Aphex Twin
Encyclopedia
Richard David James best known under the pseudonym
Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic music
ian and composer
described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music". He founded the record label
Rephlex Records
in 1991 with Grant Wilson-Claridge.
Aphex Twin has also recorded music under the aliases AFX, Blue Calx, Bradley Strider, Caustic Window, DJ Smojphace, GAK, Martin Tressider, Polygon Window, Power-Pill, Prichard D. Jams, Q-Chastic, Tahnaiya Russell, The Dice Man, Soit-P.P., and speculatively The Tuss
.
Aphex Twin has released recordings on Rephlex
, Warp
, R&S
, Sire
, Mighty Force, Rabbit City, and Men Records.
parents Lorna and Derek James in St. Munchin's Limerick Regional Maternity Hospital, Ireland. He grew up in Lanner, Cornwall
, England
enjoying, along with two older sisters, a "very happy" childhood during which they, according to James, "were pretty much left to do what [they] wanted." He "liked growing up there, being cut off from the city and the rest of the world". James attended Redruth School
, located in Redruth, Cornwall
.
According to musician Benjamin Middleton, James started producing music at the age of 12. As a teenager he was a disc jockey
at the Shire Horse Inn in St Ives
, with Tom Middleton
at the Bowgie Inn in Crantock
, and also along the numerous beaches around Cornwall. James studied for a National Diploma
in Engineering from 1988 to 1990 (aged 16 to 18) at Cornwall College
. Talking about his studies, James has said that "music and electronics went hand in hand." James graduated from college; according to an engineering lecturer, however, he often had his headphones on during practical lessons, "no doubt thinking through the mixes he'd be working on later".
, near Newquay
in Cornwall. Wilson-Claridge was intrigued by James's sets and was surprised to discover that James was playing tapes of his own music.
James' first release was the 12-inch EP
Analogue Bubblebath
on Mighty Force Records
in 1991. It was first released under the moniker Aphex Twin, later changed to AFX. The track "En Trance to Exit" was made in collaboration with Tom Middleton, also known as Schizophrenia. The EP got on the playlist of Kiss FM
, an influential London radio station, which helped the release to become a success.
In 1991, James and Wilson-Claridge founded Rephlex Records
to promote "innovation in the dynamics of Acid
— a much-loved and -misunderstood genre of house music
forgotten by some and indeed new to others, especially in Britain."
Between 1991 and 1993, James released two Analogue Bubblebath
EPs as AFX, and an EP under Bradley Strider, Bradley's Beat
. James moved to London to take an electronics
course at Kingston Polytechnic
, but at the time admitted to David Toop
that his "electronics studies were already slipping away as a career in the techno
business took precedence." After quitting his course, James remained in London and released a number of albums and EPs on Warp Records
and other labels under many aliases including AFX, Polygon Window, and Power-Pill. A number of James' tracks (released under the aliases Blue Calx, The Dice Man, and others) appeared on various compilations. Local legend has it that James lived on the roundabout
in Elephant and Castle
, South London
during his early years in the capital - in fact he lived in a nearby disused bank.
, was released in 1992 on R&S Records
. It received high ratings and praise from critics. John Bush of Allmusic described it as a "watershed of ambient music
". In 2002, Rolling Stone
wrote of the album: "Aphex Twin expanded way beyond the ambient music of Brian Eno
by fusing lush soundscapes with oceanic beats and bass lines
." Pitchfork Media
's review called it, "among the most interesting music ever created with a keyboard and a computer." Critics also noted that the songs were recorded on cassette and that the sound quality was "relatively poor".
In 1992, he also released the EPs Xylem Tube EP
and Digeridoo
(first played by DJ Colin Faver on London's Kiss FM) as Aphex Twin, as Power-Pill the Pac-Man EP
based on the arcade game
Pac-Man
, and two of his four Caustic Window EPs. "Digeridoo" reached #55 in the UK Singles Chart
, and was later described as foreshadowing drum and bass
by Rolling Stone. "Digeridoo" was recorded initially for the benefit of FIZZ-BOMB (at the Shire Horse, St Ives, Cornwall). These early releases came out on Rephlex Records, Mighty Force of Exeter, and R&S Records of Belgium.
In 1993, James released Analogue Bubblebath 3
. He also released a single titled "On"; his second Bradley Strider EP, Bradley's Robot
; two more Caustic Window EPs; and his first releases on Warp Records, Surfing on Sine Waves
and "Quoth
" under the alias Polygon Window.
Warp Records pressed and released a follow-up to Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Selected Ambient Works Volume II
in 1994. The sound was much less beat and melody
-driven than the previous volume. All of the track names were described with pie chart
symbols, each of which was meant to be paired with a corresponding image in the album jacket, with exception for one song, which was named "Blue Calx". To decipher song titles, listeners had to compare the length of each track with the size of each pie chart symbol. For example, the first title, which is often labelled cliffs, is realised by pairing the first symbol with the first image, which is that of a rocky cliffside. James claimed in The Wire
magazine and other media that these songs were inspired by lucid dreams
and synaesthesia
. Other releases are a fourth Analogue Bubblebath; GAK
, derived from early demos sent to Warp Records; and Classics
, a compilation album that includes "Digeridoo" and the Xylem Tube EP.
