Lanner Chronicle

Aphex Twin Monsieur Bricolage

The wildest rumours are circulating about Richard D. James. Megalomaniac, irritating, uptight, shy, disdainful, demiurge… playing with the media and the myths created around his character. It is true that having interviewed him with a lot of… difficulties in its early days, around 1992, the Coda team was waiting with a little suspicion for the interview that James had agreed to give us. Surprise, the man is talkative and mature. Over the years, he has learned to talk about himself and his art, with modesty and foresight. The answers are short, but precise, and bring some new elements about his work. James, sure of himself, but reserved during the interview, has a lot to be proud of.

After the somewhat disappointing mistakes of “Expert Knob Twiddlers” (with Mike Paradinas) and “I Care Because You Do”, the man has just signed a pure masterpiece, the aptly named “Richard D. James LP” on Warp. There, he continued his research in the field of two-headed music, i.e. with two heads. One lost in the meanders of abstraction and rhythmic complexity, the other lulled by melodies of a moving obviousness and simplicity.

Significantly, James even ventured into a few vocal tracks of lightning grace. The now classic “Milkman” on the “Girl/Boy EP” is a futuristic nursery rhyme for kids with a lot of energy. The opportunity was therefore found to try to shed light on some obscure parts of the character, and especially to come back to his recording past, in order to prove that Richard James is one of the most authentic talents of this electronic decade.

You have pretty incredible productivity. I have the impression that, like many other current artists (randomly your friend Mike Paradinas), the practice of music is a daily and intimate work. Is it a question of personal balance for you?

“Yes, that’s how I see it. Making music is the easiest way to write from day to day. You work alone, you are not embarrassed by working together, you have nothing to plan, you have no concessions to make. That’s what’s cool about electronic music. We get up in the morning, we sit down and we start composing in our pajamas. And then we go back to sleep. I work every day, my music is a bit like my diary. For example, for the “Richard D. James LP”, I wrote the songs in bulk for several months, and they were then selected for the album. I never write songs to produce a particular album, I just live my music day by day. It’s about a year of work but it includes a good hundred other songs.”

You work very quickly. Have you ever felt the need to spend a little more time on a track, just to achieve something more complete?

“I like to work quickly, last year I sometimes spent two days on some tracks, but never more than three in any case. If you’re working on a composition for a long time, you can really load the tracks, but what I ultimately like is a free, simple structure. Working in this way suits me perfectly.”

About your work, you have often talked about waking dreams, about the way you manage to dream certain pieces and then transcribe them.

“I’ve been what we call a lucid dreamer since I was very young. Even as a child, I heard sounds, melodies, people talking to me while I was sleeping, and I thought it would be cool to try to remember some of these dreamed songs. Then I pushed myself to dream of music to guide me during my sleep, but I stopped trying to transcribe them, even though I still dream of sounds and melodies. It’s very hard work and it can be frustrating if you can’t remember your dream well, no matter how wonderful it is.”

I have the impression that you compose a kind of schizophrenic music. Let me explain: your songs always go in two directions, a complex structure and a much simpler one…

“I’m aware of it, it’s the kind of title I prefer. I like these tracks that can be listened to on several levels. In the future, I really want to compose music that is as complex as possible, but I have no desire to be avant-garde or difficult to approach. I like to add very simple melodies to these structures, which take me a lot of time to compose. I don’t want to lose the listener along the way.”

We can feel on these tracks the influence of easy-listening and electronic musicians like Jean-Jacques Perrey…

“I knew Perrey when I was very young but I didn’t really discover him until much later, two years ago, when I bought most of his records.”

He is someone who managed to link humour and the avant-garde, do you feel close to this conception?

“I respect him a lot for that. I find it too easy to be avant-garde to be avant-garde. Doing really complicated things is too simple. Composing beautiful melodies, that’s the real challenge. The melody happens to you like that, you can’t really predict when it comes. I can write hundreds of complex songs, but I don’t know if I would be able to make something really beautiful and melodic on one of these tracks. It’s the same for Perrey, it sometimes seems very simple but it’s more complex than it seems. I like this idea of hidden complexity.”

Perrey was a really funny guy. In fact, I have the impression that many people have never been able to grasp the humour of your music. It’s obvious on the last album.

“I like to make really serious music, but you have to have a certain distance from what you’re doing, a kind of irony. It’s a salutary question of balance. Today’s music is sincerely lacking in humour.”

In a book dedicated to Kraftwerk, the author Pascal Bussy talks very well about one of their old songs from the very beginning of the 70s. And more particularly the feeling that for the first time, the listener could have the impression that it was the machine that was guiding the musicians. What is your relationship with the machine? Master or slave?

“That’s what I like about a lot of old songs, that mechanical side, without emotion or soul, when the machines were really calling the shots. But I got tired of it after seven years of prolonged listening. I think we need to integrate a little more personality and humanity into it again. But this mastery of machines only comes with time, with practice, at first you are the slave of the machine but you will gradually learn to tame technology.”

Are you still a machine tinkerer?

“For a long time, I built my own noise machines, effect generators, but now I’m dedicated to writing new programs on computers, trying to create something that no software designer has ever thought of. I made a lot of friends on the net, programmers who helped me design these programs.”

We can sometimes feel limited by machines. Don’t you dream of a new way of approaching the instrument? For example, Brian Eno said that computers, with their keyboards and screens, were not at all adapted to the human body, that everything had to be reinvented, for better ergonomics…

“I don’t really feel limited. A good sampler and a good sequencer is enough for me to be happy. But I’m always interested in the new possibilities offered by technology. More particularly on the mathematical side thanks to a lot of new software. Many academics have designed software that is not intended for music but that one can try to hijack by processing sound in a more abstract and mathematical way.”

Emmanuel Top, for example, sampled the sound of his studio fan. Do you also use a lot of ambient and concrete sounds?

“That’s what I did a few years ago. But if you sample all the sounds around, you end up with too much material. We can thus drown in abundance. I prefer to generate the sounds myself on my computer, we have more control over the result. There are new programs where you can manipulate recorded and natural sounds in exciting ways, so I’m only going to come back to them now. I still record sounds here and elsewhere. Anyway, I never leave my DAT.”

Do you feel any links, or influences, from the French avant-garde musicians who, in the fifties, innovated in the field of electro-acoustic and concrete music?

“These are people I didn’t discover until very late. I know Pierre Henry and the whole French electronic easy trend. It’s an interest, but not an influence.”

These artists have worked a lot on magnetic tape, is this also the case for you?

“I started this way. When I was ten years old, I used to glue strips together. That was one of my steps, but sometimes I take out this material because there are always things that computers can’t do.”

I believe you studied electronic engineering…

“I did some college studies in electronics, learned how to build small modules, and then graduated. It helped me a lot. But I don’t see myself as an electronics pro, I’m just a guy who has fun or tinkers with machines. You know, I don’t have a career, I don’t do it for the money, I’m a bit messy!”

What about your Rephlex label?

“I persist and sign, again and again. It’s a real space of freedom, we have no restrictions, all the people on the label are friends, we exchange cassettes as naturally as possible and we try to release the record as quickly as possible. I try to preserve a good balance between friendship and business. We have a lot of fun, we make a lot of pastiches… It’s true that we really like old electro and old Chicago songs, it reminds us of our adolescence!”

Interview by Jean-Yves Leloup 

Created by Aphex fan Ryan Verner, the excellent user18081971.com is back online after an absence of several years. Originally created by Ryan during Aphex Twin’s SoundCloud dump of 2015, the purpose of the site was to track fans opinions of which tracks from the dump they rated most highly. The purpose of this was to give this ranking information to Richard (who Ryan was communicating with at the time) so he could potentially released a compilation record, a kind of best of the SoundCloud album.

This never quite came to fruition but the website has now returned, greatly updated with several new features and sections. These new features include a new ballot, a interactive graph to see the evolution of favourite tracks over time and a comprehensive history section which provides lots of background information on the SoundCloud dump and the site itself. So get on over to user18081971.com, sign up and get voting!

On a final notice, it’s worth mentioning that Ryan spent his own money gifting Richard a pro user SoundCloud account back in 2015. There is a real probability that the dump would have ended prematurely if that hadn’t been the case as the free user upload was reached by Richard very quickly. So massive thanks to Ryan for that, cheers!

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What was personally fascinating was seeing my original top 30 from July 2015. A lot of these tracks are still my favourites, although I’m sure there would be quite a few changes as I’ve spent many years now listening to the SoundCloud dump. So here is my old top 30 for anyone that’s interested:

1. Dance And Play
2. Rough Beat Tune
3. Pretend Analog Extmix 2b
4. Octave Nob
5. avril 14th, notes played backwards, not the audio.
6. katieparty___________________________________n+4
7. katiacid
8. 14 Make A Baby
9. 1 Human Rotation
10. 13 High Hats Tune Tamclap Orig
11. Lannerlog
12. 1 nocares
13. 5 Scorrier [101 rainbows]
14. 4 Red Calx[slo]
15. 7 ?ƒ? [rough mix]
16. 8 Utopia [brain floss mix]
17. 18 With My Family
18. Sams Car
19. Cottage4 Af 1
20. Martins Car LPF
21. 8 MTG Edit Eq-powerpill
22. medievil rave Mk2 [pre plague mix]
23. 1 Chink 101
24. Bimbongo
25. 15 Sekonda
26. 14 Floating? [swimming in god mix]
27. 19 [Slo]w early morning clissold sunrise
28. Cottage3 E
29. Fork Rave
30. 14 Cornish Spreek5b [St. Nectan S Glen Waterfalls Mix]

Massive thanks again to Alberto from Japan for scanning this article in for me. Greatly appreciated

APHEX TWIN

Aphex Twin’s sixth album is currently “postponed indefinitely” as of early May. Yes, this man has blown us away again. We can only guess what the new album will be like from his latest single, “Windowlicker.” And Richard D. James is the kind of person who puts everything on defying expectations. The delicate, beautiful, mad, fragile, and twisted electronic music he has released so far. His tremendous performance at the 1997 Fuji Rock Festival using a giant bear and a toy house. The near-riot party he threw when he came to Japan at the end of 1998 with his Rephlex crew. Following “Come to Daddy” and “Window Licker,” these video clips mock everything. None of them reveal his true self. Aphex Twin, the last pop icon of this century, vehemently detests idolisation, yet has inadvertently fueled it once again. Could he be going to become a “hermit” without releasing any more work? Is that even acceptable?! Okay, we’ve decided! We’re going to his family home without an appointment. But, the deadline is approaching, so this time it’s a written manuscript!!

