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Aphex Twin
Real Name:
Richard David James
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Aliases:
Blue Calx (2),
Bradley Strider,
Brian Tregaskin,
Caustic Window,
Dice Man, The,
GAK,
Karen Tregaskin,
PBoD,
Polygon Window,
Power-Pill,
Q-Chastic,
Richard D. James,
Smojphace,
Soit-P.P.
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Aphex Twin
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Reviews & Discussion
Said_Head
May 16, 2012
One question I have about Aphex Twin, why is he so seemingly obsessed with his own face? I mean no offense to his music, personally I don't care for the genre myself but enjoy some similar artists, I just don't get it, is it some sort of inside joke he shares only with his fan-base, or is that the joke in itself?
It's one of those electronic artists you have to listen to to be considered 1337 and most importantly intelligent. Listening to his music will make you ignore every single electronic music artist ever (and most impotantly, every electronic dance music artist ever) that is not Richard D. James himself (he has plenty of aliases to make up for that though) and you will gradually start to idolize him as being the greatest musician of all time, even greater than Mozart and Bach, even though you've never really listened to classical music in first place.
While some of Richard's work is dance-able (such as Didgeridoo), most of his work is "braindance", meaning it's your brain, not your body, that will dance to it. Being quite modest guy and one of the most prominent critics of the IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) term, it's quite sad that Richard still considers his music to be dance-able. ):
Neverthless, it's fun pop armchair music. It's no art. It's no better than Kraftwerk, Underworld, Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Simon Posford, Boards of Canada, but it's fun in its own right. Give it a try, but please, don't be a snob.
While some of Richard's work is dance-able (such as Didgeridoo), most of his work is "braindance", meaning it's your brain, not your body, that will dance to it. Being quite modest guy and one of the most prominent critics of the IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) term, it's quite sad that Richard still considers his music to be dance-able. ):
Neverthless, it's fun pop armchair music. It's no art. It's no better than Kraftwerk, Underworld, Astral Projection, Infected Mushroom, Simon Posford, Boards of Canada, but it's fun in its own right. Give it a try, but please, don't be a snob.
Stormchild
Nov 04, 2010
Out of the hundreds of musicians I love, Richard D James is (among many other things) unique in his ability to create strange new sounds and soundscapes that invoke that childlike sense of wonder you feel when experiencing something delightful for the first time. It's as if he's making up his own language as he goes, speaking in the unpredictable tongue of spontaneity — but what's really fascinating about it is that we can understand what he's saying, even though the words are almost completely alien. And because he dances his own dance (think of the umbrella dance in the Windowlicker video here), you can clearly see the essence of who he is — the soul in his machines, and the ghost in his shell.
You know the way a dog turns its head in curiosity when it encounters something new? That's what my heart does when I listen to Richard D James, as he tapdances on the line between genius and insanity.
You know the way a dog turns its head in curiosity when it encounters something new? That's what my heart does when I listen to Richard D James, as he tapdances on the line between genius and insanity.
Ok, rather than comment on every Analord release, I figured I'd just write my overall thoughts here. The opinions on these have been all over the map, and to tell you the truth it's hard to know what to think.
But first, are they good? Hell yes, they're great. Squelchy electro/acid/house grooves spread over 11 slabs of vinyl, which total about 3 hours of RDJ listening pleasure. Is it the best RDJ material yet? Well for me and probably alot of others, no(although it is up there!!). It just depends on which type of James music you prefer. Do you like the ultra tweaked and programmed computer style(RDJ album, Drukqs) or the more laid back analogue style(Analogue Bubblebath, Polygon Window, SAW). If you chose the latter, then the Analord series is definitely for you. Take these tracks for instance: Steppingfilter 101, Phonatacid, Bwoon dub, Boxing day, Klopjob, (all of Analord 4 and 5). Man I could name the rest, but that right there is enough to make an album worthy of your collection. Those tracks are simply the beginning. Yes I will admit some of it isn't the most amazing music I've ever heard, but 99% of the tracks are better than most artists best tracks. So, if you like the earlier analogue RDJ material you should definitely pick these lps up.
Now, if you prefer the more advanced crazy programmed stuff, maybe you won't find as much enjoyment in these records as I have. Perhaps you should wait for the Chosen Lords cd to come out and see if you like what you hear, then pick the rest up based on your favorites.
