A Kickstarter campaign to collectively own a copy of an Aphex Twin album that only reached the test pressing stage has ended – with fans raising a total of over $67,000 (£40,000).

Working with the artist and his label, users of the We Are the Music Makers (WATMM) forum planned to buy a £5,000 test pressing of ‘Caustic Window’ from 1994 – distributing digital copies to those who support the campaign. Over 4000 people now have access to the previously unheard album.

The group launched their campaign last month (April) after a British record collector announced they were selling the record for $13,500 (£8,050). The seller claims that the release is one of five test pressings that were never released and that he was given the record by the electronic musician’s own Rephlex Records label in 1994. The seller claims Rephlex will never press the album itself.

Now the Kickstarter campaign has ended, the record will be put up for auction on eBay. A third of the profits will go to Aphex Twin (real name Richard James) and his Rephlex label as a royalty payment, a third will go to the Kickstarter contributors, and a third to a charity that they will all vote on.

Aphex Twin’s last full album was 2001’s ‘Drukqs’, although James has since released a number of EPs and recordings under various aliases.
[NME]