Aphex Twin, AFX, Polygon Window, Caustic Window, oh, never mind, Richard D. James, why doesn’t he just become a hermit? This man was always full of the possibility of stopping making work. And it’s still the case now. Richard, who was originally a thorough social misfit that he could be proud of all over the world, has now tried to escape from “the sociality of antisociality.” Here, escape became a struggle.

Growing up in Cornwall, in the southwestern most part of Great Britain, a place where Celtic culture still thrives, and sharing the same name as his stillborn brother, he led a peculiar life. He had to secure a place where he could be as close to a hermit as possible, so that he could avoid contact with people when he didn’t want to. A fortress-like bedroom studio, a tank traversing rough roads, empty parties. There, 14-year-old Richard D. James created his own synthesiser sounds and achieved great success. And even now, he makes a living from the royalties.

A hermit who has amassed a fortune doesn’t need “otherness.” But Richard’s music—from the explosive acid tune “Didgeridoo” released in ’91 as the rave culture came to an end, to “Windowlicker” in ’99, which firmly grasped his own unique, quirky funkiness—is full of otherness. If he were not such a musician, the expectations and fantasies directed towards him today would not have arisen. So, fundamentally, he is not good with people—

No, I don’t dislike it either—how does Richard, who has absolutely no regard for others, acquire a sense of otherness? There is the concept of inside/outside of oneself. For example, when I feel sad. when I’m in my room, utterly dejected, listening to something like “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” I feel “withdrawn inside.” For example, when I’m getting my lunch heated up at a convenience store, I feel “connected to the outside.” Hmm? But is that really true? Are inside/outside really such a simple dichotomy? What if I could design an outer wall within this “self”? Then, wouldn’t I not really need anything else, this “outside”? Aphex Twin is probably thinking something like that, with that evil grin on his face. He throws a curveball at 170 kilometres per hour towards a wall one meter in front of him called “Richard D. James.” That mysterious wall is there, constantly changing shape. The ball bounces off the wall with a bang, flies off to unexpected places, rolls around somewhere, and explodes with a bang when someone picks it up. Richard is chuckling to himself, waiting for someone to find the ball. He’s dreaming. In other words, there’s always someone else involved.

Aphex Twin has managed to avoid becoming a hermit or even deceased because he was deeply fascinated by the mysteries of the world and the inescapable otherness. He was able to maintain a sense of “not being indifferent” somewhere in his life. What does it mean to be “completely silent”? What does it mean for “music to change a person’s heart rate, body temperature, and brainwaves”? What does it mean for “humans to want to do the same things”? He is tormented by questions that seem impossible to answer even in a lifetime. Of course, he doesn’t talk about such things. The tinkling sensation that strikes you when you listen to Aphex Twin’s music is very enjoyable.

“Through your inner ‘other’, you are threatened”

The imp that is closing in, Richard D. James

The first track on “Ambient Works,” “Xtal,” features a woman’s voice that sings “la la la la,” as if she “hopelessly understands everything” (can anyone tell me the sample source?). “Quino Phec,” under the Polygon Window moniker, has a strange ambiance, like a train rattling along in the distance. The Analogue Bubblebath series unleashed experimental noise. And “Girl/Boy Song” celebrates the eternal purity of midnight children.

It jumps in from nowhere, stimulating my brain with a jolt—it’s the moment something makes a sound and transforms into something else. Like when a larva grows wings. There’s a novel surprise there. There’s Richard’s excitement, constantly amazed by each and every event. He doesn’t try to understand sounds systematically. The sound of the 808, the sound of the 303, the strings of Philip Glass, the master of modern music (what’s that? Richard would say), the incredibly fast breakbeats, the baby-like voice—to him, each use of them sounds like a “first.” In other words, for him, every experience is an unknown other. Everything is always new there. What a beautiful world!!

Techno Mozart. One of the greatest composers of our time. Hyper-modernist. The very edge of the world. An innocent child. Harassment is his only life. Is that really true? That his extremely private acts of expression in his private studio inevitably lead not to introspection or self-destruction, but to “you,” to others. Aphex Twin. This 27-year-old man with the strange name continues to compose without sleep tonight. Perhaps that is the only thing that connects Richard to the world. (Motojiro)

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Below is a an article describing the state of popular electronic chart music in the year 1999, and provides a bit of context to the landscape Windowlicker was released into.

PART II: DANCE & ELECTRONIC MUSIC GOES ON

In the uncertain year of 1999, the dance continued.

The dance never stops. Two years have passed since The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers conquered the US in ’97. A colossal, uncontrollable image engulfs creators with no immunity to the pop star system, and an identity crisis strikes them. Just when it seemed that everything was converging on the underground, new releases from two giants, Underworld and The Chemical Brothers, turned everything upside down. Yes, electronic music has miraculously survived. The BPM of drum and bass, which has been increasing its intensity by betting on acceleration, has finally reached its boiling point, soaring to nearly 200. As a result, electronic music, at the cost of speed, has begun to explore the possibility of contact with outside elements, and has started to proliferate and expand like a virus. Is it merely a coincidence that new releases from Aphex Twin and Ken Ishii, two artists who should have been the furthest removed from the dance floor and dancing, both sound their own original funkiness? Propellerheads, who fiercely resonate with hip-hop, produced the new Jungle Brothers album. The flash of that clash of sounds travels the world at 180 bpm. Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You” was an anthem for the resurgence of house music.

Speed ​​garage founder Armand van Helden and the UK dance scene’s biggest rising stars Basement Jaxx, each with one foot in house and the other in hip-hop, distort paranoid beats to the brink of collapse. French electro scene giants Air, who toured with Beck’s band last year, are in the final stages of their second album, due out this fall. Wall of Sound’s Les Rhythms Digital transcends breakbeats, attempting to summon the ghosts of 80s electro-pop. And Fatboy Slim has declared that this summer he will release a masterpiece that surpasses “The Rockefeller Skunk.” Denki Groove, who have found a rainbow in the German techno scene, are parting ways to pursue their paths between the near and the far, and are diving into recording new material. And then, on January 1st, 2000, news broke that a new New Order album would be released. Yes, we dance. If cynicism is creeping up at your feet, just stomp your feet on the floor. If you still don’t want to leave your bedroom, just stay curled up and don’t take off your headphones. Stop making sense! — Just let your emotions out. A physical dance, and a mental dance. The dance continues. Life goes on.

photography (DENKI GROOVE) by MASAYUKI NAGAMINE

The future of music continues

Hopefully I’ll get in scans from the usually music press such as NME/Melody maker in the future when i get back up to speed with the scanning, cheers!

CMJ New Music Monthly (January 1998)

APHEX TWIN
Come To Daddy – Warp/Sire

DATALOG: Released Oct 28.
FILE UNDER: High concept electronica
R.I.Y.L: Photek, Luke Vibert, Land Of The Loops

It’s hard to imagine what Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin, was thinking when he made his perversely goof new release Come to Daddy, “I want your soul/I will eat your soul/Aargh,” chants the rapacious shock-metal voice on the opening track, “Come to Daddy, Pappy Mix.” The “Little Lord Faulteroy Mix” of the same song features another of James’s voice-manipulations, a sort of satanic elf that whispers, “Naughty little boy.” Even when he’s not auditioning for Wes Craven, James uses this eight-song mini-LP to explore stylistic extremes. He oscillates between his hard percussive mode, with its obsessively splice buzz ‘n’ bass, and the bubbly, unassuming little tunes of his easy-listening mode. In the first category is the inspired beatscape “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball” – check out the nifty ricochet effect he creates with hard panning between the right and left speakers. On the milder side, “Flim” is built around bare melodic keyboard and bass with just a bit of vibration around the edges. James constantly plays with voices, warping them into unreality and cutting in the odd spoken phrase every so often. He even does a denser, trickier reworking of “To Cure A Weakling Child,” his voice-collage track from the last album. It’s an intriguing new emphasis for Aphex Twin, one that should entice his fans and give pause to anyone who thinks electronic music would be more comprehensible if only more of it had vocals. – Andrea Moed

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Spin Magazine (January 1998)

Aphex Twin
Come to Daddy (Warp/Sire)

Sometimes ambient, sometimes abrasive, Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) is very much his own manchild. Infamous for such crowd displeasing tactics as applying a phonograph stylus to sandpaper, James generally has as much contempt for his audience as Don King does. But lately the shaman of shambling has become something of an entertainer: His compositions have grown warmer and hookier; he’s begun singing occasionally; and at a recent New York show he was even accompanied by eight-foot-tall teddy bears who simulated stuffed-animal shtupping .(LC: apparently this is slang for sex I haven’t heard before)

Yes, James has indeed become, as a song on Come to Daddy proclaims, a “Funny Little Man.” The EP’s cover image depicts several little boys and girls whose faces have been supplanted by James’s leering likeness. Is this a cheeky response to the proliferation of Aphex wannabes, a sardonic statement on cloning, or just more fun with Photoshop? Forget any clear-cut answer from James, but Daddy does find Aphex musing on the theme of fatherhood: “To Cure a Weakling Child, Contour Regard: and “Funny Little Man” are awash with the gremlinesque twittering of children’s voices.

Though James first introduced the world to his voice on last year’s Richard D. James album, where he mawkishly warbled, “I would like some milk from the milkman’s wife’s tits,” now he just can’t stop yammering. The scatological stand-up routine continues at the end of “Funny Little Man,” with James employing a sing-song digitised voice (which sounds remarkably like fellow Brit man-machine Stephen Hawking) to recite a salty hootenanny that begins, “I would like to fuck you up the bunghole.” (LC: I think its bumhole rather than bunghole) Apparently, James is a South Park fan. Similarly disquieting is “Come to Daddy, Pappy Mix,” a wailing techstep parody, with sinister, throbbing feedback and ominously skipping beats, all punctuated by James’s distorted voice snarling “I want your soul, I will eat your soul.” Despite suck dark stylings, however Daddy has enough mirthful charm to make any papa proud.

