Fernando Corona is an understated cornerstone of the electronic underground. The Mexico-born, Spain-based artist started dabbling in music in the 1980s. He found his footing in the influential Nortec Collective before unveiling his Murcof alias in 2002, after moving from Tijuana to near Barcelona.

Murcof’s music is sparse, minimalist, electronica. Many of his compositions are founded on abstract, glitchy, sometimes complex electronic percussion. Harmonic and melodic influences come from classical music (modern classical music, musique concrète, holy minimalism, micropolyphony, baroque music, etc.), ambient music, drone music, berlin school synthesizer music, ethnic music and free improvisation.

Murcof’s new album, Twin Color, leans into a crunchy, motorik sound. “It’s not a new project because it appears under the Murcof banner,” Corona muses. “But it’s a slight departure from my usual aesthetics.” While his prior output has largely pulled from classical samples and billowing drones, his latest full- length is more experiment — at times even post-punk indebted. “Most of the sound sources come from actual synthesizers. That’s the most noticeable difference,” Corona says of Twin Color when asked about the album’s recording process. He found himself leaning on instruments from Dave Smith, Yamaha, and Kodamo, which he recorded to tape using his Tascam Portastudio. Letting instinct take the wheel, Corona says that the subtle stylistic shift on Twin Color was an unconscious decision.

Twin Color is also InFiné’s first collaboration with IRCAM, the legendary French institute devoted to pushing the boundaries of music and sound. A hotbed for musique concrète innovators like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Laurie Anderson, IRCAM is an important landmark in the history of electro-acoustic exploration and the avant-garde. IRCAM served a key role in formalizing Twin Color, providing a space for the project’s early performances and offering additional technological guidelines.

Twin Color stands out from the Murcof albums that came before it, but Corona ultimately views it as a return to his roots. It’s a reimagination of his techno pop origins, infused with the nuanced touch of a thoroughly seasoned innovator. He anticipates working with synthesizers again in the future, challenging his pre-existing process. Emerging from a period of midlife reflection, Twin Color retains the essence of a respected figure in the avant-garde landscape retooling convention.