#Culture

Aphex Twin takes his latest release to the next level with an augmented reality app

By Constancia Moreno

August 24, 2023

That Aphex Twin is a genius was already clear. But with his latest creation he has reinforced it even more, if that’s even possible. The artist has released a new augmented reality app to complement his latest EP. 

This peculiar proposal is called YXBoZXh0d2lu, which translates as “aphextwin” when decoded using Base64 binary to text encoding. Yes, we know this sounds as complicated to you as it does to us. But it is a clear reflection that creativity, around music and technology, is infinite.

The app is free and offers an “alternative world” of interactive augmented reality that is activated by scanning the artwork of Aphex Twin’s album ‘Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760‘ with your smartphone. The project has been developed by Japanese studio KALKUL with the help of visual artist Weirdcore.

The illustrations and visual effects range from cubes paired to the rhythm of the music, to mini cities within them. Endless possibilities at your fingertips. Aphex Twin presented YXBoZXh0d2lu for the first time at events such as Sónar Festival, where visitors were able to enter 3-meter cubic sculptures to discover details of the album. Undoubtedly, a way to turn the conventional into avant-garde and to demonstrate that the future of music is in his hands.