Novation and Aphex Twin speculation builds – could it be an AFX Station?
More images, teases and a possible box-shot add to the speculation around Novation’s forthcoming collaboration with Aphex Twin’s Richard D. James.
AFX Station?
Closer examination of one of the images that Novation are using to tease their Aphex Twin collaboration reveals the partial word of “X STATION”. The front part of the word has been smudged into light speed as part of the design but if the lettering above it is anything to go by then the letter before it is an “F” giving us “FX STATION” but that doesn’t look like all of it.
The image is also peppered with synthesizer parameter references like it’s a schematic that has called through a temporal portal.
Then there’s a mysterious photo of a flattened product box taped to some scaffolding which seems to be a bit dubious.
It clearly says “AFX STATION” and we even get a little image of a synthesizer. The size of the box indicates something along the lines of the Bass Station II which is something they collaborated on in the past creating a new APF Mode on the ageing monosynth.
As to where the photo came from? It appears to be the back of an installation on display in the London Design Museum. Here’s a photo of the front which was posted to Reddit yesterday.
All very interesting.
What to expect
So what could this mean? It appears to be a new synthesizer of some kind. Novation did have a virtual analog synthesizer called the X-Station some time back so it could be a reinvention of something along those lines. Whatever it is it’s certainly a fun game and keeps us interested as we wait for the big reveal on the 20th October.