Aphex Twin | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Richard D. James, best known as Aphex Twin, is far and away one of the most celebrated and influential electronic musicians of all time. Since the release of his earliest EPs in 1991, James has constantly pushed the limits of what can be accomplished with electronic equipment, resulting in forward-thinking and emotionally engaging work that ranges from sublime, pastoral ambience (Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and its 1994 follow-up) to manic head-rush acid techno (1992s Digeridoo EP). Unlike most artists who emerged from the 90s techno scene, James established himself as a genuine personality, known for his cheeky grin (which graced the covers of releases like 1995s I Care Because You Do and 1996s Richard D. James Album) and his nightmare-inducing music videos (particularly 1997s "Come to Daddy" and 1999s "Windowlicker") as much as his groundbreaking albums and EPs. This helped expand his audience from ravers and critics to rock fans, with numerous non-electronic musicians citing him as an inspiration. His piano composition "Avril 14th" (from the divisive 2001 album Drukqs) gradually took on a life of its own through TV and film usage, and became his most widely heard piece. By the mid-2010s, he had infiltrated popular culture to the point that releases such as 2014s Syro and 2018s Collapse were preceded with elaborate promo campaigns involving sightings of the iconic Aphex Twin logo on blimps and billboards throughout major cities. James began taking apart electronics gear as a teenager growing up in Cornwall, England. (If the title Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is to be believed, it contains recordings made at the age of 14.) Inspired by acid house in the late 80s, James began DJing raves around Cornwall. His first release was the Analogue Bubblebath EP, recorded with Tom Middleton (who co-produced the hardcore track "En Trance to Exit") and released on the Mighty Force label in September 1991. Middleton left later that year to form Global Communication, after which James recorded a second volume in the Analogue Bubblebath series. This EP (the first to include "Digeridoo") got some airplay on the London pirate radio station Kiss FM, and prompted Belgiums R&S; Records to sign him early the following year. A re-release of "Digeridoo" made number 55 in the British charts just after its April 1992 release date, and James followed with the Xylem Tube EP in June. He also co-formed (with Grant Wilson-Claridge) his own Rephlex label around that time, releasing a series of singles as Caustic Window during 1992-1993. Available in cruelly limited editions, most of the recordings continued the cold acid precision of "Digeridoo" -- though several expressed humor and fragility barely dreamed of in the hardcore/rave scene to that point. The climate for "intelligent" techno had begun to warm in the early 90s, though. The Orb had proved the commercial viability of ambient house with their chart-topping "Blue Room" single, and R&S; founded an ambient subdivision called Apollo. In November 1992, James made his full-length debut with Selected Ambient Works 85-92, consisting mostly of home material recorded during the past few years. Simply stated, it was a masterpiece of ambient techno, the genres second work of brilliance after the Orbs Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. As his star began to shine, several bands approached him to remix their work, and he complied, with mostly unrecognizable reworkings of tracks by St. Etienne, the Cure, Jesus Jones, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Curve. Early in 1993, Richard James signed to Warp Records, the influential British label that virtually introduced the concept of futuristic "electronic listening music" with a series of albums (subtitled Artificial Intelligence) by ambient techno