MIKE RUBIN

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Overall Magazine (October 1997)

APHEX TWIN Come to Daddy (Warp)
Mad, drunk, lazy, Richard James returns after a period of non-release action with a fantastic 4-tracker of Aphexian proportions. No dreamy pop or subtle tunes for this babe, no way! Come to Daddy sneers and salivates its way around a dirty grunge riff with stuttery Cubase breaks and twisted vocal intonations. Classy and chaotic the way that only he knows how. Elsewhere the rhythms chop and change to those trade mark nursery style melodies and sporadic digital tones never quite letting you know when or how it will all end. Aphex Twin green teddy bear suited genius he say, “I’m the baby gotta love me”. – Dael

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Spex Magazine (November 1997)

APHEX TWIN – Come To Daddy<<<

(Warp/RTD)

MA: See above, so much for being highbrow. Aphex Twin’s morbid noodling can get pretty annoying (orchestral sounds, children’s voices, and all that). The fast, freaky stuff, especially >>Bucephalus Bouncing Ball, is great. He really is a genius. LB: The sacred cow has BSE, and this EP—ignoring the admittedly ingenious clap-rattle-drip-plump-llarP-fporT-lettaR-leppöIK bouncer and some innovative clap-rattle—is a real pain in the ass with the familiar childhood traumas cultivated to excess by Richard James. Not nearly as brilliant as everyone makes it out to be. With all due respect, of course…

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Oculus Zine 6.6 (December 1997/January 1998)

Aphex Twin, Come To Daddy (Warp/Sire)

Only Aphex Twin, aka Richard D. James, could start a record with “Come To Daddy, Pappy Mix,” a track lampooning the combined schtick of Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson. Fuzz-toned electric guitar rips over wigged-out percussion while a studio-altered growl repeats melodramatic, horror-show lyrics. James’ wink is implicit with the inclusion of printed lyrics: “I Want Your Soul, I Will Eat Your Soul. Repeat x 8. Aargh.” But this joke’s only funny the first time. Fortunately, James follows it with his usual electronic fare which, while routine for him, easily blows most other electronica off the keyboard-save that of his true pappies, Kraftwerk. For Aphex Twin neo-phytes, though, his last two records are better bets Sure, tracks like “Flim” and “IZ-US” are downright gorgeous slices of wistful keyboard melodies garnished by intricate, lifelike percussion, strings, and eldritch squawks and beeps. But look for those two on singles. Remixes and arcana, requiring the acquired taste of an initiated fan, complicate the rest of Come to Daddy. -Andy Fenwick

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NME.COM (4th October 1997)

APHEX TWIN
Come To Daddy
(Warp)

“… “Mr Tune this is Mr Twin…” teased the World’s Biggest Selling Rock Weekly some two years ago, “you haven’t met before, have you?” They had, of course, met a long time before that. Forged a Faustian pact bonded in blood and sweat and burnt-out computer chips, in fact. The deal was simple. Mr Twin could become filthy rich while still young enough to spend it stupidly. In return, Mr Twin simply undertook to give Mr Tune a very rigorous seeing to on a regular basis. Easy. And ‘Come To Daddy’ is the sound of their stickiest, most deviant and improbable coupling yet. Tender, it is not. Unapologetically pop, however, it is. A song, no less. With words and singing and everything. Vocals – courtesy of the man himself – that sound as if they’re being yelled from the pit of some medieval torture chamber. “Come to daddy,” he demands relentlessly. He’s no longer happy with just playing the Devil’s music – he wants to be the Devil himself.

“Come to mummy,” he continues as a psycho drum machine pulls your teeth out one by one, “I want your soul/I will eat your soul.” It’s the Prodigy’s ‘Breathe,’ ‘Anarchy In The UK’ and the grungiest entrails of ‘Nevermind’ ALL played at the same time, at the wrong speed, at the gabba rave on the edge of the world. Only nastier. And catchier than the Black Death. And, what’s more, it’s about as far removed from Elton’s bleedin’ ‘Candle In The Wind’ as it gets.”

The purpose of this article is to document any digital bonus tracks that are exclusively found on the Aphex Twin webstore i.e. generally not found on a physical release (exceptions are noted). There are approximately 74 tracks listed here that are exclusive or partially exclusive to the webstore. Thanks to Rob for suggesting this article, cheers!

Surfing On Sine Waves Clissold 101 [dat28 otari] 48K

Originally uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account under the title Chink 101. Clissold 101 [dat28 otari] 48K was added as a Surfing on Sine Waves bonus track in 2017.

Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 blackbox life recorder 20 ambient 760

Ambient mix of Blackbox Life Recorder 21f. Initially released as a bonus mp3 on a google drive link hidden in a promotional phone application for the Blackbox Life Recorder release in 2023. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

blackbox life recorder 21 drumreesapella 760_16bit

Drum only version of the track Blackbox Life Recorder 21f. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

blackbox life recorder 21f 760 omc

Alternative mastered version of the track Blackbox Life Recorder 21f. “processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

“processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”.

Richard webstore 2024

zin2 test5 omc ma2

Alternative mastered version of the track zin2 test5 omc ma2. “processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

“processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”.

Richard webstore 2024

in a room7 F760 omc s

Alternative mastered version of the track in a room7 F760 omc s. “processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

“processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”.

Richard webstore 2024

blackbox life recorder 22 parallax mix 760 omc ma2

Alternative mastered version of the track Blackbox Life Recorder 22 [Parallax Mix]. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

“processed/mastered differently by afx with specialist analogue h/w”.

Richard webstore 2024

m12 6 omc zeq

Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760 EP in 2024.

Windowlicker Windowlicker [End-roll Version]

Reprise version of Windowlicker played during the end credits to the music video for Windowlicker. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Windowlicker single in 2017.

Windowlicker scratch Intro (cos-mix)

Hip-hop version of Windowlicker played during the opening to the music video for Windowlicker. Added to webstore as a bonus track for the Windowlicker single in 2017.

“scratching by me and not luke! dunno were the fuck that rumour came from.. soz for shit quality, i dont why its so shagged…its from an Aif…but ..its prob as good as its ever gunna get , i gave orig master to cunny and never got it back. Chris will hopefully be sending me some of his lush artwork&storyboards to put here soon.”

Richard webstore 2017

Collapse t69 collapse [durichroma]

Extended version of the track T69 collapse. Added as a bonus track to the Collapse EP in 2018.

Syro end E2 *

Missing track from the album Syro. Added as a bonus track in 2017.

Missing track from Syro, didn’t make it for technical and personal reasons. Drums were made on FOUR customised mid-racked Pearl syncussions, thanks to Colin Fraser and Tony Allgood.

Richard webstore 2017

Drukqs dRuQks Prepared uN 1

dRuQks Prepared uN 1 is an outtake from Drukqs. It did actually receive a physical release as an exclusive track for the limited edition version of Syro, inscribed on a paper record that came with the packaging. The physical version is not meant to be played via conventional means and is so obscure that it warrants inclusion on this list. Added to a bonus track for Drukqs in 2017.

“recorded at the bank with my first Disklavier in a wood panelled room which used to be the bank managers office.”

Richard webstore 2017

avril 14th half speed alternative version [re-recorded 2009 Nagra]

Much slower tempo version of Avril 14th. Added as a bonus track for Drukqs in 2018.

avril 14th reversed music not audio [re-recorded 2009 Nagra]

Originally shared during the Syrobonkers interview of November 2014. This is a version of Avril 14th were the musical notes have been reversed, then played forward. Appended to Drukqs as a bonus track in 2018

“played & programmed modified yamaha disklavier pro, recorded to Nagra 5”

ID3 comment found in the download for the user18081971 SoundCloud file

Cheetah CIRKLON3(concentrate edit)

Truncated, edited version of CIRKLON3 [Kolkhoznaya mix], first released on a CDr promo single. Has some subtle differences with the full version. Added to the webstore around 2018. As of April 2024 no longer available on the webstore.

Hangable Auto Bulb get a baby

originally uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account in 2015 under the title Make A Baby. Samples the BBC radio series Children Talking. Added to the webstore as a Hangable Autobulb bonus track in 2017 As of April 2024 no longer available on the webstore.

“I made this for Rob Mitchell Rip when he had his first child.”

user18081971 SoundCloud account 2015

Hangable Auto Bulb – Extras choirDrilll

Another Hangable Autobulb outtake added to its own HAB extras section, probably because Richard seems to have lost the master, existing now only as a mp3 file. uploaded to the webstore in 2017.

“free, i cant find the .wav, lost forever i think , so cant master it. Generally speaking i will make these free but im still getting to grips with the backend of this site, its c o m p l i c a t e d.

Anyway there should be a load more HAB’s, theres no real logic to how and when tracks will appear. Its just when i come across them basically but yeah got big plans ahead in sorting my archived tapes n stuff.”

webstore note for choirDrilll

…I Care Because You Do efil pearls ,e,+4

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015 under the title pearls. Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

“has got some pearl syncussion bought for about 50 quid in notting hill video exchange. ALso featuring rsf sd140***”

user18081971 SoundCloud account comment (2015)

winding road ,e,+4.1

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015. Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

with my family [48k] *

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015. Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

“i think this is also in my top 10 me tracs, gives me goosebumps all over, i know i did a good one when that KEEPS happening :)””

user18081971 SoundCloud account comment (2015)

consta-lume

Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

“Really liked letting that one go, been in my life for nuff time.”

webstore comment by Richard (February 2018)

merry maidens e,ru,ec +4

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015 under the title lost track[dat 24]icbyd. Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

“mid 90s” { merry maidens }

user18081971 SoundCloud account (2015)

no cares [48k ] *

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015 under the title nocares1. Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

consciousness utopia

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015 under the title Utopia. consciousness utopia was the first track to be uploaded during the SoundCloud dump of 2015. Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

“like early aphex but I’d never heard of him when I wrote all these tracks im going to be uploading”

Richard initially pretended to be an anonymous music maker. It wasn’t very convincing to be honest! user18081971 SoundCloud account (2015)

sekonda e,+2

Originally uploaded to the User18081971 SoundCloud account on in 2015 . Added to the webstore as a bonus track for …I Care Because You Do in 2017.

94 ish

“there was this track, icct hedral and another tht i wrote after coming down off microdots, i was off my face walking around london and i just wanted to hear these tracks so bad and had the cassette in my pocket,the player i had just died and i just walked into a shop and bought this walkman with the last money I had, was really tweaking , they were fuckin expensive but it was sooooo worth it.. no decent food for a few weeks but sony pro walkman in the bag!

user18081971 SoundCloud account comment 2015.

London 03.06.17 [field day] T13 Quadraverbia N+3

First released as a track coupled with the Syrobonkers interview (November 2014) and later as a download on the user18081971 SoundCloud account in 2015. Added to the Webstore in 2017.

T16.5 MADMA with nastya

Added to the Webstore in 2017.

T17 Phase out +3

Originally uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account in 2015. Added to the Webstore in 2017.

T63 neotek 2h949 +3 [bonus beats]

Added to the Webstore in 2017.

T08 dx1+5

First released as a track with the Syrobonkers interview (November 2014) and later as a download on the user18081971 SoundCloud account in 2015. Added to the Webstore in 2017.

T69T07 stasspa+3

Added to the Webstore in 2017.

T05 tx16w marion MT***,e [sketches]

Added to the Webstore in 2019.

T46 se70 rinseout2 [sketches]

Added to the Webstore in 2019.

ZT01 [sketch1]

Added to the Webstore in 2019.

TXT1+4 ds8 flngchrods[sketch0.1b]

Added to the Webstore in 2019.