Finally, I don't really care if people like them or not. I happen to think some of these tracks ARE the best stuff he's done, and I give a HUGE amount of credit to Mr. James for releasing them. Thanks AFX!!!!
But first, are they good? Hell yes, they're great. Squelchy electro/acid/house grooves spread over 11 slabs of vinyl, which total about 3 hours of RDJ listening pleasure. Is it the best RDJ material yet? Well for me and probably alot of others, no(although it is up there!!). It just depends on which type of James music you prefer. Do you like the ultra tweaked and programmed computer style(RDJ album, Drukqs) or the more laid back analogue style(Analogue Bubblebath, Polygon Window, SAW). If you chose the latter, then the Analord series is definitely for you. Take these tracks for instance: Steppingfilter 101, Phonatacid, Bwoon dub, Boxing day, Klopjob, (all of Analord 4 and 5). Man I could name the rest, but that right there is enough to make an album worthy of your collection. Those tracks are simply the beginning. Yes I will admit some of it isn't the most amazing music I've ever heard, but 99% of the tracks are better than most artists best tracks. So, if you like the earlier analogue RDJ material you should definitely pick these lps up.
Now, if you prefer the more advanced crazy programmed stuff, maybe you won't find as much enjoyment in these records as I have. Perhaps you should wait for the Chosen Lords cd to come out and see if you like what you hear, then pick the rest up based on your favorites.
Finally, I don't really care if people like them or not. I happen to think some of these tracks ARE the best stuff he's done, and I give a HUGE amount of credit to Mr. James for releasing them. Thanks AFX!!!!
You can't go wrong with Richard. Don't be surprised by the hype, the extremely expensive limited edition LPs sold on eBay. The guy has a way of really throwing it all together. It's purely intelligent dance music, although it's not always meant to dance to. It'sdynamic and evocative and yet a bit tongue-in-cheek. Throughout his music is at least a latent (and often compelling) acid and/or ambient motif, but by no means can you call the body of work "consistent."
There's a special place in my heart for Richard D. James Album, Hangable Auto Bulb, Analord, Pac-Man, Surfing On Sine Waves, Selected Ambient Works (both of them), Come To Daddy, and every single Joyrex.
One of the best moments of my life was DJ'ing and throwing on Ventolin, hearing that god awful tone exploding out of the speakers; then that chunky, heavy beat comes on-- the dance floor erupts.
There's a special place in my heart for Richard D. James Album, Hangable Auto Bulb, Analord, Pac-Man, Surfing On Sine Waves, Selected Ambient Works (both of them), Come To Daddy, and every single Joyrex.
One of the best moments of my life was DJ'ing and throwing on Ventolin, hearing that god awful tone exploding out of the speakers; then that chunky, heavy beat comes on-- the dance floor erupts.
Richard D James has always been able to create great melodies and harmonies. His music is never plain or boring, it's always creative and very expressive. Especially his ambient works are loved by people regardless what other type of music they're into. He is the great music maker and dreamer of dreams.
Rich is a superb musician. While his style and recording alias often varies, most of his material is excellent. Needless to say, he's recorded under many different aliases, and nearly all of them have a song worth listening to. Aphex Twin has many well-known tunes, like Come to Daddy, Windowlicker and Milkman. Almost all of AFX's EPs are excellent. Bradley Strider's two EPs are somewhat lackluster, but the A-side of Bradley's Beat is a good dance track. Power-Pill has the 5-track Pac-Man EP, which is a great listen regardless of whether or not you like the game. The GAK EP is very minimalist and simplistic, but worth a listen anyway.
All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad RDJ song, under any alias. If you're looking to get started, I recommend the Come to Daddy EP, or maybe one of the Analord EPs. Both showcase RDJ at his finest, although the style between both is different.
All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad RDJ song, under any alias. If you're looking to get started, I recommend the Come to Daddy EP, or maybe one of the Analord EPs. Both showcase RDJ at his finest, although the style between both is different.
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My personal favorite is Digeridoo because of its dark vibe, but his other releases, such as the ambient Xtal, or the "IDM" Windowlicker, are just as great.