Aphex Twin ‎– Richard D. James Album

I disagree with the "love it or hate it" conclusion. I neither love nor hate this album. It definitely takes several listens to fully enjoy it, but I don't think it's his best or worst work. For example, it blows away Drukqs (though what doesn't?) but isn't as beautiful and heartfelt as I Care Because You Do. I'd probably put SAW1 and SAW2 above this album, and the standout tracks on Come to Daddy are superior to the RDJ Album. Either way, I want more AFX! It's been too long!

RDJ takes a jungle beat and creates a total masterpiece. The opening of "4" tells you right away you're going to be in for a treat. Songs like "Fingerbib" and "Goon Gumpas" seem to project me into a different world. "To Cure A Weakling Child" is sample/drum mastery. Plenty of drums with beautiful melody interspersed, the song writing, detail and subtlety of the album really do make it best of class.

Does anyone know why Fingerbib is called "Fore Street" on this release?

Revolutionary and brilliant record.

although not the first drum 'n' bass record, this has in many ways become the defining drum 'n' bass record, quite possibly the apex of the genre.

the first thing to understand is that "drum 'n' bass" is a terrible way to describe the music; while there are drums and basses, there are also synthesizers, samplers and even some guitars. the best tracks on this record are actually firmly within the realm of symphonic pop; these are not songs so much as they are compositions, every part carefully mapped and scored out, including the amazing drum machine work. whereas most contemporaries were splitting up drum samples of old 70's funk tracks, rdj just programmed them and then cut them up, which makes the record more fluid and organic than most drum 'n' bass of the period, indeed, of ever. while it's clear that the drums are electronic, the only thing that separates them as being programmed and not played is the fact that there is no drummer on earth that could actually play these parts.

another ground breaking thing that rdj has done here is in his sampling work. by using high quality samples of real instruments and plugging them into software synths [and i may also point out that this was one of the first records to use software synths, in fact this record virtually saved the software synth industry, which was going nowhere at the time as there was an anti-digital analog revival happening in electronic music], he is able to slowly build entire symphonies out of his midi controller setup that sound remarkably convincing.

this may not come off as groundbreaking to the average kid fucking around with ableton nowadays, but the truth is that this record made the drum 'n' bass genre respectable, it let it shed it's image of being full of musical illiterates pushing buttons and stealing samples and presented it as the obvious way for creative geniouses with a combined musical and technical background to express themselves. it is highly recommended to everybody on the planet; it may even be argued that this record is essential for anybody that likes music at all!

it's only major drawback is it's short length. at 33 minutes, it's just not long enough. while the whole record is amazing from start to finish, high points are in tracks 4 (which sounds like a string quartet playing at the bottom of the ocean, enjoying the prancing fish and dolphins as they float by (never mind the fact that dolphins eat fish. while this song is playing, they don't.)) and the masterpiece that is girl/boy song, which somehow channels the mind of mozart. if the man was alive in this age, girl/boy is precisely what he would be writing...

I remember first hearing this album and going, 'uh oh, this is getting a little plinky plonky for me',, I'm avoiding. 15 or so years later and it still sounds plinky plonky,,, but I like it more these days.

So much of the generic population refer to this album when critiquing Aphex's style or ability to write music without considering his whole career of writing music. Such folley and misguidance. Some people need to actually take some time and delve a little, and learn. Aphex's music abilities were way advanced before this ablum was put out. The Hangable auto bulb eps were a precursor to this album's style and were amazing, as was Melodies from Mars with folk medlies. Drum n bass was not Aphex's only forte, thus the releases of Analord series to turn the bubbleheads away. Wash and rinse.

This was, in my opinion, a fantastic album. It contained the breakneck speed "drill 'n' bass" that I love to hear from RDJ. As has been said in above comments, you either love it or hate it. In my opinion, before one decides that they hate it, they must first listen to it at least twice, as many things seem to pop out upon second listens. A fantastic listen overall.

This one was ok the first time I listened to it. The obvious good tracks at first were the ones like '4'. I listened to it through several more times. Suddenly, it popped out at me. There we are. Beautiful album, in it's entirety. I don't know if the version with the Girl/Boy single right on it is on this album, but that is what I have. Quite nice, it is. I think, next to the monumental '4', one of my favorite songs on here is "Carn Mouth", or "Corn Mouth". I like "Fingerbib" quite a lot, it for some reason reminds me of some futuristic Japanese action movie theme song. The beauty in this album is in it's subtle changes, though that is much more relevent in his "I Care Because You Do", not that that makes that one a better album, the truth is they are both quite good.

You will love it or hate it. This album doesn't admit indiference as a possible reaction. The only people that can give a ""0 to this album is those how really feel indiference when they hear it. If you hate it or love it, you should rate it whith a five, becasuse you are testing the incredible power of this album for create extreme emotions.

I really love it, is my favourite Aphex Twin album. One of the best Warp releases, and girl/boy dialog between beatbox & violins one of the gretest moments of the history of music.

Anyway, I can understand to those that hate this album (specially djs. This album is imposible to mix, but who said that electronic music is just for mix it?)