Korg Trax+Tunings for falling asleep tuning seq2 ph2

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

Monlogue x2, all other tuning tracks x1 monologue

Webstore note for tuning seq2 ph2 in reference to how many Korg Monolgue’s were used in its creation

tuning Seq1 Ph2

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning Seq2

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning Seq3

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning Seq1

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning Seq4

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning Seq5

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning1

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning2

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning3

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning4

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

tuning5

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017 under the section for Korg Trax+Tunings For Falling Asleep

orphans luke vibert- spiral staircase [future music competition] [AFX ALTremix b]

Alternative remix to the one found on the London 14.09.2019 EP. Added to the webstore in 2017.

Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 EP diskhat ALL prepared1mixed [snr2mix]diskhat ALL prepared1bmixed [snr2mix],e,ru,+4

Alternative mix of diskhat ALL prepared1mixed 13 uploaded to the official Aphex Twin SoundCloud account in 2015. The comments section was the place where the SoundCloud dump of 2015 began as Richard pretending to be an anonymous musician was commenting on his official account. Added to the webstore in 2017.

 

diskhat ALL [snr2mix] [fast],e,+3

A faster version of diskhat ALL prepared1mixed [snr2mix]diskhat ALL prepared1bmixed [snr2mix],e,ru,+4. Added to the webstore in 2017.

DISKLVPRPT1 Equinox barn dance[fast]

A faster version of disk prep calrec2 barn dance [slo]. Added to the webstore in 2017.

GAK gak police er,2

Initially uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account as 21 Gak Police in 2015. Added to the webstore in 2017.

gak bass,e,+2

Initially uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account in 2015. Added to the webstore in 2017.

gak5 e,+3

Initially uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account as Ms Short in 2015. Added to the webstore in 2017.

gak6 e,+3

Initially uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account as Bradley Un in 2015. Added to the webstore in 2017.

gak 7 e,+3

Initially uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account as flabbard [DAT14] in 2015. Added to the webstore in 2017.

Come To Daddy forgotten life path

Added to the webstore in 2017.

bank lullaby

Uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account as Blue Carpet in 2015 with the download title of (amb mello) Added to the webstore in 2017.

28 organ 1.1 [ru,ec,+9]

Originally uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account in as organ epic, when added to the webstore in 2017, approximately 45 seconds of the SoundCloud version were edited out as Richard wasn’t keen on that particular section.

Donkey Rhubarb icct hedral [phillip glass dry version+bonus DAT glitches]

Added to the webstore in 2017.

Girl/Boy EP milkman instrumentil

Shorter instrumental version of the track Milkman, added to the webstore in 2017.

milkman bonus beets

Added to the webstore in 2017.

growth inst. [blonder]+6,ru

Added to the webstore in 2017.

Ventolin hilow [ru,ec,+3]

Uploaded to the user18081971 SoundCloud account as hilo in 2015. Added to the webstore in 2017.

ventolin1 un e,ru,ec+2

Added to the webstore in 2017.

Rushup Edge goodbye jo [original live mixdown]

Alternative early version of Goodbye Rute, added to the webstore in 2017.

1st rushup m,+3

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017. Early version of Synthacon9?

computerband 2000 m,+3

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017.

oslo 2 +6.1

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017.

[S770/SCI 3000,powertran] beautiful Japanese people

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017.

talkin2u mix2 +9

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017.

stride portugal

Uploaded to the webstore in 2017.

Analord 07 lisbon acid unedited original live mix

Originally unedited mix of Lisbon Acid from Analord 07

As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations the record label Rough Trade are reissuing 50 curated albums taken from every year of their existence. The record chosen for 1992 is a reissue of Aphex Twin’s classic album Selected Ambient Works 85-92. The reissue comes in a picture disc format spread across two LPs ,with new extensive liner notes. See details below!

Also check out some related news I neglected to report on in February about the album achieving a silver sales status in the UK. ( bottom of this new bulletin).

Rough Trade 50th Anniversary Editions 1992: Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92

A quietly revolutionary record that still sounds untethered to time, Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85–92 carved out a new emotional space within electronic music.

Includes

• Rough Trade Exclusive picture disc
• Insert with exclusive stories and interviews with the people behind the music
• Limited to 2000 copies

Tracklist

1. Xtal
2. Tha
3. Pulsewidth
4. Ageispolis
5. i
6. Green Calx
7. Heliosphan
8. We Are the Music Makers
9. Schottkey 7th Path
10. Ptolemy
11. Hedphelym
12. Delphium
13. Actium

More than a record store. Since 1976.

The year 2026 marks five decades of Rough Trade. From a small shop on West London’s Kensington Park Road to a global community of music heads, it’s been half a century of backing counterculture, celebrating the physical format and championing creativity. We exist to serve the die-hards and the curious alike – fiercely independent, always chasing what’s next.

This is 50.

---

A silver disc from Cornwall >> Ghent.

In recognition of 60’000+ sales in the UK of Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works 85-92’, label manager Nick presents to R&S Records founders Renaat & Sabine this long overdue disc award.

Next stop – a gold award for this masterpiece album!

““I first heard Analogue Bubblebath on a white label, amazing tune. After that I invited Richard to Belgium. He came to my place with a box full of cassettes. All the tunes were there and it was no surprise I was blasted away. Oh My God, I still remember this like it was yesterday. I played them over and over. Everyone thought I was insane by putting this music out – they were 100% right. Maybe I am insane but I enjoyed it.” (Renaat Vandepapeliere).

Joyrex EP Reviews Spex Magazine (August 1992)

Presumably they meant Joyrex J4 and J5

CAUSTIC WINDOW Joyrex EP 3 and 4 (Reflex) Both records clearly bear the signature of Aphex Twin’s >> Bubblebath Vol. 1 << EP. Unpredictable and avant-garde in every respect, they incorporate children’s melodies as well as harsh electronic passages, adding a touch of humor. Have you ever heard a Carl Craig version of “Popcorn”? A gift of genius, just before Christmas.

---

under one sky Issue 5 (August 1992)

THE APHEX TWIN has two new offerings on his own label, REPHLEX RECORDS; look for CAUSTIC WINDOWS EP VOL 1 & 2 which is trance to mind phuck you.

---

Bassic Groove (February 1993)

CAUSTIC WINDOW – JOYREX J5 EP (12″”REPHLEX-UK) CAT 005

‘Caustic Window’ is, alongside “Polygon Window,” one of the many alter egos behind which Richard D. James likes to hide. In my view, the guy spends day and night in his self-built studio, crawling under studio tables while laying cables and connections between the many bizarre instruments he seems to have built himself. Let Richard loose in Kraftwerk’s Kling Klang studios sometime—I’m sure something very beautiful would emerge. But that’s actually not necessary, because the Joyrex J5 EP is already the bizarre dream of every electro freak. Four instrumental, untitled tracks on virgin white vinyl that you can play at both 33⅓ and 45 RPM (depending on your mood). Heavily distorted sounds are run through the mixer once more to be kneaded into something danceable yet indefinable. ‘Caustic Window’ is clearly Richard’s more experimental outlet. More on this knob-twiddling brain soon.

---

Frontpage Magazine (September 1993)

This is a review for Joyrex J9i

Caustic Window → Joyrex J9
(Rephlex)

UUUUyyyrrrd-Core! On a beautiful 303/606 picture disc, unfortunately only 2 tracks this time. Track 1 sounds rhythmically like rowing in an analog sea of ​​bubbles and could be a “Happy House” remix of track 552780 from AB Vol. 3. Track 2 is almost unsurpassed in its chaos and infernality. It begins with the latest variations on the Braun Micro alarm clock theme. Then the stomping rage and…uuuyyyr-rrd!!… the bass! Anyone who thinks “Tamphex” from “Xylem Tube” is tame will find the absolute pinnacle here. Like a still life of a trance marble run, suddenly blasted to bits by pump-action shotguns with something 1000% very caustic. In the middle of it all, a voice groans “Uh-uh it’s great” and she’s absolutely right.

---

Frontpage Magazine (October 1993)

This is a review for Joyrex J9ii

AFX Twin – The Caustic Window
(Rephlex)

This is by no means a typical Caustic Window record. No record with fairground melodies or calm chillout pieces. Instead, the tracks lean more toward the typical, but exotic, industrial sound that one usually only attributes to AFX Twin, and which most recently hit us in the face on Analogue Bubblebath. Two of the tracks are not new, which shouldn’t be taken the wrong way, since one appeared on the limited picture disc, and the other only recently on the sampler for the Energy Rave in Zurich.

The track from the picture disc is an electronic massacre such as has never existed in this form before. This is Jack the Ripper Techno. This is techno that appears in every club’s index, and yet, alongside this self-tearing electronic cloud mass, one quickly finds the moaning of a woman and the whispered “This is great!!!”

The track from the Energy sampler — there are no titles on this record, which incidentally comes in a postal sleeve — is the only one with a steady 4/4 bass drum and convinces through its industrial foundation in the vein of his Mescalinum United remix.

The third track comes closest to the metallic pieces of Analogue Bubblebath. Prehistoric electronic howls, the soundtrack to Jurassic Park, and in its coarse resolution only still searching for a kinship with Cabaret Voltaire’s “Nag Nag Nag.”

The final track is, surprisingly, a dub piece, with lots of reverberating sounds and almost relaxing.

— TB

---

The Wire (April 1993)

This is a review of Joyrex J4

Caustic Window Joyrex EP (REPHLEX 004)

Because Caustic Window aka Aphex Twin wipes out the usual coordinates of dance such as A/B sides and any track information, this music emerges from an informational void. You’re plunged deep into unknowingness. Track one/6 has the sibilant delicacy of raindrops trembling on the underside of leaves while track two/5 plays on the border between the pastoral and the Oriental. It’s based around a snatched, muffled operatic motif, as if the diva is stranded behind a series of gauze veils suspended along a wide dark tunnel. Track five/2 steals from Space’s “Magic Fly”, a classic proto-electro rinkydink anthem. Ambitious yet playful music.

---

NME (27th August 1994)

THE CAUSTIC WINDOW:
Joyrex J9 EP (Rephlex)

He’s a sly one, that Richard James. The empty vistas of ‘Selected Ambient Works 2’ are here filled up with all the toxic electronic scrap the Zippie spliffheads can’t handle. It’s less an EP than a digital disaster area; the aural equivalent of a computer going belly-up and belching a load of incomprehensible machine code onto the screen. Fusing everything from bulldozer beats to groaning porno samples and distorted aqualung dub. Sheer bloody-minded genius.

---

Generator Magazine (September 1993)

Apparently this review was by Dave Clarke, bit of sour grapes i’d say!

