Dezeen Magazine

Mysterious Aphex Twin logos appear in destinations across the world

Mysterious Aphex Twin logos appear in destinations across the world

Illustrations of electronic musician Aphex Twin's logo have been spotted in locations across the world, to announce his new EP Collapse.

The logo has emerged in London's Elephant and Castle underground station, at an intersection in Manhattan, at the flagship for record store Amoeba Music in Los Angeles, on a garage door in Turin, and on a music store's signage in Tokyo.

The London-based producer, whose real name is Richard David James, is recognised for his amorphic logo – created by graphic designer Paul Nicholson – that vaguely resembles the letter "A".

The appearance of the most recent illustrations has fuelled speculation by fans of a new album, which James's label Warp Records confirmed today, 6 August, in a cryptic Twitter post.

Mysterious Aphex Twin logos appear in destinations across the world
The Hollywood illustration seems to be carved into multiple layers of ivy

The Elephant and Castle illustrations were spotted on facing sides of a platform's walls at the station. Featuring a three-dimensional effect, the logos appear to have been carved through multiple layers of underground tiles.

Elsewhere, the Hollywood illustration seems to be carved into multiple layers of ivy, while the logo spotted in Turin, where Aphex Twin is scheduled to headline Club to Club Festival in November, gives the illusion of being etched onto a metal sliding door.

Originally conceived in 1991, the Aphex Twin logo was hand-drawn by Nicholson using circle templates and rulers. Speaking to music platform Resident Advisor, Nicholson said the logo was inspired by an etching James scratched onto the back of a leather travel case 26 years ago.

"I know that Richard wanted something that was very amorphic and soft form. He didn't want any sharp lines and liked that way that I was working," he explained.

"Within the music industry, there's a freedom and willingness for cutting edge and experimental artwork that you don't get in most areas of design," he continued.

Mysterious Aphex Twin logos appear in destinations across the world
The logo spotted in Turin gives the illusion of being etched onto a metal sliding door

First appearing on the album cover for Selected Ambient Works 85-92 in 1992, the logo has been used in recent years to hint at upcoming activity by the musician.

Ahead of the release of his 2014 album Syro, the logo was seen spray-painted on pavements in New York, while a bright green blimp emblazoned with the symbol was flown over London and Manhattan.

Elsewhere, Dezeen spoke to Icelandic musician Björk on the designs of her "magically utopian" sets and costumes, while musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto have recorded their latest album inside Philip Johnson's Glass House.