pioneers Black Dog, Autechre, B12, and FUSE (aka Richie Hawtin), among others. James release in the series, titled Surfing on Sine Waves, was recorded as Polygon Window and released in January 1993. The album charted a course between the raw muscle of James nosebleed techno and the understated minimalism of Selected Ambient Works. A deal between Warp and TVT gave Surfing on Sine Waves an American release (James first) by the summer. A second album was released that year, Analogue Bubblebath 3, for Rephlex. Recorded as AFX, the LP renounced any debt to ambient music and was the most bracing work yet in the Aphex Twin canon. On a tour of America with Orbital and Moby later that year, James clung to the headbanging material, to the detriment of his mostly irreplaceable gear. He later cut down on his live performance schedule. In December of 1993, the new single "On" resulted in James highest chart placement to that point, a number 32 spot on the British charts. The two-part single included remixes by old pal Tom Middleton (as Reload) and future Rephlex star µ-Ziq (Michael Paradinas). Despite James appearance on the pop charts, his following album, Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II, appeared to be a joke on the ambient techno community. So minimal as to be barely conscious, the quadruple album left most of the beats behind, with only tape loops of unsettling ambient noise remaining. The album hit number 11 on the British charts and earned James a major-label American contract with Sire soon afterward. During 1994, he worked on the ever-growing Rephlex stable, signing µ-Ziq, Kosmik Kommando (Mike Dred), and Kinesthesia/Cylob (Chris Jeffs) to the label. In August 1994, he released the fourth Analogue Bubblebath, this one a five-track EP. The year 1995 began with the January release of Classics, a compilation of his early R&S; singles. Two months later, James released the single "Ventolin," a harsh, appropriately wheezing ode to the asthma drug on which he relied. I Care Because You Do followed in April, pairing his hardcore experimentalism with more symphonic ambient material, aligned with the work of many post-classical composers -- including Philip Glass, who arranged an orchestral version of the albums "Icct Hedral" on the August 1995 single Donkey Rhubarb. Later that year, the Hangable Auto Bulb EP replaced Analogue Bubblebath 3 as Aphex Twins most brutal, uncompromising release -- a fusion of experimental music and jungle being explored at the same time on releases by Plug and Squarepusher. In July 1996, Rephlex released the long-awaited collaboration between Richard James and µ-Ziq. The album, Expert Knob Twiddlers (credited to Mike & Rich), watered down the experimentalism of Aphex Twin with µ-Ziqs easy listening electro-funk. The fourth proper Aphex Twin album, November 1996s Richard D. James Album, continued his forays into acid-jungle and experimental music. Retaining the experimental edge, but with a stated wish to make the British pop charts, James next two releases, 1997s Come to Daddy EP and 1999s Windowlicker EP, were acid storms of industrial drumnbass. The accompanying videos, both directed by Chris Cunningham, featured the bodies of small children and female models (respectively) dancing around, all with special-effects-created Aphex Twin faces grinning maniacally. James released nothing during the year 2000, but did record the score to Flex, a Chris Cunningham short film exhibited as part of the Apocalypse exhibition at Londons Royal Academy. With very little advance warning, another LP, Drukqs, finally arrived in late 2001. One of James most polarizing releases, it has nonetheless produced one of his most enduring compositions, the delicate piano piece "Avril 14th," which has appeared in several films and television programs in addition to being sampled by Kanye West. Although James continued making frequent DJ appearances, he