POOH CORNER

In this section (hopefully it won’t be here each month) I shall bring you a record to avoid:

Joyrex J9
Aphex Twin
(UK Rephlex)

Chortle chortle chortle think Rephlex as they go to the bank, ha ha ha as I crumple to the floor listening to this tosh. Good marketing (a 303 shaped disc in clear 10 inch vinyl) might sell a record, but when it’s played by the person who just forked out a large wad, resentment will arrive as a feeling of large amounts of urine being extracted is not cool. All label loyalty (remember the first really good Kosmik Kommando?) will be lost and this crap will end up in bin.

---

Caustic Window Compilation Reviews Muzik Magazine (June 1998)

Caustic Window
CD Compilation
Rephlex

NATTILY titled compilation of loads of Richard James’ (aka Aphex Twin) early compositions for his own label, most of which cause curiously bearded electronic obsessives to bid huge sums of money. Strange really, seeing as some of them sound like the theme tune to “Animal Magic” played by the Clangers, and the rest like paint-stripping old hardcore. Such is the appeal of da Twin, then. 7

Calvin Bush

---

Spex Magazine (June 1998)

CAUSTIC WINDOW
CD Compilation
Rephlex/EFA

In Richard D. James’ musical universe, Caustic Window offers just as many possibilities as, say, Aphex Twin. It’s just that little of this went unnoticed because the limited vinyl pressings sold like hotcakes. Now the fourteen tracks from the EPs released so far are available on CD, and this won’t necessarily make life any easier for those who paid exorbitant prices for the originals on record fairs.

James’ respectful handling of borrowings, genre boundaries, and samples hasn’t been established, and his Caustic Window tracks don’t indicate any shift in this regard. This, however, also renders all attempts to describe the individual projects as independent, musically autonomous entities futile. Whether CW, AT, or AFX—the man simply produces so much that names are irrelevant for internal organization. Therefore, even though some tracks are years old, this CD allows for a seamless transition to Aphex Twin’s latest album, >>Come To Daddy<<<

This in turn raises the question of James’s further development. It seems as if his work has been present in all its facets from the very first note and is now simply being elaborated according to the human scale of production and perception. Caustic Window is therefore just another name for this alien

MARTIN PESCH

---

The Wire Magazine (July 1997)

Caustic Window
Caustic Window
REPHLEX PROMO CD

Subject of much speculation, this one: will it/did it actually come out? Are the track titles really a sequence of ‘rudies’? Is all this mystery a marketing prank concocted by Richard James and the Rephlex label? No doubt, though, that these early and unreleased James tracks are the real McCoy. A mixture of sweaty, cider-soaked breakbeats and clean Techno grooves recalling “We Are The Music Makers”, these are the tunes that no doubt rocked the world of the pasty-faced Cornish youngsters in the clubs where James spent his formative DJ years. Get it if you find it.

Again thanks to my brother Paul for the scan cheers!

APHEX TWIN the wizzkid

Interview by Thee J. Johanz

He is already being called a child prodigy. Music of his has been released that he made as early as the age of twelve. Lately, he hasn’t been sleeping. The American major label Sire is lying in wait while he runs his own record label. Recently, Richard D. James came to the Netherlands for the first time to perform live at the VPRO. Turntables were nervously set up beforehand, but to their dismay, the VPRO team had to conclude that Richard D. merely put a little something in the recorder, only to sink into some forms he still had to read through. “That D. in his name surely stands for that,” joked Luc Jansen over the airwaves about the new promise of house, or rather, of electronic music.

‘Would you like a slice of pizza too?’ asks Richard. Once again, it turns out that little of the stories circulating about Richard’s alleged alter ego, Evil Twin, are true. He is not arrogant, nor is he introverted, and he certainly has a sense of humour. He has, however, been tired for the past few months. ‘If I sit down in front of the television, I fall asleep immediately. But as long as I’m listening to music or talking to people, I stay awake.’ He is on a survival journey, as he has barely slept for three months. Soon, however, he resolves to get a good night’s sleep again. He is producing like a madman (he calls himself an obsessive). Every week he makes about ten new tracks, and sometimes as many as five a day. He works himself into the ground, but not without results.

Richard: ‘During the day I am busy sorting things out, running the label (Rephlex – TJJ) and the like. Around eight o’clock I get home and listen to the overflowing tape on my answering machine. Around eleven o’clock I drink tea and eat something, and then go into the studio around midnight to work until about six. After that, sometimes I go somewhere for a bit, then have breakfast and start a new day.’

The first records by Richard D. James were released via R&S. The first Aphex Twin release in particular, featuring the track Didgeridoo, was an absolute smash hit. The record was released by three different labels within three months, resulting in chaotic distribution and making the record hard to come by at times. Nevertheless, thirty thousand copies were sold, and it remains a highly sought-after record. Remarkable for a record that can certainly be called highly experimental.

A second Aphex Twin release followed not long after, followed by R&S releasing Selected Ambient Works 85-92 as the grand finale, a compilation full of spacious techno that comes into its own during a drive through the countryside or a sailing trip across the Wadden Sea. Polygon Window, his project for the Sheffield-based Warp label, shares largely the same atmosphere. However, there are exceptions. Quoth, available in various mixes, is said to be played to death even by gabbers. ‘However, it often gets pitched to pieces,’ (turned too fast) says Richard D. James. ‘A shame, because you don’t have to be fast at all to be hard!’

MUSIC OF THE FUTURE

Richard D. James grew up far from the big city, in Cornwall, a region in the far southeast of the United Kingdom. Here his ambient sounds originated, which are also cherished by the British independent crowd, which never really cared for techno. Richard D. James, alias Aphex Twin, alias Polygon Window, alias Caustic Window, AFX, Bluecalx, Soit-PP, Q-Chastic and so on, is currently in negotiations with Sire, the American major label that, for example, also signed Baby Ford and Ministry years ago. He doesn’t think Ministry is that great either, by the way.

In Great Britain, the indie labels can hold their own against the majors, but ‘in America, it’s the only way to get my music out there; otherwise, it simply gets ignored.’ Through his own independent label, Rephlex, Richard is at least making an effort to give new artists a chance. According to Richard, house music will increasingly evolve towards ambient in the future. ‘Techno is becoming more and more music for the masses, while ambient forms a crossover with the indie stuff. I can still see myself performing with Alex Paterson (The Orb TJJ) and Mixmaster Morris (Irresistible Force TJJ) at a big party for a hundred thousand people in Hyde Park.’

Not only is Richard D. James a trendsetting figure in the house scene, but nowadays he is also a sought-after producer for rudderless indie guitar bands. In the past, for instance, he has made remixes for popular British bands such as Curve and St Etienne. Richard himself doesn’t quite understand the interest from this quarter. However, if you have produced something particularly bad, do not hesitate to send him this monstrosity, because: ‘I prefer to make something good out of rubbish rather than make something good out of something that is already good. The former is a much greater challenge!’

BEACH PARTIES

There are few good record shops in Cornwall, but partly due to the unexpected success, Richard has bought around three thousand records in London over the last six months. ‘Including a lot of ambient, avant-garde, and late seventies stuff. Brian Eno and the like.’ He also really likes old house. ‘Those records often have more soul. Contemporary acid is often so boring; it used to be made much better!’ What Richard and colleague Grant Wilson-Claridge have in mind with Rephlex is to combine the inventiveness and soul of old house music with a contemporary sound. He considers his own music incidentally, not as dance music, but as ‘original, electronic music’.

Just like Kraftwerk, he pays a great deal of attention to developing his own sound. Over the past year, he has sold all his prefabricated instruments and now plays only with self-built devices. Before a gig, he is often busily soldering because things have come loose again. Occasionally, he buys a second-hand analogue keyboard, but only to take it apart and see which circuits he can use. Naturally, his electronics studies at the University of London play a significant role in this. However, he had to drop out of his studies to dedicate himself entirely to music. ‘Someday I will finish my studies,’ he says, somewhat doubting his own words. First, he has to move on. He performs everywhere: Belgium, England, Norway, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oklahoma, and soon in the Netherlands as well.

The days of organizing beach parties in Cornwall are over. Occasionally, he still plays at a small party. He has been DJing since he was sixteen, but the DJ scene in London was ‘really cut-throat.’ However, the musician Richard D. James is far from giving up. To be honest, I hope he doesn’t sleep a wink in the coming months and makes much more of that beautiful music.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY

Aphex Twin Didgeridoo (R&S)
Aphex Twin – Xylem Tube EP (R&S)
AFX- Analogue Bubblebath I (Mighty Force)
AFX – Analogue Bubblebath II (Rabbit City)
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (R&S)
Caustic Window – Joyrex J.IV EP (Rephlex)
Caustic Window – Joyrex JV EP (Rephlex)
Polygon Window – Surfing On Sine Waves (Warp)
Polygon Window – Quoth remix (Warp)
P.C.P. Mescalinum United (white label)

Thanks to my brother Paul for scanning the interview for me, cheers Paul!

When artists devote themselves entirely to developing new sounds, they are taking a risk “make it big.” In this techno-world of samples and cover versions, one person has taken that risk; for him it has paid off. Richard James is 20 years old, lives in London, and has become very successful as The Aphex Twin. Last January, NME said “At around 160 BPM, [the Aphex Twin’s] ‘Digeridoo’ shows where underground techno is headed over the next six months — a blitz of experimentation and change.” See how that holds true with his late June R&S EP release, “Xylem Tube.”

DMR: When did you first get into music?

I was 12 years old and I began playing around with synthesisers and acid tracks.

Has your music always been so original?

Yes, I have always made a point of being different in my music.

Did you have much success before your first release on R&S?

I did, but it was local success. I had two EPs, Analogue Bubblebath Vol. 1 and Volume 2. Both went through a local indie and both sold out.

What is it that makes your music so original?

Well, I enjoy making my own music and to be really be my own, it has to be original and different, and I also make my own keyboards.

Wait, did you say you make your own keyboards?

Well, when I was younger, I started to modify the circuitry in my synths to create new sounds, and by doing that I learned how the circuitry worked and from there I went on to make my own synthesisers.

So you don’t have an E-Max or a Roland?

Nope, my synthesisers are all made by me. You should see my room, it is filled with all kinds of circuits.

Did you have to study to learn all that?

I learned mostly from just doing it. I have been studying electronics but I just recently had to postpone school. Because of my success, I no longer have the time.

No time. Does that mean a tour is coming?

Right now Orbital and I are trying to organise a tour to begin in September.

What is next for you musically?

I have an ambient EP [Xylem Tube on R&S] coming in a couple of weeks with 12 tracks, and I am really looking forward to it.
(LC: I believe this is a misprint and Richard was possibly talking about his LP Selected Ambient Works here, although that had 13 tracks and wasn’t released until November so its a bit of a mystery at the moment)

Why do you think you have been so successfuk?

I think plain techno was getting stale and that the people were ready for something new.