For his 1995 release, ...I Care Because You Do
, James used an image of his face for the album cover, a motif that would continue on many of his later records. The album was a compilation of songs composed between 1990 and 1994 and represented a mish-mash of Aphex Twin's various music styles. This was James's last record of the 1990s to use mostly analogue synthesizers
. He commissioned Western classical-music
composer Philip Glass
to create an orchestral version of one of the songs from this album, "Icct Hedral", which appeared on the Donkey Rhubarb
EP.
, a near anagram of Analogue Bubblebath), James began releasing more material composed on computers, combining a jungle
sound with nostalgic childhood themes and computer-generated acid lines.
James's early adoption of software synthesizer
s predated the later popularity of using computers to make music. In the mid-to-late 1990s, his music gradually gained more mainstream appeal, as he released Richard D. James Album
and Expert Knob Twiddlers (a collaboration with fellow dance producer µ-ziq
) in 1996, "Come to Daddy
" in 1997 (#36 on UK charts) and "Windowlicker
" in 1999 (#16 on UK charts). Two pop
songs that heavily use Digital Signal Processing (DSP
) techniques, "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker" were shown on MTV
and became cover features for music magazines such as NME
. The videos for both singles were directed by British artist Chris Cunningham
and caused controversy on release because of their disturbing images and themes.
In 1998, Aphex Twin's track "[rhubarb]" (from Selected Ambient Works Volume II) appeared as part of the BBC's digital widescreen test transmission, which was on loop for many months as the service was introduced across the UK.
, a two-CD album that featured computer controlled piano
songs influenced by Erik Satie
and John Cage
. Many of the tracks' names are written in the Cornish language
(e.g., 'jynweythek' translatable as 'machinemusic'). Also included were abrasive, fast, and meticulously programmed computer-made songs. Rolling Stone described the piano songs as "aimlessly pretty". Some reviewers concluded that drukqs was released as a contract breaker with Warp Records—a credible guess, as James's next big release was released on his own Rephlex label. James claimed to interviewers he had accidentally left an MP3 player labelled "Aphex Twin—unreleased tracks" on a plane, containing a large set of new songs, and rushed the album release to preempt an Internet leak
. He also released a short EP titled 2 Remixes By AFX
the same year as Drukqs. It featured two remixes, the originals being from 808 State
and DJ Pierre
. In addition, there is one untitled third track that consists of an SSTV
image, which consists of mostly of high-pitched sounds
, which can be decoded to a viewable image by proper software such as MultiMode (for Macintosh) or MMSSTV (for Windows).
-based sound were realised with the Analord
series, an 11-part series of EPs with 42 total tracks, averaging 2–4 tracks per EP. The series was created by playing and sequencing analogue and digital electronic music equipment such as synthesizers and drum machine
s. The series was recorded on magnetic tape and then later pressed on vinyl
.
James was meticulous about the whole process of recording, mastering, and pressing. James has said Rephlex Records was strict on quality control, trying out various pressing-plant companies until they felt it sounded perfect. To James's ears, vinyl or tape is better than digital, as no two copies are the same. However, label co-owner Grant Wilson-Claridge convinced James to release a CD compilation, Chosen Lords
, which included 10 selected tracks from the Analord series. For the Analord series James used his collection of vintage synthesizer and drum machines, some of which were quite rare by that time. Some of the record inserts have pictures of rare synthesizer
s like the Synton Fenix
, and the notoriously difficult-to-program Roland MC-4
sequencer
, as well as the legendary Roland TB-303
.
In 2007 media reports indicated that Aphex Twin was recording under a new alias called The Tuss
. Rephlex Records has denied that Aphex Twin is The Tuss, but Aphex Twin fans and the media have ignored Rephlex's denial and The Tuss is treated as yet another Aphex Twin project; further evidence being provided by the fact that all Tuss tracks are published in the BMI
Repertoire under the name JAMES RICHARD DAVID.
In March 2009 Steve Beckett of Warp Records announced a new album for a possible release but the album never materialised. However, 20 more tracks were added to the Analord series in December 2009, only available through download
from the Rephlex Records website.
In an October 2010 interview with British magazine Another Man, James stated that he had completed 6 albums, one of which was a remake of the unreleased Melodies from Mars
, originally produced around the time of Richard D. James Album
. In June 2011, he spoke to Spanish magazine EL PAIS. When asked about the 6 albums, he answered 'More than 10 or 11 are already compiled, and many more songs are orphans.' He also revealed that a new album 'will show in a while' and that the reason there has been so long since his last album was that he was waiting for a divorce from his wife.
, a brand of audio signal processing equipment (itself derived from "analogue effects"). It is used with permission, as acknowledged on the back sleeves of Richard D. James Album and drukqs. He has explained in interviews that the Twin portion of his moniker is used in memory of his brother, also named Richard James, who died at birth in 1968.
presents a close-up photograph. His face is transplanted onto other peoples' bodies in the music videos of "Come to Daddy
" and "Windowlicker
". Near the end of the second track of the "Windowlicker" single (commonly referred to as "Equation"), a photo of James' face is embedded as a steganogram
which is revealed when run through spectral analysis
. Another embedded image of James, along with collaborator Tom Jenkinson, appears in the third track of 2 Remixes by AFX
, "Bonus High Frequency Sounds", encoded in SSTV format, with text relating to the release.