released no more material until 2005, when Rephlex issued the first installment in a lengthy, 11-part series of 12" singles titled Analord. The singles minimalist acid techno harked back to his Caustic Window/Analogue Bubblebath material of the early 90s. Chosen Lords, a CD compilation of some of the Analord material, appeared in April 2006. James continued to DJ and play live, and in 2009 the Rushup Edge LP appeared under the performer name of the Tuss; although James and Rephlex denied that it was his work, rumors persisted that it was yet another Aphex pseudonym. Additional rumors during the late 2000s promised releases from James, but they proved unfounded. However, in 2014, an extremely rare acetate of a shelved 1994 Caustic Window album was auctioned for sale, bought via a crowdfunding campaign, and distributed digitally to the contributors. The physical copy was then bought by the creator of the popular video game Minecraft for over $46,000, with the money split between James, the contributors, and a charity. That August, a green blimp sporting the Aphex Twin logo was spotted flying over London; by the end of the following month, Warp released Syro, the first Aphex Twin album in over a dozen years. Syro went on to win a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Only three months later, James uploaded over 30 previously unreleased recordings available as a free download. In early 2015, Warp issued an EP, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments, Pt. 2. Later that year, after James uploads of free tracks exceeded 100, the producer revived his AFX alias for another Warp EP, the more substantive Orphaned Deejay Selek 2006-2008. He eventually took the freebies down, but at least one of them surfaced on his next EP, 2016s Cheetah. Rare live performances followed into 2017, with bread crumbs scattered for fans via in-store-only record sales and an online store. In the summer of 2018, James kicked off another mysterious street advertising campaign. The Aphex Twin logo was found in London, Turin, and Los Angeles, but no further details were provided. That September, he released the Collapse EP, which featured the glitchy single "T69 Collapse." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 21 Title: Digeridoo Released: 1992-01 Tracks: 4 Duration: 25:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Digeridoo (07:11) 2 Flaphead (06:41) 3 Phloam (05:33) 4 Isoprophlex (06:23) |
 | Album: 2 of 21 Title: Xylem Tube EP Released: 1992-06-01 Tracks: 4 Duration: 22:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Polynomial‐C (04:46) 2 Tamphex (Headphuq mix) (06:31) 3 Phlange Phace (05:02) 4 Dodeccaheedron (05:48) |
 | Album: 3 of 21 Title: Selected Ambient Works 85–92 Released: 1992-11-01 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:14:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Xtal (04:54) 2 Tha (09:07) 3 Pulsewidth (03:48) 4 Ageispolis (05:23) 5 i (01:17) 6 Green Calx (06:05) 7 Heliosphan (04:53) 1 We Are the Music Makers (07:43) 2 Schottkey 7th Path (05:08) 3 Ptolemy (07:14) 4 Hedphelym (06:03) 5 Delphium (05:36) 6 Actium (07:36) |
| Selected Ambient Works 85–92 : Allmusic album Review : One of the indisputable classics of electronica, and a defining document for ambient music in particular, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is Richard D. James earliest and most fully realized achievement. Reputedly created on homemade equipment deconstructed from standard synthesizers, the music within takes its cue from club beats and the techno rhythms of rave and acid-house culture. Upon these foundations, however, Aphex Twin weaves melodic tapestries of great subtlety, beauty, and atmospheric texture. "Tha," for example, contains a muted bass-drum pulse that becomes the center for evolving patterns of sound -- a kind of aural mandala. The more driving rhythm of "Heliosphan" also gives rise to the ethereal play of melody. Several tracks, such as "Schottkey 7th Path" and "Hedphelym," have a tense, telescoping ambience that evokes paranoia and a sense of gravity-free floating at once. Other selections show Aphex Twin working more firmly in the techno-dance idiom, but even these display a complexity, elegance, and delicacy rarely heard in the genre. This landmark recording is one of the essential building blocks of any electronica collection. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 21 Title: On Remixes Released: 1993-11-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 33:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 On (D-Scape mix) (10:42) 2 On (Reload mix) (07:07) 3 On (μ-Ziq mix) (08:44) 4 On (28 mix) (06:53) |
 | Album: 5 of 21 Title: On Released: 1993-11-15 Tracks: 4 Duration: 24:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 On (07:12) 2 73-Yips (04:19) 3 D-Scape (06:58) 4 Xepha (05:46) |
 | Album: 6 of 21 Title: Selected Ambient Works, Volume II Released: 1994-03-07 Tracks: 25 Duration: 2:46:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 [Cliffs] (07:27) 2 [Radiator] (06:34) 3 [Rhubarb] (07:44) 4 [Hankie] (04:39) 5 [Grass] (08:55) 6 [Mould] (03:27) 7 [Curtains] (08:51) 8 [Blur] (05:08) 1 [Weathered Stone] (06:54) 2 [Tree] (09:58) 3 [Domino] (07:18) 4 [White Blur 1] (02:40) 5 Blue Calx (07:15) 6 [Parallel Stripes] (08:00) 7 [Shiny Metal Rods] (05:33) 8 [Grey Stripe] (04:45) 9 [Z Twig] (02:05) 1 [Windowsill] (07:16) 2 [Stone in Focus] (10:05) 3 [Hexagon] (05:57) 4 [Lichen] (04:15) 5 [Spots] (07:09) 6 [Tassels] (07:30) 7 [White Blur 2] (11:27) 8 [Matchsticks] (05:39) |
| Selected Ambient Works, Volume II : Allmusic album Review : Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II is a more difficult and challenging album than Aphex Twins previous collection. The music is all texture; there are only the faintest traces of beats and forward movement. Instead, all of these untitled tracks are long, unsettling electronic soundscapes, alternately quiet and confrontational; although most of the music is rather subdued, it is never easy listening. While some listeners may find this double-disc album dull (both discs run over 70 minutes), many listeners will be intrigued and fascinated by the intricately detailed music of Aphex Twin. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 21 Title: Classics Released: 1994-12 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:14:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Digeridoo (07:11) 2 Flaphead (07:00) 3 Phloam (05:33) 4 Isoprophlex (06:23) 5 Polynomial‐C (04:46) 6 Tamphex (Headphuq mix) (06:31) 7 Phlange Phace (05:22) 8 Dodeccaheedron (06:08) 9 Analogue Bubblebath 1 (04:46) 10 Metapharstic (04:33) 11 We Have Arrived (Aphex Twin QQT mix) (04:23) 12 We Have Arrived (Aphex Twin TTQ mix) (05:06) 13 Digeridoo (live in Cornwall, 1990) (06:21) |
| Classics : Allmusic album Review : Arguably Richard James first full-length CD, comprised of various EPs from the early 90s when he was experimenting on his homemade electronic gear and cranking out material that surpassed the work his peers were putting out. Because of the nature of this re-release to CD, the tracks dont always flow from one to the next, but if you want a dense collection of his groundbreaking earlier work, this release will satisfy both the uninitiated and fans alike. Few others knew how to bend the rules of electronic music quite the way James does, and this skill bleeds into present day because he sets the standard for what is always on the horizon. He can turn an atonal collection of sounds into something that transcends the dancefloor, and therefore many of the pieces here require the listeners full attention. His imitable and straightforward track "Digeridoo" finally gets to CD not once but twice, both as the original recording and later as a live version recorded in Cornwall in 1990. Other