Lieven DeGeyndt

This is a magazine that I ordered a physical copy of that got lost in the post, so many thanks to Plunderphucked for sending this one in.

“WHEN YOU START WITH A BIG PIECE OF SHIT, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT IT”

Text: Arno Frank

Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin, very, very rarely gives interviews, and when he does, he likes to ramble… To mark the release of his new EP “Collapse.” he made an exception for us and picked up the phone. A conversation about submarines, children, and obsessions.

We should really communicate with Aphex Twin via Skype. He would then use a filter that distorts the image and chops up his voice, take absurd detours in his answers, and speak in tongues before bulging out of the screen like a demon emerging from the amniotic sac and leaping into our faces.

With Richard D. James, on the other hand, you can actually talk. He doesn’t behave like Aphex Twin, that hybrid homunculus of Freddy Krueger, a fried hard drive, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But like a normal person with a gentle voice and an alert mind, ready for an enlightening conversation. Afterwards, there’s even an email. If we have any further questions, we should feel free to write to him. Which seems so friendly that it’s almost uncanny…

I’ve been meaning to thank you for a long time, Mr. James.

“For What?”

When my Daughter was a baby, we had a lot of trouble getting her to sleep. None of the usual methods worked. This went on for weeks. Until I played her music at full volume, really through the speakers with all the bass…

“And that worked?”

Not at all with the usual rock or pop, not even with Erik Satie or Philip Glass. Arvo Pärt was better. In the end, it was a piece by Aphex Twin.

“You played “Come To Daddy” for your daughter? Very funny.

It was “Rhubarb” from your album Selected Ambient Works Volume II. Only five minutes, and she was asleep. A miracle. Thank you for that!

“I know what you mean. I have three children myself, and they sleep all the time. Always have. It’s a blessing.”

Has having children changed your attitude towards life or work?

“The reason my children sleep so well is perhaps because I haven’t changed my habits at all. For example, I still listen to music everywhere, probably even louder than before. When they’re in the room, I sometimes turn it up to a club volume. Deafening, even more complex stuff. Most parents I know always try to be especially quiet. Their children don’t sleep at all or only very poorly. But children themselves are constantly making noise. So they must like it.”

Thinking back to your own childhood, what was the first sound that made an impression on you?

“I recently saw an interview with Karlheinz Stockhausen on the BBC, and he was asked the same question. He got up without a word and left the studio.”

Wrong question?

“I don’t know. The journalist was a real pain. But Stockhausen was also famous for his short fuse. In my case, to answer your question, it was perhaps the wind. I Grew up in Cornwall. It blows there.”

Natural sounds, then.

“Not only that! When I was really young, maybe four years old, we lived near a quarry. They blasted once a day. As a warning, there was always a siren beforehand, like a fire alarm. You could hear it for miles. Then there was a huge explosion, followed by the biggest chunks coming down. I think that was a really early influence on me. That combination of intense sounds.”

Ralf Hütter from Kraftwerk once said: “Music is intensity. The rest is just noise.”

“He’s right about that. And I hope that applies to my music, too. I’m a big fan of Kraftwerk; I still listen to them all the time. I’ve sampled them a few times, and they haven’t sued me yet! I take that as a compliment. I hope they reach a younger generation with their stuff. I’m afraid that some you people today find their material a bit… lacklustre. Because there isn’t enough bass in it, or whatever. But it’s enough for me. To my ears, it doesn’t age.”

The strange thing about your release is that some of it could have been recorded ten or twenty years ago, and in some cases, it actually was at the time of release. And yet it sounds like it’s from another era…

“I’m glad to hear that. Not with all of it, but with many things, I try to make them sound old from the very beginning, even before I start composing. I build in the age. It just sounds more interesting that way.”

without any trace of contemporaneity.

“Exactly. I first did that with Drukqs. The album was supposed to sound like it had been recorded ten years earlier. It’ didn’t work, but it led to interesting results.”

But you master your equipment like a virtuoso masters their instrument, right?

“Yes.”

Then why do you deliberately make mistakes?

“If you start with really good equipment, you get a really good result. Then it’s too perfect. For example, I can’t work with a Mac. These Apple computers just look too good, like they were designed by very good graphic designers. And they work brilliantly, too, and do exactly what they’re supposed to do. But I always ask myself if I really want to use that for my work. A thing that looks like that? It’s a really pretty… object. So it will also make my music very pretty, and therefore boring.”

The problem of aesthetic perfection

“That’s right. I prefer working with equipment that looks like beat-up old PCs. If you start with a big pile of crap instead of an award-winning design object, there’s something about it… I don’t know. It gets me further.”

What is it about music that bores you?

“Generally, I’m bored by things that are okay – but not terrible. If it’s terrible, then there’s something inspiring about it. But when something is just okay, that’s the worst. When it’s not brilliant and not terrible, but somewhere in between, half good, lukewarm. If something is awful, at least I can laugh about it.”

“I wanted to buy a submarine, but I needed a crew. I don’t like crews, though.”

Richard finally addresses the submarine rumours

When does the artist say, “That’s it! I’m leaving it like this because it’s finished!”?

“That’s a good question because I find it hard to put into words. It’s just a feeling…“

Oh Dear

“No, that’s great! If you can’t put something into words, it means the magic is hidden somewhere. Back in the day, with real instruments or synthesisers, the creative process actually came to an end at some point. At some point, you had to turn the machines off, and even analogue synthesisers go out of tune after a while. There was a timeframe for what you wanted to create.”

Isn’t that the case anymore?

“No. If everything that happens, happens inside a computer, then there’s no end, no finish line.”

No expensive studio time.

“Exactly. I learned very quickly that I’m a different person from day to day; sometimes I’m even a different person now than I was five hours ago or will be in five hours. So when you re-evaluate something the next day, you’re a different person and you’re looking at it with…well, almost a different character. So it will never be finished because you’re always changing. You always want to adapt it to the personality you are at that moment.”

But at some point, it has to come out.

“Of course, sooner or later you reach a point where you just know it’s finished. Sometimes you also feel that it was too much – then you take something away so that it’s finished. “

There you go!

“Yes, but then it’s only finished at that exact moment. The next day or the next week, it’s no longer finished. And you want to change it again. “

What is there to be done?

“Well, we live in interesting times. It used to be that an album came out…and that was it. It’s never going to change. I’ve now opened this “Aphex Store” on the Warp website, where I add things to old albums. Simply because nobody else has done it.”

Why do you do that?

“Because the albums then evolve. They then represent, so to speak, different back channels into my life or my work. If I made a record 20 years ago, for example, there are things from that time, a lot of tracks I was working on back then… and can continue working on. That goes for new music too. I can even swap music, which is pretty cheeky. I did that recently, offered old music for download again, same title, different music. So now people have different versions of it, sometimes completely different tracks.”

Is that your comment on the artwork in the age of its technical reproducibility?

“It is. And it doesn’t just apply to music. I was saying that to my friend the other day, the one who made the video for “T69 Collapse.” We had a deadline and wanted to change it, and I said, “Okay, leave it, then we’ll just make a new version in two months.”

They’re killing the deadline

“Practically, yes. If someone wants to keep a particular version of something, they should. If something is lost forever, that’s okay too. True fans naturally tend towards obsessive-compulsive disorder. They want to have everything and also want everything in its proper place. If I keep changing things, they’ll slowly go crazy. Which is another good reason to do it.”

What is Aphex Twin’s daily routine?

“The struggle to find time and space for creativity. That, I think, is an essential part of any art form. Especially when the artist is surrounded by friends and family. I can’t work like that. It has to do with concentration. I basically need to be alone. As a father, you know how difficult it is to carve out a little time for yourself. I actually find that part of the work harder than the music itself. It takes me a damn long time to get into the right state of mind.”

How long?

“Hours, hours in silence. I can’t force the desired state. If you force it, you create a bad association with creativity. “

“I can even swap music, which is quite cheeky.”

Richard on surreptitiously swapping version of track in and out on his digital webstore, to drive people with like myself insane.

Do you compose yourself? Or do you sometimes get the impression that “it” composes itself, whatever “it” may be?

“Before I start, it’s all just normal manual work. Plug connections, soldering cables, that sort of thing. But when the real work can begin, I often ask myself: Where the hell is this coming from?”

There are people who believe “it” comes from another place

“I actually believe that too. Especially at night, when it’s not so loud and everyone is asleep. And I mean everyone. Then it sometimes seems to me that the more brains are at rest, the better I can let it flow, so to speak. You could call that “channelling,” in absolute silence.”

That sounds almost spiritual.

“That’s the magic I was talking about earlier. Reaching that magical point of silence requires a lot of work and planning. When it finally happens, the magic begins for me, even before I’ve done anything at all.”

Every now and then, in the abstract environment of your music the human voice also makes an appearance. Why?

“Precisely because this environment is so abstract. The voice is a reference point outside the abstract ambience, which is sometimes necessary. I have no problem with the abstraction of electronic music. That’s often the reason why I like it. Because there’s no reference. That’s the whole point.”

Because music is a universal language, even without words?

“It isn’t Generally, people need a narrative, a guide to what they should think about or feel. I’m often asked to make soundtracks. That’s nice, but irritating. My work is too alien for people to simply listen to. They want to be able to associate it with certain images.”

Manic speed plays a major role in your music.

“That’s right. And that makes the abstraction even more complicated and difficult to access for some listeners. How about you?”

I Used to feel the same way. Well, until I understood…

“What?”

That there’s no point in concentrating on the nature of the rhythm. It’s like a wheel spinning so fast that at some point, if you look at it, you can no longer see the spokes. But then, if you just keep looking, it suddenly seems as if the spokes are standing still, as if they’re even spinning backwards.

“Oh, I like that very, very much. I’ve never heard anyone say that before. When I make these sounds, I know exactly where the spokes are.”

You construct these sounds slowly and then speed them up?

“I don’t I do it at exactly the speed at which you hear it. So I know all the individual moments that are there flow, and then something completely new emerges, fluid, almost serene on a higher level.”

At the same time, we were talking about your ambient music – can you also play it slow?

“I don’t have to anymore. There are people who upload slowed-down versions of my tracks to YouTube. What was intended for 45 rpm then plays at 33 rpm or even slower, because technology allows it now. In super slow motion. So that the individual spokes reappear. Some things even sound better slow than in the original version. Wonderful.”

Aphex Twin is shrouded in myth. He lives in a bank vault. He drives a tank. He wants to buy a submarine…

“Most of these myths are actually true. Of course, I lie a lot too. What I don’t lie about is usually false. And what I do lie about is often true.”

“Dad why are you lying?” And I’m like: “Be quiet, be quiet!”

Even Richard’s kids know he is a fibber

You’re a troll.

“Am I? Who knows.”

But you didn’t buy a submarine?

