Aphex Twin — the influential English producer born Richard D. James — appears to have quietly released a surprise compilation album, Music from the Merch Desk (2016 - 2023).
With little to no fanfare, the 38-track collection, compiling six limited edition vinyl-only releases initially sold exclusively at the titular merch table at concerts between the years of 2016 and 2023, was made available on Spotify yesterday (December 16).
Its arrival comes seven years to the date after the first of these original records, Houston, TX 12.17.16, was issued at Aphex Twin's first US performance in eight years as part of the Day for Night festival in Houston, TX.
Other sporadic releases stamped with the Warp Records logo came at various shows in London (2017, 2019 and 2023), Manchester (2019) and Barcelona (2023) over the years, selling out quickly, with scalpers inevitably trying to flip them online for insane prices.
Music from the Merch Desk (2016 - 2023) follows the October reissue of Selected Ambient Works Volume II. Give it a listen below.