standouts include "Isopropanol" and "Analogue Bubblebath 1," which are also available on the widely available EP Analogue Bubblebath 1 by AFX (one of his many surnames). "Isopropanol" is ominous and relentless, but also hints at his playful side. Another standout is "Polynomial-C," which sounds like a dance-friendly version of the old COSMOS theme with the same steady rhythm of "Digeridoo." Also here are two early remixes of "We Have Arrived" (credited to "The Mover"), which hint at some of the type of blistering rearranging work he would later do for Nine Inch Nails. Collectors will revel in this disc, and others will simply wonder what just happened to them. Either way, its worth adding to the shelf. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 21 Title: Ventolin EP Released: 1995-03-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Ventolin (Salbutamol mix) (05:46) 2 Ventolin (Praze-An-Beeble mix) (03:21) 3 Ventolin (Marazanvose mix) (02:10) 4 Ventolin (Plain-An-Gwarry mix) (04:37) 5 Ventolin (The Coppice mix) (04:35) 6 Ventolin (Crowsmengegus mix) (05:52) 7 Ventolin (Wheeze mix) (07:14) 8 Ventolin (Carharrack mix) (02:53) 9 Ventolin (Probus mix) (04:15) 10 Ventolin (Cylob mix) (05:06) 11 Ventolin (Deep Gong mix) (06:21) 12 Ventolin (Asthma Beats mix) (01:40) |
 | Album: 9 of 21 Title: …I Care Because You Do Released: 1995-04-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:03:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Acrid Avid Jam Shred (07:38) 2 The Waxen Pith (04:49) 3 Wax the Nip (04:18) 4 Icct Hedral (edit) (06:07) 5 Ventolin (video version) (04:29) 6 Come On You Slags! (05:44) 7 Start as You Mean to Go On (06:05) 8 Wet Tip Hen Ax (05:17) 9 Mookid (03:51) 10 Alberto Balsalm (05:10) 11 Cow Cud Is a Twin (05:33) 12 Next Heap With (04:43) |
| …I Care Because You Do : Allmusic album Review : James most consistent work, I Care Because You Do fuses his earlier hardcore techno days with the smooth rhythm and atmosphere of his ambient work, often on the same song. "Ventolin" is one of the harshest singles ever recorded; the orchestrated closer "Next Heap With" is the highlight of the album. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 21 Title: The Freebase Connection Released: 1996-07 Tracks: 7 Duration: 34:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Freebase (original version) (02:42) 2 Debase (Soft Palate) (05:50) 3 Rebass (03:52) 4 MFP Chunks (06:23) 5 Pound Your Ironing Board (05:15) 6 Freebass (Cocaine Donut) (05:41) 7 Freebassix (05:01) |
 | Album: 11 of 21 Title: Girl/Boy EP Released: 1996-08-19 Tracks: 9 Duration: 21:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Girl Boy (NLS mix) (04:52) 2 Milk Man (04:09) 3 Inkey$ (01:24) 4 Girl/Boy (£18 Snare Rush mix) (01:57) 5 Beetles (01:31) 6 Girl/Boy (Redruth mix) (01:37) 7 milkman instrumentil (01:35) 8 milkman bonus beets (01:33) 9 growth inst. [blonder]+6,ru (02:37) |
 | Album: 12 of 21 Title: Richard D. James Album Released: 1996-11-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 32:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 4 (03:37) 2 Cornish Acid (02:14) 3 Peek 824545201 (03:05) 4 Fingerbib (03:48) 5 Carn Marth (02:33) 6 To Cure a Weakling Child (04:03) 7 Goon Gumpas (02:02) 8 Yellow Calx (03:04) 9 Girl/Boy Song (04:52) 10 Logan Rock Witch (03:33) |
| Richard D. James Album : Allmusic album Review : Perhaps inspired by the experimental drumnbass being created by Squarepusher (a recent signee to his Rephlex label), Richard D. James third major-label album as Aphex Twin was his first to work with jungle -- though, to his credit, he had released the breakbeat EP Hangable Auto Bulb almost a year earlier. Contemporaries Orbital and Underworld were beginning to incorporate moderate use of drumnbass in their work as well, but this album was more extreme than virtually all jungle being made at the time. The beats are jackhammer quick and even more jarring considering what is -- for the most part -- laid over the top: the same fragile, slow-moving melodies that characterized Aphex Twins earlier ambient works. Most overtly disturbing is "Milkman," the first straight-ahead vocal track from Aphex Twin; the song is a child-like ode that gradually deteriorates into a bizarre fantasy concerning the milkmans wife. With all the Aphex Twins curious idiosyncracies, though, Richard D. James Album is a very listenable record and a worthy follow-up to I Care Because You Do. [The American issue features the English EP "Girl/Boy."] | ||
