Music from the Merch Desk (2016–2023) is a compilation album by British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James, released under the alias of Aphex Twin. The album was released without announcement on 17 December 2024 through Warp Records. The album is made up of a number of James' tracks released on vinyl at his live performances which were not previously available on streaming services. The cover art originated from a bootleg T-shirt, which was eventually resold by Warp as official merchandise.
Background
All of the tracks on Music from the Merch Desk had been previously released at James' live performances between 2016 and 2023 as limited edition vinyl records.[1][2][3][4] These limited edition vinyl releases started at James' performance at Day for Night, with a release titled Houston, TX 12.17.16.[5] Other such limited records were released at James' performances during 2017, 2019 and 2023 in London, 2019 in Manchester, and 2023 in Barcelona.[6]
Most of these releases, with the exception of Barcelona 16.06.2023 and London 19.08.2023 had been released digitally on James' webstore.[7][8] Tracks from an online-only EP James had released on his webstore, Orphans, were also included on the release.[9]
The artwork for the release was based on a bootleg T-shirt design.[10][11] This design was later re-used and sold by Warp during James' live performances as official merchandise.[12]
Music from the Merch Desk (2016–2023) has been described as electronic,[9][13]experimental[10] and dance.[11] In a review for The Guardian, John Doran discussed tracks such as "Nightmail", calling it a "late-90s hardcore battle weapon" and commenting on its "hypnotic vocal loop".[11] Doran commented on the track "T13 Quadraverbia N+3", saying it contained "very jolly, extremely flanged hyperpop". The review also noted the track "Soundlab20" and its resemblance to Syro, and "em2500 M253X" having resemblance to the composition of Drukqs.[11]
In a review for Pitchfork, Andrew Ryce commented on tracks such as "T20A ede 441", calling it "as hyperactive as something off Drukqs".[9] The track "rfc pt8", taken from Barcelona 16.06.2023, was described by Ryce as a "psychedelic acid odyssey".[9] "Nightmail" contains acid lines and "feverish" vocal loops, which Ryce compared to earlier music published by James under the AFX alias.[9] A review of the compilation by Alex Hudson of Exclaim! discussed tracks such as "T16.5 MADMA with nastya", calling it a "mellow" track and commenting on its use of reverb, reminiscent of Selected Ambient Works 85-92.[14] The "free time echoes" of "sk8 littletune HS-PC202" were also reminiscent of Selected Ambient Works Volume II, Hudson stated.[14]
Release
Music from the Merch Desk (2016–2023) was listed on streaming platforms on 16 December 2024,[15] before officially being released on 17 December 2024, with no prior announcement, through Warp Records.[16][17][13] The compilation was made available on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, making it the first time the tour material has been available on these services.[18][19]
Track listing
All tracks written and produced by Richard D. James.
Music from the Merch Desk (2016–2023) track listing
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