James has used his own photography for some of his releases, such as the elaborate album sleeve for Selected Ambient Works Volume II
.
label, which he co-owns with Grant Wilson-Claridge, coined the term Braindance in 1991 to describe Aphex Twin's music. Rephlex Records' official definition of Aphex Twin and his followers' music is quoted as follows: "Braindance is the genre that encompasses the best elements of all genres, e.g traditional, classical, electronic music, popular, modern, industrial, ambient, hip-hop, electro, house, techno, breakbeat, hardcore, ragga, garage, drum and bass, etc."
Braindance applies to forward-thinking electronic music that can appeal to the mind as well as the desire to dance and party. Examples including Ed-DMX's Breakin' records label, µ-ziq's Planet-mu label, the Aphex Twin EP Come to Daddy
and Astrobotnia Parts 1, 2 & 3.
, Mental Telepathy, Industrial Inc., Tomita
, Tangerine Dream
". Mixmaster Morris
mentions on the "I Luv AFX" BBC Radio 1 Breezeblock
session that James' preferred moniker while working as a DJ in Cornwall was Phonic Boy on Dope. More recently, he has said that he gets inspiration from "everyday sounds that can be emulated/reconstructed electronically, quality techno, especially from Europe, which overshadows the current hardcore pop crap." When asked about what is next for electronic music, he said "acid-techno, ambient-techno." Avant-garde
music has been an influence on James, including artists such as Kraftwerk
, Can
, Tangerine Dream
, Tod Dockstader
, Xenakis
, Piero Umiliani
, Bernard Parmegiani
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
, John Cage
, and the French
composer Erik Satie
for his piano works and his ideas for furniture music
.
In acknowledgment of another influence, James released Music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
, a compilation of music recorded by the pioneers of BBC Radiophonic Workshop
, which included artists such as Delia Derbyshire
, on his own label, Rephlex Records.
Aphex Twin has said, "I don't really like rock & roll." Despite this, he has mentioned being a fan of Led Zeppelin
, citing their use of breakbeats as an influence, as well as Pink Floyd
for their psychedelic music
.
Many songs include sounds from and references to the ZX Spectrum
. For instance, "Carn Marth" from Richard D. James Album includes the tape-loading noise of the game Sabre Wulf
.
has performed arrangements of Aphex Twin tracks. In 2005, the orchestra Alarm Will Sound
released Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin
. The album consists of acoustic arrangements of some of James's electronic tracks. He has also had an influence on rock bands like Radiohead
. However, he has dismissed the notion of going on tour with them: "I wouldn't play with them since I don't like them."
Despite his previous comments, he premiered new music alongside Radiohead guitarist/composer Jonny Greenwood
in a 2011 collaboration with Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki
. The animator David Firth
has much of his work influenced and soundtracked by Aphex Twin.
', or IDM
, was coined in August 1993 by the IDM mailing list based at hyperreal.org, as a term to describe the sound pioneered by the Warp Records
Artificial Intelligence Series
. The series featured Aphex Twin tracks (under a different pseudonym), as well as early productions from labelmates such as Autechre
and LFO
. The usage of this term spread in the USA and on internet messageboards, but the term is still a source of controversy and derision amongst the artists and fans, including Aphex Twin. As of October 2011 the list is still active.
Aphex Twin refers to his own breakbeat tracks as breakbeat, jungle, or drum and bass interchangeably. Other genres that he indulges in include acid, ambient, ambient techno, noise, and many more.
During an interview with Future Music, Richard said he likes using Ableton Live
but prefers Liveslice for beat editing/stretching. Asked what equipment did use, he responded "Raveolution 309, the Raven Max, MC-909 limited edition, Quasimidi Van Helden, MAM Freebass 383, Roland DJ-70, E-15, SP-808, Akai S3200, Behringer MX602A and all the Behringer effects that copy other things."
as follows: "I'm just some irritating, lying, ginger kid from Cornwall who should have been locked up in some youth detention centre. I just managed to escape and blag it into music."
James said he composed ambient techno music at the age of 13; he claims to have "over 100 hours" of unreleased music, and to have made his own software to compose with, including algorithmic processes
that automatically generate beats and melodies; in addition he claims to experience synaesthesia
, and that he is able to incorporate lucid dreaming
into the process of making music.
He lives in southeast London in a converted bank, which was formerly the Bank of Cyprus
and then HSBC
. Contrary to popular opinion, however, he does not own the silver structure in the centre of the roundabout at Elephant and Castle
. This is, in fact, the Michael Faraday Memorial
, containing a power transformer
for the Northern Line
, which James jokingly claimed to be buying in an interview with The Face
magazine in 2001. Some of these rumours are hard to confirm as he has been known to spread mistruths in the prankster tradition, making such claims as only sleeping two to three hours a night.
published an article titled "Advice to Clever Children". In the process of producing the interview, a package of tapes containing music from several artists, including Aphex Twin, was sent to Karlheinz Stockhausen
.
Stockhausen commented:
Aphex Twin, a fan of Stockhausen, responded:
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ian and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music". He founded the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
in 1991 with Grant Wilson-Claridge.
Aphex Twin has also recorded music under the aliases AFX, Blue Calx, Bradley Strider, Caustic Window, DJ Smojphace, GAK, Martin Tressider, Polygon Window, Power-Pill, Prichard D. Jams, Q-Chastic, Tahnaiya Russell, The Dice Man, Soit-P.P., and speculatively The Tuss
The Tuss
The Tuss is an electronic music group supposedly consisting of British musicians Brian Tregaskin and Karen Tregaskin. So far there has been an EP and an album released by The Tuss on Rephlex Records.-Aphex Twin speculation:...