 | Album: 13 of 21 Title: Come to Daddy Released: 1997-10-16 Tracks: 8 Duration: 33:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Come to Daddy (Pappy mix) (04:21) 2 Flim (02:57) 3 Come to Daddy (Little Lord Faulteroy mix) (03:50) 4 Bucephalus Bouncing Ball (05:45) 5 To Cure a Weakling Child (Contour Regard) (05:10) 6 Funny Little Man (03:58) 7 Come to Daddy (Mummy mix) (04:24) 8 IZ-US (02:56) |
 | Album: 14 of 21 Title: 51/13 Aphex Singles Collection Released: 1998-11-17 Tracks: 12 Duration: 51:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 On (06:52) 2 Pancake Lizard (04:31) 3 Ventolin (Crowsmangegus mix edit) (01:41) 4 Ventolin (Cylob mix) (05:06) 5 Donkey Rhubarb (05:58) 6 Ventolin (Deep Gong mix) (06:21) 7 73-Yips (04:15) 8 Icct Hedral (Philip Glass Orchestration) (07:56) 9 Ventolin (Marazavose mix edit) (03:21) 10 Ventolin (Asthma Beats mix) (01:43) 11 Ventolin (Carharrack mix) (02:53) 12 Respect List (00:38) |
| 51/13 Aphex Singles Collection : Allmusic album Review : This Australian disc basically collects tracks from two Warp singles ("Ventolin," "Donkey Rhubarb") released by Aphex Twin during 1995. Besides the memorable A-sides, there are four remixes of "Ventolin" and the Philip Glass orchestration of "Icct Hedral." Its not quite the greatest-hits compendium that Aphex Twin needs, but it works well for trainspotting fans. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 21 Title: Drukqs Released: 2001-08 Tracks: 30 Duration: 1:40:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jynweythek Ylow (02:23) 2 Vordhosbn (04:51) 3 Kladfvgbung Micshk (02:06) 4 Strotha Tynhe (02:12) 5 Omgyjya-Switch7 (04:52) 6 Gwely Mernans (05:08) 1 Cock/Ver10 (05:18) 2 Bbydhyonchord (02:33) 3 Orban Eq Trx4 (01:35) 4 Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount (08:10) 5 Beskhu3epnm (02:10) 1 Aussois (00:12) 2 Hy a Scullyas Lyf a Dhagrow (02:14) 3 Kesson Dalef (01:19) 4 Avril 14th (02:05) 5 Gwarek2 (06:46) 6 54 Cymru Beats (06:06) 7 Btoum-Roumada (01:58) 8 Lornaderek (00:31) 9 Penty Harmonium (01:27) 10 Prep Gwarlek 3b (01:19) 11 Father (00:57) 12 Petiatil Cx Htdui (02:11) 1 Meltphace 6 (06:24) 2 Bit 4 (00:25) 3 Taking Control (07:14) 4 Ruglen Holon (01:49) 5 Afx237 V.7 (04:23) 6 Ziggomatic 17 (08:35) 7 Nanou 2 (03:24) |
| Drukqs : Allmusic album Review : Despite threatening retirement several times, in 2001 Richard D. James finally released another Aphex Twin record. But for all this record tells listeners, he may still be in retirement. Spreading 30 tracks (most with unpronounceable titles) across two discs, Drukqs sounds less like a major new statement from electronicas best producer than the results of a Sunday afternoons trawl through his hard drive for files he hasnt released before. Many songs here evoke the feel of recordings long since past, from the quiet ambient techno of his breakthrough, Selected Ambient Works 85-92, to the demonically extroverted programming of Richard D. James Album and the Come to Daddy EP. Stylistically, the record leans toward the later recordings, with many tracks here reprising the off-key melodies and overloaded drum programming of "Come to Daddy" or "Windowlicker." Theres also little rhyme or reason to the program; James veers directly from a drillnbass firestorm ("Cock/Ver 10") to a delicate piano piece à la Erik Satie ("Avril 14th") to an acid-techno burner ("Mt. Saint Michel Mix") with barely a glance backward for transition. Of course, aside from all the criticism, the previously unreleased musings of Aphex Twin are still far more intriguing and solid than most producers best releases. The opener, "Jynweythek Ylow," and "Ruglen Holon" are brilliant, inscrutable pieces reminiscent of a rusty, bygone music box or the gamelan music of Indonesia. And a few of the second-disc highlights, "Meltphace 6" and "Taking Control," chart a middle ground between the emotional ambience of early Aphex Twin and the wracked hysteria of his later work. Drukqs is a sprawling album that defies listeners to understand or enjoy it as a whole, and wouldve worked much better as a fan-only release than the long-awaited return of the techno vanguards favorite producer. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 21 Title: 26 Mixes for Cash Released: 2003-03-19 Tracks: 26 Duration: 2:19:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Time to Find Me (AFX fast mix) (07:34) 2 Raising the Titanic (Big Drum mix) (08:42) 3 Journey (Aphex Twin Care mix) (10:14) 4 Triachus (Aphex Twin mix) (04:12) 5 Heroes (Aphex Twin remix) (05:18) 6 In the Glitter, Part 2 (Aphex Twin mix) (05:02) 7 Zeros and Ones (Aphex Twin Reconstruction #2) (05:49) 8 Ziggy (Aphex Twin mix #1) (04:25) 9 Your Head My Voice (Voix Revirement) (03:15) 10 Change (Aphex Twin mix #2) (04:15) 11 Une femme n’est pas un homme (Aphex Twin mix) (04:06) 12 The Beauty of Being Numb Section B (created by Aphex Twin) (03:27) 13 Let My Fish Loose (Aphex Twin remix) (05:25) 1 Krieger (Aphex Twin Baldhu mix) (03:23) 2 Deep in Velvet (Aphex Twin Turnips mix) (03:50) 3 Falling Free (Aphex Twin remix) (07:41) 4 We Have Arrived (Aphex Twin QQT mix) (04:23) 5 At the Heart of It All (created by Aphex Twin) (03:49) 6 Flow Coma (AFX remix) (04:59) 7 Windowlicker (acid edit) (04:15) 8 Normal (Helston Flora remix by AFX) (06:51) 9 SAW2 CD1 TRK2 (original mix) (06:30) 10 Mindstream (The Aphex Twin remix) (03:42) 11 You Can’t Hide Your Love (Hidden Love mix) (05:05) 12 Spotlight (Aphex Twin mix) (06:57) 13 Debase (Soft Palate) (05:50) |
| 26 Mixes for Cash : Allmusic album Review : Before Aphex Twin, remixes were dancefloor fodder and singles filler, hired out and produced with an eye to crossover success in different markets with what was largely the same piece of music (apologies to masters of the form Tom Moulton, Shep Pettibone, and Arthur Baker). After Aphex Twin, dozens of electronic and experimental outfits considered entire remix albums de rigeur, a process certainly not influenced by the release of Madonnas You Can Dance or Paula Abduls Shut Up & Dance. A remix, for the notorious recluse Richard D. James, was simply another way to release his music, and as the title of this remix collection indicates, earn some money off the backs of clueless record labels. (He often indicated a disdain for the artist he was working for matched by few excepting Steve Albini.) James created remixes using none of the source material given (for Nine Inch Nails, he admitted "I never heard the originals...I dont want to, either"), sent along work at the last minute with no connection to the artist involved (a random tape of gabba from his studio was handed over to an Atlantic rep for a Lemonheads remix), and even play the middle-man for the productions of his flatmate Global Goon. Nevermind the methods, its clearly the results that count, and 26 Mixes for Cash comprises some of the most creative, breathtaking music produced by anyone in electronica -- from early successes, like the gloriously uncomplicated ambient pop of Seefeels "Time to Find Me," to the latest offerings from an artist who should release more, an unlisted remix of 808 States "Flow Coma" (titled, simply, "Remix by AFX"). | ||