“I wanted to buy one, that’s true. I even knew who and where. But then I didn’t You need at least ten people to put it to sea. So I’d need a crew. But I don’t like crews.”

Do you get unpleasant when people recognise you on the street and approach you?

“Sometimes people ask, ‘Aren’t you Aphex Twin?’ And I can see they’re not 100 percent sure. Then I have a silly story ready: ‘Hey, that’s the second time I’ve been asked that today! Who is this guy I really do seem to look like him, don’t I?’ That sounds more more sincere than a curt ‘No.’ The last time, my kids were there: ‘Dad, why are you lying?’ And I was like, ‘Be quiet, be quiet!’ Kids are so terribly honest.”

Do you follow current developments in music?

“I’m trying. Electronics is completely crazy right now; everything is developing so fast, it’s easy to lose track. Ten years ago, with a little patience, it was still possible to get a feel for absolutely everything, from software and synthesisers to new trends and artists. Today it’s like the chaotic basement of a record store, where you don’t know where anything is. You have to use something like the Force from ‘Star Wars’ to find the good stuff.”

And does that work?

“No. I’m an obsessive person. So it was hard for me to admit that I simply can’t keep up with everything. On the one hand. On the other hand, the current state of total acceleration and branching out is something I’ve always dreamed of.”

Does humanity still have control? Or have the Machines taken over?

“We lost control a long time ago. In the ’70’s and ’80s, people thought, ‘Hey, we’ll just turn off the computers!’ Today, even if we could turn them off, the entire economy would collapse. We can’t turn them off anymore.”

Can electronic music even be political?

“Definitely! Let me give you a simple example. When you commit to a genre, you also commit to a set of associated rules. You agree on how this and that sound sound. But when you move beyond genres, you’re always constructing a new genre with new rules. Listening to this music, or dancing to it, even if only in your own head, is definitely very political. It encourages free thinking.”

Because then you’re listening to someone who thinks for themselves and makes their own rules?

“That’s right. And that certainly has an effect on the audience. However, it’s impossible to quantify the effects. No analyst will be able to say, ‘Ah, this person makes this kind of music, it’s new, what are the social implications?’ You can’t find out.”

Is that what makes it subversive?

“That’s the reason it’s subversive. With rock ‘n’ roll, you can immediately hear, just from the lyrics, what it’s about. And why it might be dangerous from the perspective of those in power. With electronic music, that’s impossible. You simply don’t know what it’s about. That’s even more dangerous. It operates subliminally, stays under the radar.”

You turned down a collaboration with the powerful Madonna. Why?

“I found her a bit vampiric. That’s when the lawyers come along with contracts. In fact, I collaborate a lot with local musicians here, also with singers, on a smaller scale. That’s more fun. If Madonna wants to come over and hang out with me, that’s fine by me. But if she doesn’t, that’s how business works. That’s too cold for me.”

You’re 47 now. Is it easier or harder to age in electronic music?

“Easier, and that’s another advantage. As long as I can still move a finger, I can keep making music. I’ve even been asked if I want to become a lecturer. That happens very quickly. All you have to do is show up at a university and give a 15-minite lecture, and bam, you’re an honorary professor. That doesn’t interest me.”

Is there actually any “normal music” on the radio that finds favour with your ears?

“Well. Rock or pop, in the broadest sense, is, I think, quite expensive. Back the, you didn’t have much choice but to buy instruments. And they were never cheap. So you saved up, or, as was often the case, you were the child of wealthy parents. Guitars cost money, keyboards cos money, amplifiers cost money, and so on. Today, you can make music completely free, use your dad’s computer, and download any software you need as a free crack.”

And beyond the production conditions?

“Rock music is always also a stylistic choice. And if you choose a style, that’s already the first mistake in my eyes.”

Why?

“Because it should be about necessity. If you want to make music, you should do it in the most cost-effective way. Otherwise, the image or a genre quickly takes centre stage, not the music. That doesn’t mean you can’t make good music. But that’s where things go wrong, because it’s not about what’s essential.”

The music?

“The music. If you want to look cool, start a band. If you want to make music, get a computer.”

RICHARD D.JAMES FOR BEGINNERS AND APHEXPERTS

PERSONAL

Richard David James, Born in 1971 in Limerick Ireland, lives alternately near Glasgow in Scotland and in Cornwall, England, where he also grew up. His Daimler-Ferret Mark 3 – an armoured car, not a tank – is also parked there. James is reportedly (LC: formerly) married to a Russian art student and has three children.

DRUGS

Aphex Twin’s music often sounds like an adventurous trip. James himself, however, stays away from drugs when he’s working: “It just doesn’t go well if I’ve taken something.”

EQUIPMENT

James is said to have built his own synthesisers from adhesive tape and tape recorders as a a child. He was still recording on cassette in the 90’s, later he switched to the DAT format. Besides analogue devices like the Moog, he used almost every piece of hardware he could get his hands on, from classic to obscure, from the Akai S950 HxC to the zither. The Cheetah MS800 was so important to him that he named his EP “Cheetah” (2016) after it. In addition to hardware, he now relies more and more on software for creating beats. For this purpose, he has hired a Chinese programmer. She writes custom-made software for him.

IMAGE

When techno was still a faceless affair for aesthetic and ideological reasons, James was the first artist to prominently place his face on album covers “just to annoy people.” This face is varied, distorted, worn as a rubber mask, folded or stretched – and sometimes even incorporated into the music so that it becomes recognisable under spectral viewing. The famous logo could be a saw or a tonearm, but is actually a stylized A. It first appeared in 1992 and was hand-painted at the time.

CLASSICAL

James cites Erik Satie and Karlheinz Stockhausen as his greatest influences, also the poles of his work. Together with Jonny Greenwood, he performed in Warsaw alongside Steve Reich and Krzysztof Penderecki, who works he remixed. He also presented a piece from COMPUTER CONTROLLED ACOUSTUC INSTRUMENTS PT2 (2015), in which, among other things, orchestral musicians played at his command. The set also included a concert grand piano suspended from the ceiling, which was played remotely: “That creates an interesting Doppler effect.” However, the world of contemporary music is too stressful for him: “Too many people, too many rehearsals”

PSEUDONYM

Richard David James loves to disguise his tracks. And has therefore released music under names like Aphex Twin, AFX, Blue Calx, GAK, The Dice Man, Q-Chastic, Power-Pill, The Tuss, Caustic Window and Polygon Window.

This is a continuation of a series of articles looking at the user18081971 SoundCloud dump of 2015 onwards:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine
Part Ten
Part Eleven
Part Twelve

Track uploaded (4th January 2016)

275. Linmiri ≠ Bradley Stryder (released on Bradley’s Robot EP)

Linmiri ≠ Bradley Stryder is a track that was originally released on the B-side of the Bradley’s Robot EP. Linmiri in the title is a reference to the name of the family home that Richard grew up in, within the Cornish village of Lanner. Linmiri was the house that contained Richard’s home bedroom studio of Lannerlog, where all of his material from the 1980’s till sometime in 1992 was created.

Linmiri is also referenced in the Caustic Window track The Garden of Linmiri. I’m unsure of use of Linmiri in the context of this track though and the use of the not equal to sign. Perhaps it simply means the Bradley Stryder material wasn’t made at Linmiri/Lannerlog.

Originally untitled on vinyl, the version of Linmiri ≠ Bradley Stryder uploaded to SoundCloud seems to have been transferred directly from DAT tape by Richard, and is the highest quality version available.

“[not off vinyl]

Go to your track!”

user18081971 SoundCloud comment (2015)

Hashtag: #bradley stryder

Track uploaded (28th May 2016)

276. Love 7 (bonus track from 2009 digital reissue of Analord 11)

Love 7 was initially released on the Rephlex.com webstore as a digital bonus track for the Analord 11 EP around Christmas Eve 2009. An extensive list of equipment was given by Richard with the SoundCloud upload, what’s particularly interesting is that Love 7 a Analord track was recorded just after The Tuss track Synthacon 9 from the Rushup Edge EP.

This is interesting for several reasons, firstly it tells us two of Richard’s projects, namely Analord and The Tuss were created more or less concurrently on a very similar setup. Analord tracks tend to be more straightforward acid tracks whereas The Tuss tracks tend to be intricately sequenced and break heavy although there is some stylistic overlap.

One of the main differences between the two projects is the presence of Richard’s huge Yamaha GX1 synthesiser which features heavily on most Tuss tracks. Although it presumably wasn’t wheeled up the lake district to feature on Synthacon 9 as it weighs 300 kilograms.

Presumably Synthacon 9 was created and finished at The Bank in London, then Love 7 was started and finished off at Richard’s holiday cottage in the Lake District with equipment that he was able to transport.

“Recorded approx 2005 at the bank & Lake district directly after Synthacon 9
Roland TR-808
Roland SH5 [x2]
Roland SH7
Roland Jupiter 6
Exc. analoggins -the Aviator
Boss CS1
Ensoniq Mirage DMS-8
SCI Pro1
Korg PS3300
Soundcraft Ghost 32
AKG BX25
TC electronic TC 1210 – Spatial Expander
Oram Pro Audio HD-EQ2
Klark Teknik DN362″ #detroit/electro”

Hashtag: #detroit/electro

Track uploaded (25th December 2016)

277. tnodvood104

tnodvood104 is a track that was probably recorded at the same time as Computer Controlled Instruments pt2 as it is stylistically very similar and features instrumentation similar to tracks such as disk prep calrec2 barn dance [slo].

Hashtag: #voodoo

Track uploaded (11th December 2018)

278. popcorn (high quality transfer of Joyrex J4 track from source tape)

This is a high quality transfer of the Caustic Window cover of the Gershon Kingsley track Popcorn from the Joyrex J4 EP. This version is higher quality than what was previously available on an previous official release. During this period Richard was transferring his old master cassettes to digital with a audiophile quality Nakamichi CR7e cassette deck. You can read more about this process here.

This version of Popcorn was uploaded and removed from SoundCloud very quickly, presumably as a sneak preview of the quality Richard was extract of his old master tapes.

Track uploaded (13th May 2019)

279. CIRCLONT12A Syro[ace] (demo version of syro u473t8+3 (piezoluminescence mix))

CIRCLONT12A Syro[ace] is a demo version of the track syro u473t8+e [141.98][piezoluminescence mix].

“early demo mix sh101, Casio FZ20m, modulars, cs80,727, most of this track is an Sh101 programmed&flexxed to fuk. 4x musicaid claptraps”

user18081971 SoundCloud comment

The title suggest this track was sequences with the aid of a Sequentix Cirklon multi-track hardware sequencer, a device Richard has used frequently over the past 15 years or so:

“computers in 2014 as amazing as they are, are not made for one job and thats their massive weakness, when you just turn on a bit of equipment and its designed to do just one job, theres no fucking about.”