.
Aphex Twin has released recordings on Rephlex
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
, Warp
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
, R&S
R&S Records
R&S Records is an independent record label. Founded in 1984 in Ghent, Belgium, it is now based in London and managed by Andy Whittaker and Dan Foat.R&S represents the initials of Renaat Vandepapeliere and Sabine Maes, the couple that created the label...
, Sire
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
, Mighty Force, Rabbit City, and Men Records.
Early years
Richard David James was born to WelshWelsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
parents Lorna and Derek James in St. Munchin's Limerick Regional Maternity Hospital, Ireland. He grew up in Lanner, Cornwall
Lanner, Cornwall
Lanner is a village and civil parish in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated about southeast of Redruth.Lanner is in the St Day, Carharrack and Lanner ward which had a collective population of 5,438 in 2001. The population of Lanner civil parish was 2,493 in the 2001 census...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
enjoying, along with two older sisters, a "very happy" childhood during which they, according to James, "were pretty much left to do what [they] wanted." He "liked growing up there, being cut off from the city and the rest of the world". James attended Redruth School
Redruth School
Redruth School A Technology College is a secondary school and sixth form college in Redruth, Cornwall, United Kingdom, for ages 11–18. The school is developing its position as a focal point for the community, and retains strong links within the town...
, located in Redruth, Cornwall
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
.
According to musician Benjamin Middleton, James started producing music at the age of 12. As a teenager he was a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at the Shire Horse Inn in St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, with Tom Middleton
Tom Middleton
Tom Middleton is a prolific British recording artist, music producer, remixer and DJ.A classically trained pianist and cellist, Middleton worked in the early 1990s with Richard D. James , co-producing "En-Trance To Exit" on the Analogue Bubblebath EP for Exeter's influential Mighty Force Records...
at the Bowgie Inn in Crantock
Crantock
Crantock is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is approximately two miles southwest of Newquay....
, and also along the numerous beaches around Cornwall. James studied for a National Diploma
National Diploma
The National Diploma was a three year ab initio specialised higher education qualification in a technology discipline offered by an Institute of Technology or other HETAC designated institution in Ireland....
in Engineering from 1988 to 1990 (aged 16 to 18) at Cornwall College
Cornwall College
Cornwall College is a further education college situated on various sites throughout Cornwall with its main centre in St Austell. The college is a member of the 157 Group of high performing schools...
. Talking about his studies, James has said that "music and electronics went hand in hand." James graduated from college; according to an engineering lecturer, however, he often had his headphones on during practical lessons, "no doubt thinking through the mixes he'd be working on later".
Early career: early 1990s
In 1989 James met and befriended Grant Wilson-Claridge when working as a DJ on alternate weeks at the Bowgie pubPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, near Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
in Cornwall. Wilson-Claridge was intrigued by James's sets and was surprised to discover that James was playing tapes of his own music.
James' first release was the 12-inch EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Analogue Bubblebath
Analogue Bubblebath
Analogue Bubblebath Vol I was the first EP released by electronic musician Richard D. James under the alias of AFX and is the first release in the Analogue Bubblebath series.-Pressings:...
on Mighty Force Records
Mighty Force Records
Mighty Force Records was a record shop and influential early techno label based in Exeter, Devon, South West England between 1990-1995. It was founded by ex-punk, ex-free festival activist and ex-warehouse party organiser Mark Darby and his partner, journalist Jess Shortis after they had visited...
in 1991. It was first released under the moniker Aphex Twin, later changed to AFX. The track "En Trance to Exit" was made in collaboration with Tom Middleton, also known as Schizophrenia. The EP got on the playlist of Kiss FM
Kiss 100 London
Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...
, an influential London radio station, which helped the release to become a success.
In 1991, James and Wilson-Claridge founded Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
to promote "innovation in the dynamics of Acid
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
— a much-loved and -misunderstood genre of house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
forgotten by some and indeed new to others, especially in Britain."
Between 1991 and 1993, James released two Analogue Bubblebath
Analogue Bubblebath
Analogue Bubblebath Vol I was the first EP released by electronic musician Richard D. James under the alias of AFX and is the first release in the Analogue Bubblebath series.-Pressings:...
EPs as AFX, and an EP under Bradley Strider, Bradley's Beat
Bradley's Beat
Bradley's Beat is a single by Richard D. James under the alias Bradley Strider. It was the first release on Rephlex Records. Several pressings of the single exist, although all three have the same A-sides, the B-sides vary on the first two pressings and the third pressing has a grooveless...
. James moved to London to take an electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
course at Kingston Polytechnic
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
, but at the time admitted to David Toop
David Toop
David Toop is an English musician and author, and as of 2001 was visiting Research Fellow in the Media School at London College of Communication. He was notably a member of The Flying Lizards. He was a prominent contributor to the British magazine The Face. He is a regular contributor to The Wire,...
that his "electronics studies were already slipping away as a career in the techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
business took precedence." After quitting his course, James remained in London and released a number of albums and EPs on Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
and other labels under many aliases including AFX, Polygon Window, and Power-Pill. A number of James' tracks (released under the aliases Blue Calx, The Dice Man, and others) appeared on various compilations. Local legend has it that James lived on the roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
in Elephant and Castle
Elephant and Castle
The Elephant and Castle is a major road intersection in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is also used as a name for the surrounding area....