 | Album: 17 of 21 Title: Analord 10 Released: 2004-12 Tracks: 2 Duration: 12:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Fenix Funk 5 (04:58) 2 XMD5a (07:55) |
 | Album: 18 of 21 Title: Syro Released: 2014-09-19 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:04:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 minipops 67 (source field mix) (04:47) 2 XMAS_EVET10 (thanaton3 mix) (10:31) 3 produk 29 (05:03) 4 4 bit 9d api+e+6 (04:28) 5 180db_ (03:11) 6 CIRCLONT6A (syrobonkus mix) (06:00) 7 fz pseudotimestretch+e+3 (00:58) 8 CIRCLONT14 (shrymoming mix) (07:21) 9 syro u473t8+e (piezoluminescence mix) (06:32) 10 PAPAT4 (pineal mix) (04:18) 11 s950tx16wasr10 (earth portal mix) (06:01) 12 aisatsana (05:21) |
| Syro : Allmusic album Review : Thirteen years passed between Drukqs and Syro, the fifth and sixth Aphex Twin albums. The long stretch, however, wasnt short on new material from Richard D. James. From 2005 through early 2014, the frequently dazzling Analord EPs (all but one of which was credited to AFX), an EP and LP as the Tuss, and a liberated Caustic Window LP all reached the public. In August 2014, a nylon Aphex blimp -- not quite as immense as the S.O.S. Bands presumably decommissioned aircraft, yet transfixing nonetheless -- was spotted over London, and the following month, Syro arrived on Warp. Low on frenetics, Syro is anchored by rotund and agile basslines that zip and glide, and its decked in accents and melodies that are lively even at their most distressed. It also flows easily, a notion epitomized by the sequencing of "XMAS_EVET10 [Thanaton3 Mix]" and "Produk 29," where a mesmerizing combination of snaking low-end synthesizers (10:31, not 12:24 in length) is trailed by an avant-rap body mover that bears some resemblance to Dabryes lithe and sprightly early releases. Components of certain tracks, like the squiggled Mr. Fingers spin-cycle bassline in "4 bit 9d api+e+6" and scrambled rhythms of "CIRCLONT6A [Syrobonkus Mix]," make the album seem like a bright progression from the Analord releases. Apart from the straight-ahead slamming drums in "180db_," the most striking aspect of Syro is the funkiness of its synthesizers relative to James previous output. His playing here is far too fidgety to be grafted onto the likes of "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Youre the One for Me," and "Just Be Good to Me," though some of the lines in, uh, the title cut, have that grimace-triggering quality. Only a trace of the indiscriminate sequencing and stylistic switch-ups heard on Drukqs remains. Its saved for the end, with a rather elegant, part-drumnbass excursion as the penultimate number, followed by a placid piano-only piece in the vein of those heard on the 2001 album. These tracks actually enhance, rather than hinder, one of James most inviting and enjoyable releases. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 21 Title: Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments, Part 2 Released: 2015-01-22 Tracks: 13 Duration: 27:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 diskhat ALL prepared1mixed 13 (05:22) 2 snar2 (00:19) 3 diskhat1 (02:26) 4 piano un1 arpej (00:50) 5 DISKPREPT4 (01:52) 6 hat 2b 2012b (01:25) 7 disk aud1_12 (00:08) 8 0035 1-Audio (00:26) 9 disk prep calrec2 barn dance [slo] (04:22) 10 DISKPREPT1 (03:29) 11 diskhat2 (00:38) 12 piano un10 it happened (01:48) 13 hat5c 0001 rec-4 (04:46) |
 | Album: 20 of 21 Title: Cheetah EP Released: 2016-07-08 Tracks: 7 Duration: 33:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 CHEETAHT2 [Ld spectrum] (05:53) 2 CHEETAHT7b (06:43) 3 CHEETA1b ms800 (00:27) 4 CHEETA2 ms800 (00:37) 5 CIRKLON3 [ Колхозная mix ] (08:13) 6 CIRKLON 1 (07:17) 7 2X202-ST5 (04:39) |
 | Album: 21 of 21 Title: Collapse EP Released: 2018-09-13 Tracks: 5 Duration: 28:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 T69 collapse (05:22) 2 1st 44 (06:09) 3 MT1 t29r2 (06:04) 4 abundance10edit[2 R8’s, FZ20m & a 909] (06:20) 5 pthex (04:57) |