We heard yesterday that Aphex Twin was dropping a new EP, Collapse – the release of which was meant to premiere on TV network Adult Swim. However, it had to be cancelled for safety reasons after it failed to pass the Harding test for photosensitive epilepsy.
The premiere scrap was confirmed to Pitchfork, and Adult Swim’s Creative Director of On-Air Jason DeMarco added on Twitter that it would instead go online: “Didn’t pass the Harding test, so we will be premiering it online”, he told a Twitter follower.
A mysterious 3D poster campaign popped up at London’s Elephant & Castle tube station, Turin, New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo with Aphex Twin’s iconic logo, swirling rumours of an upcoming music drop. It was officially announced with a warped, circular press release from the artist’s label Warp Records. Collapse is Richard D. James’ first official release since the limited EP sold only at Field Day festival in 2017.
The Harding test is required by law to test for image sequences in television that would provoke photosensitive epilepsy. The condition affects around one in 4,000 people, and is triggered by flashing lights and moving patterns.
No word yet on the reshuffled release for Collapse.