Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92

To think that Aphex Twin made some of these tracks in his early teens is completely bewildering. This is etheral electronic music that is completely breathtaking in it's simplicity, in the range of emotions it contains and in the array of landscapes it conjures up. Some of the tracks are so raw and basic, yet they outstrip so much of what passes as electronic music today (much of it too complicated and over produced) due to their sheer beauty - which for me lies in their simplicity. Just listen to 'Ageispolis' which can remind you of the most beautiful childhood memory in the world or the most gorgeous landscape. Or listen to 'Heliosphan' which has the most beautiful shuffling breakbeats (long before breakbeats became incorporated into electronic music widescale). The closing track 'Actium' is a master of beautiful trancelike hypnotisim, that doesn't need to bang your brains out - it's real trance music! A stunning, groundbreaking electronic album that will go down in history, if it already hasn't.

There's no way on earth you could not submit to the charm of this album. Fans of Aphex's later work should find out where his mastery of perfection all began, and newcomers should give it a listen on the basis of this album's amorphous beauty and charisma. This album contains, in its purest form, the common link between all electronic forms of music. While Richard's more recent singles have been poured through a thick film of sarcasm, the songs of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 truly represent the subliminal moodiness that has followed him through I Care Because You Do and the Richard D James LP. As detailed and undulating as his new work is, sometimes I feel as though he has lost some of the pensive and brooding airiness that makes his work so unique.

Beautiful melodies that get caught in your mind form an addiction that is only appeased by another listen. Like the dude said, timeless is the best word to use to describe this album, for although the instruments used in this creation have been surpassed by ten years of updated models, the compositions are perfectly executed, thus exposing the raw beauty, devoid of distraction or clutter. The fact that this is still widely regarded as Richard D. James' finest album to date shows what perfection has been achieved here.

Songs that still need a listen years after buying this album: Tha, Pulsewidth, i, Ageispolis [which I am only just beginning to really get into], Heliosphan, Hedphelym and Actium. The first track is a really nice introduction, too. I reccommend listening to Heliosphan or We Are The Music Makers if you want to make a decision online. The other tracks require many, many listens to reveal their true beauty, plus RealAudio can kill some of the joy of those subliminal basslines.