Kindohm - context retention floodplain (2026)

It was 2023, and I was still living near Barcelona. As every year, Sónar was approaching. I hadn't been particularly drawn to the festival for some time, but this edition had announced that Aphex Twin would open the night programme. I couldn't let that opportunity pass. I had never seen him perform, and the thought of finally experiencing his music live was too tempting.

I wasn't entirely confident things would go smoothly. Somehow, whenever I'm really looking forward to a concert, circumstances seem to conspire against me. This time, I invited my sister to come along. She had to travel from Cádiz, and, of course, she arrived late after getting confused with a train connection. We were still some distance from the venue as the set was about to begin, and I was getting increasingly nervous. I really wanted to be there from the start, to settle into the experience and follow the whole set. But, as usual, things didn't quite go to plan.

By the time we got inside, Aphex Twin had probably been playing for half an hour. The music was strange as hell, and the sound in that enormous hall was disorientating. The best spots were already taken, so I decided to stay in the middle of the dancefloor and immerse myself in whatever was happening.

After fifteen or twenty minutes of twisted rhythms, nostalgic melodies and all the other strange things you might expect from Aphex, I suddenly noticed a different kind of rhythm. Something that felt strangely familiar. I asked myself: no, surely that's not someone from EVEL. So why does this sound so familiar, and yet so unfamiliar at the same time?

As you probably know, Kindohm has a very distinctive approach to music. His way of composing and the tools he works with give his productions a character that is difficult to mistake. And then it hit me: was Aphex Twin actually playing Kindohm?

The thought stayed with me, although I wasn't completely sure I'd heard correctly. A few days later, the setlist appeared online, and there it was. I couldn't believe it. I really had heard Kindohm being played during that Aphex set.

Ever since I first discovered his music, I've wanted to have him on EVEL. Sometimes life brings you these unexpected moments, and today, that wish has finally become a reality.

With "context retention floodplain", you have before you one of the most original voices in electronic music, and a true master of his own language. I hope you enjoy the album and the ideas behind it as much as we do.

Thank you, Mike, for all these years of incredible music. It's a real honour to have you on EVEL.