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
during his early years in the capital - in fact he lived in a nearby disused bank.
Gaining success: 1992–1995
The first full-length Aphex Twin album, Selected Ambient Works 85–92Selected Ambient Works 85–92
-External links:*...
, was released in 1992 on R&S Records
R&S Records
R&S Records is an independent record label. Founded in 1984 in Ghent, Belgium, it is now based in London and managed by Andy Whittaker and Dan Foat.R&S represents the initials of Renaat Vandepapeliere and Sabine Maes, the couple that created the label...
. It received high ratings and praise from critics. John Bush of Allmusic described it as a "watershed of ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
". In 2002, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote of the album: "Aphex Twin expanded way beyond the ambient music of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
by fusing lush soundscapes with oceanic beats and bass lines
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's review called it, "among the most interesting music ever created with a keyboard and a computer." Critics also noted that the songs were recorded on cassette and that the sound quality was "relatively poor".
In 1992, he also released the EPs Xylem Tube EP
Xylem Tube EP
The Xylem Tube EP is an early EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James, commonly known by his pseudonym of Aphex Twin. It was his second release under the Aphex Twin alias on R&S Records of Belgium, the alias he used for all of his releases on this label.This album premiered the first use of...
and Digeridoo
Digeridoo (single)
Digeridoo is the first EP from Richard D. James under his now well-known nickname "Aphex Twin". All songs from both releases were re-released on the Classics compilation...
(first played by DJ Colin Faver on London's Kiss FM) as Aphex Twin, as Power-Pill the Pac-Man EP
Pac-Man (album)
Pac-Man is a 1992 EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James, released under the pseudonym of Power-Pill. The tracks on the album are remixes of the musical themes in the Pac-Man arcade game....
based on the arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
, and two of his four Caustic Window EPs. "Digeridoo" reached #55 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and was later described as foreshadowing drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
by Rolling Stone. "Digeridoo" was recorded initially for the benefit of FIZZ-BOMB (at the Shire Horse, St Ives, Cornwall). These early releases came out on Rephlex Records, Mighty Force of Exeter, and R&S Records of Belgium.
In 1993, James released Analogue Bubblebath 3
Analogue Bubblebath 3
Analogue Bubblebath Vol 3 is the third EP by electronic musician Richard D. James, under the pseudonym of AFX, released 1 February 1993, on Rephlex Records. It is also the third release in the Analogue Bubblebath series, and his third release under this alias.The original EP consists of nine songs...
. He also released a single titled "On"; his second Bradley Strider EP, Bradley's Robot
Bradley's Robot
Bradley's Robot is an EP by Richard D. James under the alias Bradley Strider.The EP was pressed in 12" vinyl format and does not come in a picture sleeve, but rather is housed within a 92.4x121.9 cm glossy green print on silver RePhLeX poster....
; two more Caustic Window EPs; and his first releases on Warp Records, Surfing on Sine Waves
Surfing on Sine Waves
Surfing on Sine Waves is an electronic music album by Polygon Window, a pseudonym for recording artist Richard D. James, better known by his other alias of Aphex Twin. The album was released on 11 January 1993 on Warp Records, and is the second in its Artificial Intelligence series...
and "Quoth
Quoth (song)
Quoth is a single released by Richard D. James under the alias "Polygon Window". "Quoth" appears on the album Surfing On Sine Waves. Quoth was released as a single on transparent vinyl and CD, accompanied with two remixes of the title track, and two exclusive non-album tracks...
" under the alias Polygon Window.
Warp Records pressed and released a follow-up to Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Selected Ambient Works Volume II
Selected Ambient Works Volume II
-Formatting notes:The cassette version of the album featured six songs on each side, barring side three, which contained seven . The vinyl version featured four songs on each side, excluding side four, which contained five ....
in 1994. The sound was much less beat and melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
-driven than the previous volume. All of the track names were described with pie chart
Pie chart
A pie chart is a circular chart divided into sectors, illustrating proportion. In a pie chart, the arc length of each sector , is proportional to the quantity it represents. When angles are measured with 1 turn as unit then a number of percent is identified with the same number of centiturns...
symbols, each of which was meant to be paired with a corresponding image in the album jacket, with exception for one song, which was named "Blue Calx". To decipher song titles, listeners had to compare the length of each track with the size of each pie chart symbol. For example, the first title, which is often labelled cliffs, is realised by pairing the first symbol with the first image, which is that of a rocky cliffside. James claimed in The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
magazine and other media that these songs were inspired by lucid dreams
Lucid dreaming
A lucid dream is a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. The term was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik van Eeden . In a lucid dream, the dreamer can actively participate in and manipulate imaginary experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can seem real and...
and synaesthesia
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
. Other releases are a fourth Analogue Bubblebath; GAK
GAK (album)
GAK is an EP by Richard D. James released in 1994 under the moniker "GAK". The record is sourced from demos Richard D. James sent to Warp Records in 1990 prior to his signing. This album was released both in CD and 12" formats....
, derived from early demos sent to Warp Records; and Classics
Classics (Aphex Twin album)
Classics is an electronic music compilation album by Richard D. James, more commonly known by his pseudonym of Aphex Twin . The album was released in December 1994 ....
, a compilation album that includes "Digeridoo" and the Xylem Tube EP.
