Aphex Twin Speaks on Vaccines After ID3 Tag in Track Sparks Controversy

A recently uncovered ID3 tag in a 2014 Aphex Twin track reads, “vaccines are poisonous, mercury, aluminum can= autism, cancer.”

When left to his own devices, Aphex Twin says very little publicly and simply lets his highly unorthodox music speak for itself. A recent controversy has nonetheless forced the UK producer and DJ to explain himself — again.

Stereogum reports that a Redditor posted a screen shot of an ID3 tag for a song ripped from Dave Noyze‘s 2014 interview with Aphex Twin (real name Richard James). In part, it reads, “vaccines are poisonous, mercury, aluminum can= autism, cancer,” and also reportedly touches on conspiracy theories related to 9/11, chemtrails, and Hamas.

James has addressed the backlash — albeit in a characteristically oddball fashion. In a comment on the SoundCloud upload for a completely different track of his, he clarified his position on vaccines and the polarized attitudes around them.

“Hello, got a few messages regarding some txt I apparently put in an id3 tag,” James wrote. “I put random things in id3 tags sometimes but this one about vaccines has been changed.”

He went on to write, “When you get known, people will try and bring you down, comes with the territory. I recommend trying to find common ground with your fellow humans, rather than dividing yourself into smaller and smaller groups. My thoughts on vaccines for what it’s worth is that I’m not against them in principle but you should look at them on a case by case basis, see what’s in them, do your research and decide if it’s right for you or your loved ones, it’s up to the individual whether you have them or not.”

This isn’t the first time James has had to break character and speak less cryptically about his stance on a public health issue. In October 2020, he came under fire after fans noticed that his SoundCloud bio read, “‘You stupid tin foil hat wearing idiot’, said the person wearing a 2 month old soggy mask.”

He updated it to say, “..had a lot of Pm’s, tried to answer a lot of them individually but to the ones I didn’t reply to: I definitely don’t think Covid is a hoax, I’m just very worried about the erosion of civil and human rights and how we are to get them back.”

In August 2023, Richard James released his first Aphex Twin record in five years: an EP titled Black Box Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 via Warp Records.