Richard on why he has a preference for using the Sequentix Cirklon, Syrobonkers interview (November 2014)

Hashtag: #chilled carrot

Track Uploaded (18th June 2019)

280. Barbican1 Rehearsal Seq1 [remote control orchestra]

Barbican1 Rehearsal Seq1 [remote control orchestra] is part of an experimental electro-acoustic piece composed by Richard and performed by the  Heritage Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in London in 2012. During the performance, the musicians were guided in real time by James, who transmitted specific pitches to their headphones. The players attempted to match these tones on their instruments, aided by visual cues. The pitch information was controlled via MIDI and custom Max/MSP patches, which routed signals to designated sections of the orchestra.

“Remote orch, players have pitched saw waves in their headphones, they have to try and track pitch, i control the pitches via midi controllers and maxpatches and who gets what. They also have visual cues that tell them how loud to play and what style of playing + other instructions like play as high as you can and as fast as possible, on the birdge of instrument etc etc, scream like a cat dying none of these worked at barbican though they did work at the poland performance though, i did what i could with what was left working”

Syrobonkers interview (November 2014)

Apparently the performance at the Barbican wasn’t to Richard’s satisfaction as a crucial part of the software malfunctioned before the start of the gig:

“This is a rehearsal of part of the polyrhythmic max patch that actually broke directly before the gig, so I couldn’t play with it, really fucking frustrating, one day I will do this again with all the other parts of the patch which I never got to try out.”

user18081971 SoundCloud account (2019)

do you have any outtakes from your barbican or polish robot orchestra performances?

rich: “Yes many, not properly mixed down though but heres a couple for starters! this was the very first rhythmic tryouts, they got better before the sofware crashed, next time i will nail the bugger! 2nd is rehearsal for orc version of a saw2 track that never got performed…backwards..I really need to mixdown the others as they friggin amazing if i dont mind saying so myself, esp krakow pendulum piece which turned out way beyond my highest expectations, i felt god or someone was helping me out there, maybe it was just my amazing crew”

Syrobonkers interview (November 2014)

Hashtag: #Learning

Track uploaded (12th August 2019)

281. blue carpet (released as a bonus track, retitled ‘bank lullaby′ on aphextwin.net digital reissue of Come to Daddy EP)

blue carpet original titled (amb mello) in the download’s ID3 tag was recorded at The Bank around the year 2000. It was later appended to the digital rerelease of the Come to Daddy EP as a digital bonus track under the title bank lullaby. It’s interesting to note that Richard was still creating ambient tracks in this time period as the early 2000’s are usually associated with the hyperkinetic music of Drukqs.

“made around 2000 ish,”

user18081971 SoundCloud quote

“blue carpet, written in the bank”

user18081971 SoundCloud quote

Hashtag: #religion & spirituality

Track uploaded (1st February 2020)

282. raindrops on roses-PBOD (Phonic Boy On Dope era track)

raindrops on roses was created in 1989 during Richard’s Phonic Boy On Dope era. Like several other Aphex Twin tracks raindrops on roses features a sample of Julie Andrew from musical The Sound of Music, in this case the sample comes from the song My Favourite Things.

raindrops on roses was recorded in Richard’s Lannerlog bedroom studio within Linmiri. Virtually all tracks Richard created from the time he started recording music until sometime in late 1992 were created here. raindrops on roses is found on Demo Tape 16 under the title RAINDROPS + WHISKAS.

“Made in my bedroom Linmiri, penance rd, Cornwall, when I was a teenager.”

ID3 tag

Hashtag: #religion & spirituality

Track uploaded (16th February 2020)

283. dark horse overlord acid+7

dark horse overlord acid+7 is an acid track that features lyrics that describe some rural Cornish sights in a ominous yet humorous tone. Features furious bongo playing.

“afx+pilgru”

id3 tag comment for dark horse overlord acid+7

Hashtag: #Storytelling

Track uploaded (3rd April 2020)

284. m11st lon

m11st lon starts with the sound of tape hiss suggesting it was recorded to cassette perhaps in an attempt by Richard to recreate the production values of early releases, although to my ears it sounds like it was recorded to a tape with a higher noise floor than those used previously, making the hiss and distortion that occasionally breaks through a deliberate part of the track.

Hashtag:#afx

Track uploaded (6th April 2020)

285. prememory100N pt2

Before being uploaded to SoundCloud in 2020 prememory100N pt2 was heard live at Richard’s gig at the Printworks in London (September 2019).

Hashtag: #prememory100n

Track uploaded (4th April 2020)

286. tha2

tha2 is sequel to Tha from Selected Ambient Works Volume ’85-’92. ‘tha’ in this context is a reference to Samantha, Richard’s girlfriend in the early part of the 90’s, the three letters constituting the last part of her name. A version with drums called Tha2 [world scam mix] was also uploaded to SoundCloud, see below.

Hashtag: #afxs

Track uploaded (5th April 2020)

287. s8v1 [brooklyn]

Prior to being uploaded to SoundCloud s8v1 [brooklyn] was first heard in a live set in April 2019 at an Aphex Twin gig in New York, hence the subtitle Brooklyn. This ambient track is stylistically reminiscent of those found on Selected Ambient Works Volume II, whether it is a track that is being considered by Richard to constitute part of a future third ambient works volume is unknown.

Hashtag: #world scan

Track uploaded (6th April 2020)

288. Tha2 [world scam mix]

According to Richard Tha2 [world scam mix] is the original mix (see above for the version simply titled ‘tha2’). There is a third mix of tha2 that was played live in Brooklyn (April 2019) which featured alternative drums and a segue into the original Tha, you can hear an audience recording of this mix below”

“nope, this is the original take, i didn’t record the actual Brooklyn one, had too many other things to think about. “

user18081971 SoundCloud comment (2020)

Hashtag: #world scan

Track uploaded (7th April 2020)

289. qu 1

qu 1 is essentially a very moving tribute to Richard’s late father Derek, very much in the mould of tracks such as Rhubarb from Selected Ambient Works Volume II.

Hashtag: #afx

Track uploaded (29th September 2020)

290. B2 42DIMENSIT10 (released on London 03.06.17 EP)

Officially released on the London 03.06.17 EP.

Hashtag: #acid

Track uploaded (20th October 2020)

291. a12. ab3 .215061. (speed corrected version of Analogue Bubblebath Vol 3 track in optimal quality)

A high quality transfer of the track .215061 from Analogue Bubblebath Volume 3. I previously wrote a small article on the significance of this particular SoundCloud upload here.

“here is a download gift / sneak tease for the fans, to show the kind of quality I’m extracting from my old cassettes using mega high quality cassette decks. Because I’ve customised the decks with vari-speed, I get to choose what speed I encode them at, I’ve done a few different speeds for my fave ones and it’s usually just what I think sounds good at the time or just different to what I’m used to. This one is from a That’s cassette labelled copy III , i used a lot of the VX90 tapes in that period of my life. It is the 12th track on side a. Even though I used to write COPY *.number, they were actually the original masters. Think was one of the first tracks that a small section with intentional microtuning, [harmonic series sec] .Encoded with customised Nakamichi CR7e cassette deck.

+added, it cuts out at the end coz the tape ran out I remember sometimes recording tracks to cassettes, I’d be looking at the cassette nearing the end and try and finish the track before the tape ran out  bit different from todays recording methods .”

user18081971 SoundCloud account

Hashtag: #Linmiri

Track uploaded (26th October 2020)

292. eventide 1745m demonstration

“Eventide 1745m, sequenced from the Cirklon2 rare box, even rarer if you can get one working.”

user18081971 SoundCloud comment (October 2020)

Hashtag: #religion & spirituality

Tracks uploaded (11th January 2021)

293. boxenergy4remix1 (longer version than the officially released remix)

Originally released on 2 Remixes by AFX in 2001, this remix of the DJ Pierre track Box Energy is 30 seconds longer than the version that saw official release. It was originally shared as a free mp3 download in 2005 on Rephlex.com

You suddenly released “2 Remixes by AFX” on a white vinyl record, but are those remixes of songs you’ve made in the past?

“The slower one is one I made four years ago and a bunch of my friends have been wanting to have it on record for a long time. The other one is one I made about six months ago and I love it.” – Loud Magazine (November 2001)

Richard discussing his Box Energy remix which was created around May 2001

Hashtag: #hEDpHUKaCiD

294. Mangle 11 (Circuit Bent V.I.P. Mix) (released on Rephlexions! An Album Of Braindance! compilation)

Mangle 11 (Circuit Bent V.I.P. Mix) was originally released on the Rephlex compilation Rephlexions! An Album Of Braindance in 2003. Sometime around 2017 it was appended as a bonus track to the digital reissue of Drukqs on the official Aphex Twin webstore.

I read in an old interview that you were living below your friend the Aphex Twin? Do you still? Was he/is he a noisy neighbour?

“Nope that was until about four and a half years ago. It was a solid building; there was only one track that I heard being made through the ceiling, the jungly one on Rephlexions. There was a good few weeks of that riff. It was OK though, I love that tune.”

Cylob interview with Spannered (13th July 2007)

Hashtag: #afx

Tracks Uploaded (27th July 2023)

295. 2nd Neotek Test Trac Omc (version of track from Aphex Mt. Fuji 2017 cassette)

2nd Neotek Test Trac Omc was originally released on the Aphex Mt. Fuji 2017 cassette. This high quality version was uploaded to SoundCloud by Richard by popular demand:

“as promised to people that pm’d me. made approx 2006-07 feat Kawai K5m”

user18081971 SoundCloud comment

The Neotek in the title refers to a specific brand of high end mixing desk usually found in professional recording studios. A desk Richard has used during the creation of several tracks. 2nd Neotek Test Trac Omc also features a Kawai K5m digital additive synthesiser from the late 80’s

Hashtag: #afx

296. Short Forgotten Produk Trk Omc (version of track from Aphex Mt. Fuji 2017)

Short Forgotten Produk Trk Omc is another track that was originally released on the Aphex Mt. Fuji 2017 cassette. Stylistically this track by name and nature is very similar to Produk 29 from Syro, perhaps Richard created a whole sequence of tracks in this style or perhaps Produk 29 is just the final iteration.

“as promised to those who pm’d me. made approx 2006-07”

user18081971 SoundCloud comment

Hashtag: #afx

Tracks Uploaded (28th July 2023)

297. matriarch test 3+Om1 Cass+909 edit1 F6 omc+1

“unfinished, only track i didid on the matriarch. vocal sound is actually a Onde Magnétique om1 cassette recording being spazzed with control voltages from the Cirklon ***”

user18081971 SoundCloud comment (2024)

Hashtag: #afx