For his 1995 release, ...I Care Because You Do
...I Care Because You Do
-Song titles:Several of the song titles are anagrams:* of Aphex Twin: "Wax the nip"* of The Aphex Twin: "The Waxen pith", "Wet tip hen ax", "next heap with"* of Richard David James: "Acrid Avid Jam Shred"* of Caustic Window: "cow cud is a twin"...
, James used an image of his face for the album cover, a motif that would continue on many of his later records. The album was a compilation of songs composed between 1990 and 1994 and represented a mish-mash of Aphex Twin's various music styles. This was James's last record of the 1990s to use mostly analogue synthesizers
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
. He commissioned Western classical-music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
to create an orchestral version of one of the songs from this album, "Icct Hedral", which appeared on the Donkey Rhubarb
Donkey Rhubarb (EP)
Donkey Rhubarb is an EP by electronic-music artist Aphex Twin, released in 1995 by Warp Records. This song was also used as the theme song for MTV UK's Pure Morning programming block....
EP.
Jungle, DSP, and laptops: 1995–1999
In 1995 (primarily with Hangable Auto BulbHangable Auto Bulb
Hangable Auto Bulb is a 1995 electronic music EP by Richard D. James, under his alias AFX. It was re-released on CD on October 31, 2005.-Overview:...
, a near anagram of Analogue Bubblebath), James began releasing more material composed on computers, combining a jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
sound with nostalgic childhood themes and computer-generated acid lines.
James's early adoption of software synthesizer
Software synthesizer
A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth is a computer program or plug-in for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required dedicated...
s predated the later popularity of using computers to make music. In the mid-to-late 1990s, his music gradually gained more mainstream appeal, as he released Richard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
and Expert Knob Twiddlers (a collaboration with fellow dance producer µ-ziq
Mike Paradinas
Michael Paradinas , who works primarily under the name μ-Ziq in addition to a large number of aliases, is a British musician in the field of electronic music.-History:...
) in 1996, "Come to Daddy
Come to Daddy
Come to Daddy is a 1997 EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James, commonly known as Aphex Twin. "Come to Daddy [Pappy Mix]" — often simply called "Come to Daddy" — is one of Aphex Twin's best-known songs; it peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart...
" in 1997 (#36 on UK charts) and "Windowlicker
Windowlicker
"Windowlicker" is a song by British electronic music artist Richard D. James , released as a single in 1999 on Warp Records. The single peaked at #16 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his highest-charting song on the chart...
" in 1999 (#16 on UK charts). Two pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs that heavily use Digital Signal Processing (DSP
Digital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
) techniques, "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker" were shown on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and became cover features for music magazines such as NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. The videos for both singles were directed by British artist Chris Cunningham
Chris Cunningham
Chris Cunningham is an English music video film director and video artist. He was born in Reading, Berkshire in 1970 and grew up in Lakenheath, Suffolk....
and caused controversy on release because of their disturbing images and themes.
In 1998, Aphex Twin's track "[rhubarb]" (from Selected Ambient Works Volume II) appeared as part of the BBC's digital widescreen test transmission, which was on loop for many months as the service was introduced across the UK.
Prepared piano, laptops, and more DSP: 2000–2003
In 2001 Aphex Twin released drukqsDrukqs
Drukqs is a 2001 double album by electronic musician Richard D. James, released under his most frequently used pseudonym, Aphex Twin...
, a two-CD album that featured computer controlled piano
Disklavier
Disklavier is the brand name for a group of piano-related products made by Yamaha Corporation. It was introduced in the United States in 1987....
songs influenced by Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
and John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
. Many of the tracks' names are written in the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
(e.g., 'jynweythek' translatable as 'machinemusic'). Also included were abrasive, fast, and meticulously programmed computer-made songs. Rolling Stone described the piano songs as "aimlessly pretty". Some reviewers concluded that drukqs was released as a contract breaker with Warp Records—a credible guess, as James's next big release was released on his own Rephlex label. James claimed to interviewers he had accidentally left an MP3 player labelled "Aphex Twin—unreleased tracks" on a plane, containing a large set of new songs, and rushed the album release to preempt an Internet leak
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
. He also released a short EP titled 2 Remixes By AFX
2 Remixes By AFX
*The original version of track 1 is by 808 State and the original version of track 2 is by DJ Pierre.*Track 3 contains an SSTV image, encoded by MultiMode software....
the same year as Drukqs. It featured two remixes, the originals being from 808 State
808 State
808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
and DJ Pierre
DJ Pierre
DJ Pierre is the stage name of Nathaniel Pierre Jones, a Chicago born DJ and performer of house music. He helped to develop the house music subgenre of Acid House, as member of Phuture, whose 1987 E.P...
. In addition, there is one untitled third track that consists of an SSTV
Slow-scan television
Slow-scan television is a picture transmission method used mainly by amateur radio operators, to transmit and receive static pictures via radio in monochrome or color.A technical term for SSTV is narrowband television...
image, which consists of mostly of high-pitched sounds
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
, which can be decoded to a viewable image by proper software such as MultiMode (for Macintosh) or MMSSTV (for Windows).
Synthesizers and drum machines: 2004–2011
In late 2004, rumours of James's return to an acid technoAcid techno
Acid techno is the term used to describe a style of techno that developed out of late 1980s Chicago Acid house. Acid house was essentially house music made with a specific sound, obtained by using very distinctive instruments created mainly by Roland, such as the TB-303 for bass and lead sounds,...
