Pitchfork

Mystery is Aphex Twin's bread and butter. He who is known to his mother as Richard D. James hasn't released an album under the Twin moniker since 2001's Drukqs. While he'll own up to his AFX work, James may or may not be responsible for that Tuss EP. And aside from the websites of his labels Rephlex and Warp and a six-year-old Drukqs micro-site, he has no real web presence of which to speak.

And yet, the guy expects to come waltzing back into our lives like nothing ever happened when he plays four European shows in December. Whatever, mister, you've got a lot of explaining to do! Is that lipstick on your collar?

James' first show goes down December 1 in Rome, but, in keeping with the mystery, no one knows where quite yet. The one date we previously reported is his appearance at the Portishead-curated edition of All Tomorrow's Parties' Nightmare Before Christmas festival, which takes place in Minehead, England from December 7-9.

Dates:

12-01 Rome, Italy - TBA
12-07 Manchester, England - Warehouse Sessions *
12-07-09 Minehead, England - Butlins Holiday Centre (ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas)
12-14 The Hague, Netherlands - Paard (State-X New Forms Festival)

* with Luke Vibert