the remainder of his career if he wants to, but it'd be kinda sad. 

comparing umils

42DIMENSIT3 e3 is great

  On 12/24/2024 at 3:44 PM, may be rude said:

comparing umils

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preposterous

Aphex Twin: Music From the Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) Album Review | Pitchfork lol

  On 1/9/2025 at 9:35 AM, thumbass said:

Aphex Twin: Music From the Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) Album Review | Pitchfork lol

  Quote

For everyone else, it’s a warts-and-all look at a musical genius in low-pressure mode—another bout of oversharing from an artist who once held his cards close to his chest.

interesting way of putting  it 

Finally got round to listening to this after the avalanche of work at Christmas. I'll take back what I said about some of these tracks not being top tier Aphex. What a treat for the ears. Total bananas tunes in here. Fantastic stuff and very happy to have it all in one place. Happy days.

Well said @beerwolf.. i stick it on random and just love the familiar/unfamilar suprises peppered everywhere.

  On 1/9/2025 at 10:46 AM, phudoshin said:

Well said @beerwolf.. i stick it on random and just love the familiar/unfamilar suprises peppered everywhere.

Yep, it's a great release and I also enjoy the peppering of styles throughout. Great way to start the year. 
 

Soundlab20 sounds like it was recorded around the same time as XMAS_EVE

MADMA!!!!!!!

  On 1/9/2025 at 4:55 PM, DavieAddison said:

Soundlab20 sounds like it was recorded around the same time as XMAS_EVE

Soundlab20 is several steps ahead of anything else on the comp, it's absolutely off the scale amazing

  On 1/10/2025 at 1:03 PM, Dragon said:

Soundlab20 is several steps ahead of anything else on the comp, it's absolutely off the scale amazing

agreed. while it's not my absolute fav track on this comp, it's certainly the most polished BY FAR.

album-worthy shit.