-based sound were realised with the Analord
Analord
Analord is a 3½ hour, 42-track series of recordings on 12" vinyl by UK-based electronic music artist Richard D. James. The first instalment, Analord 10, went on sale through the Rephlex Records website on 15 December 2004, and was packaged in a faux-leather binder with sleeves for housing the rest...
series, an 11-part series of EPs with 42 total tracks, averaging 2–4 tracks per EP. The series was created by playing and sequencing analogue and digital electronic music equipment such as synthesizers and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s. The series was recorded on magnetic tape and then later pressed on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
.
James was meticulous about the whole process of recording, mastering, and pressing. James has said Rephlex Records was strict on quality control, trying out various pressing-plant companies until they felt it sounded perfect. To James's ears, vinyl or tape is better than digital, as no two copies are the same. However, label co-owner Grant Wilson-Claridge convinced James to release a CD compilation, Chosen Lords
Chosen Lords
Chosen Lords is an album by Richard D. James, released under the aliases AFX and Aphex Twin. It is a CD compilation of selected tracks previously released on the vinyl-only Analord series...
, which included 10 selected tracks from the Analord series. For the Analord series James used his collection of vintage synthesizer and drum machines, some of which were quite rare by that time. Some of the record inserts have pictures of rare synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s like the Synton Fenix
Synton Fenix
Synton was a manufacturer and distributor of high-end electronic music equipment in the Netherlands. They were one of the principal importers of music equipment from E-Mu, Ensoniq, and Fairlight in Europe...
, and the notoriously difficult-to-program Roland MC-4
Roland MC-4 Microcomposer
The Roland MC-4 Microcomposer was an early microprocessor-based music sequencer released by the Roland Corporation. It could be programmed using the ten key numeric keyboard or a synthesizer keyboard using the keyboards control voltage and gate outputs...
sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
, as well as the legendary Roland TB-303
Roland TB-303
The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:...
.
In 2007 media reports indicated that Aphex Twin was recording under a new alias called The Tuss
The Tuss
The Tuss is an electronic music group supposedly consisting of British musicians Brian Tregaskin and Karen Tregaskin. So far there has been an EP and an album released by The Tuss on Rephlex Records.-Aphex Twin speculation:...
. Rephlex Records has denied that Aphex Twin is The Tuss, but Aphex Twin fans and the media have ignored Rephlex's denial and The Tuss is treated as yet another Aphex Twin project; further evidence being provided by the fact that all Tuss tracks are published in the BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Repertoire under the name JAMES RICHARD DAVID.
In March 2009 Steve Beckett of Warp Records announced a new album for a possible release but the album never materialised. However, 20 more tracks were added to the Analord series in December 2009, only available through download
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
from the Rephlex Records website.
In an October 2010 interview with British magazine Another Man, James stated that he had completed 6 albums, one of which was a remake of the unreleased Melodies from Mars
Melodies from Mars
Melodies from Mars is a collection of unreleased tracks by Richard David James, better known under his pseudonym Aphex Twin. Although James has never admitted authorship of this supposedly unofficial album, at least two of its tracks are alternate versions of tracks featured on the subsequently...
, originally produced around the time of Richard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
. In June 2011, he spoke to Spanish magazine EL PAIS. When asked about the 6 albums, he answered 'More than 10 or 11 are already compiled, and many more songs are orphans.' He also revealed that a new album 'will show in a while' and that the reason there has been so long since his last album was that he was waiting for a divorce from his wife.
Background details
The Aphex Twin name
The name Aphex is derived from Aphex Systems LimitedAphex Systems
Aphex is a brand of audio signal processing equipment. Aphex Systems was founded in 1975 in Massachusetts by Marvin Caesar and Curt Knoppel, the inventor of the Aural Exciter. The company changed its name to Aphex in 2011.-About Aphex:...
, a brand of audio signal processing equipment (itself derived from "analogue effects"). It is used with permission, as acknowledged on the back sleeves of Richard D. James Album and drukqs. He has explained in interviews that the Twin portion of his moniker is used in memory of his brother, also named Richard James, who died at birth in 1968.
Artwork
James's own face, grinning or distorted in some way, is a common theme in his album covers, his music videos, and the songs themselves. The cover of I Care Because You Do features a painting of James, while the cover of Richard D. James AlbumRichard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
presents a close-up photograph. His face is transplanted onto other peoples' bodies in the music videos of "Come to Daddy
Come to Daddy
Come to Daddy is a 1997 EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James, commonly known as Aphex Twin. "Come to Daddy [Pappy Mix]" — often simply called "Come to Daddy" — is one of Aphex Twin's best-known songs; it peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart...
" and "Windowlicker
Windowlicker
"Windowlicker" is a song by British electronic music artist Richard D. James , released as a single in 1999 on Warp Records. The single peaked at #16 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his highest-charting song on the chart...
". Near the end of the second track of the "Windowlicker" single (commonly referred to as "Equation"), a photo of James' face is embedded as a steganogram
Steganography
Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity...
which is revealed when run through spectral analysis
Spectrogram
A spectrogram is a time-varying spectral representation that shows how the spectral density of a signal varies with time. Also known as spectral waterfalls, sonograms, voiceprints, or voicegrams, spectrograms are used to identify phonetic sounds, to analyse the cries of animals; they were also...
. Another embedded image of James, along with collaborator Tom Jenkinson, appears in the third track of 2 Remixes by AFX
2 Remixes By AFX
*The original version of track 1 is by 808 State and the original version of track 2 is by DJ Pierre.*Track 3 contains an SSTV image, encoded by MultiMode software....
, "Bonus High Frequency Sounds", encoded in SSTV format, with text relating to the release.
James has used his own photography for some of his releases, such as the elaborate album sleeve for Selected Ambient Works Volume II
Selected Ambient Works Volume II
-Formatting notes:The cassette version of the album featured six songs on each side, barring side three, which contained seven . The vinyl version featured four songs on each side, excluding side four, which contained five ....
.
Braindance
Richard's own Rephlex RecordsRephlex Records
Rephlex Records is a record label started in 1991 by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. Rephlex coined the term braindance to describe the otherwise uncategorisable output of Aphex Twin and Rephlex Records...
label, which he co-owns with Grant Wilson-Claridge, coined the term Braindance in 1991 to describe Aphex Twin's music. Rephlex Records' official definition of Aphex Twin and his followers' music is quoted as follows: "Braindance is the genre that encompasses the best elements of all genres, e.g traditional, classical, electronic music, popular, modern, industrial, ambient, hip-hop, electro, house, techno, breakbeat, hardcore, ragga, garage, drum and bass, etc."
Braindance applies to forward-thinking electronic music that can appeal to the mind as well as the desire to dance and party. Examples including Ed-DMX's Breakin' records label, µ-ziq's Planet-mu label, the Aphex Twin EP Come to Daddy
Come to Daddy
Come to Daddy is a 1997 EP by electronic music artist Richard D. James, commonly known as Aphex Twin. "Come to Daddy [Pappy Mix]" — often simply called "Come to Daddy" — is one of Aphex Twin's best-known songs; it peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart...
and Astrobotnia Parts 1, 2 & 3.
Influences
At age 17, Richard D. James mentioned these influences: "Phonic Boy, Computer WorldComputer World
Computer World is the eighth studio album by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk, released in May 1981. The album deals with the themes of the rise of computers within society. Critics see this album as a peak in the career of Kraftwerk, along with Autobahn and Trans-Europe Express...
, Mental Telepathy, Industrial Inc., Tomita
Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
, Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
". Mixmaster Morris
Mixmaster Morris
Mixmaster Morris is an English ambient DJ and underground musician. Relating specifically to ambient music, Morris stated "It's exactly what you need if you have a busy and stressful life".-Life and career:...
mentions on the "I Luv AFX" BBC Radio 1 Breezeblock
The Breezeblock
The Breezeblock was a weekly radio programme on BBC Radio 1 that premiered on 17 February 1997 and focused on electronic music. The show's earliest broadcasts were unmixed and featured individual songs, some of which were recordings of live sessions from BBC's Maida Vale Studio...
session that James' preferred moniker while working as a DJ in Cornwall was Phonic Boy on Dope. More recently, he has said that he gets inspiration from "everyday sounds that can be emulated/reconstructed electronically, quality techno, especially from Europe, which overshadows the current hardcore pop crap." When asked about what is next for electronic music, he said "acid-techno, ambient-techno." Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
music has been an influence on James, including artists such as Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
, Tod Dockstader
Tod Dockstader
Tod Dockstader is an American composer of electronic music, and particularly musique concrète. He studied painting and film while at the University of Minnesota, before moving to Hollywood in 1955, to become an apprentice film editor...
, Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
, Piero Umiliani
Piero Umiliani
Piero Umiliani was an Italian composer of film scores, and is most famous for his song "Mah Nà Mah Nà".-Biography:Umiliani was born in Florence, Tuscany...
, Bernard Parmegiani
Bernard Parmegiani
Bernard Parmegiani is a composer best known for his electronic or acousmatic music.-Biography:Between 1957 and 1961 he studied mime with Jacques Lecoq, a period he later regarded as important to his work as a composer...
, Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
, John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, and the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
composer Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
for his piano works and his ideas for furniture music
Furniture music
Furniture music, or in French musique d’ameublement , is background music originally played by live performers...
.
In acknowledgment of another influence, James released Music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was a 2003 limited edition 4X10" vinyl compilation collecting and re-ordering the compilations BBC Radiophonic Music and The Radiophonic Workshop, including the bonus tracks from their 2002 CD re-releases. It featured the remasters provided by Mark Ayres for...
, a compilation of music recorded by the pioneers of BBC Radiophonic Workshop
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, one of the sound effects units of the BBC, was created in 1958 to produce effects and new music for radio, and was closed in March 1998, although much of its traditional work had already been outsourced by 1995. It was based in the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in Delaware...
, which included artists such as Delia Derbyshire
Delia Derbyshire
Delia Ann Derbyshire was an English musician and composer of electronic music and musique concrète. She is best known for her electronic realisation of Ron Grainer's theme music to the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and for her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.-Early...
, on his own label, Rephlex Records.
Aphex Twin has said, "I don't really like rock & roll." Despite this, he has mentioned being a fan of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, citing their use of breakbeats as an influence, as well as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
for their psychedelic music
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
.
Many songs include sounds from and references to the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
. For instance, "Carn Marth" from Richard D. James Album includes the tape-loading noise of the game Sabre Wulf
Sabre Wulf
Sabre Wulf is a ZX Spectrum video game developed and released by Ultimate Play The Game in 1984. The game is the first in the Sabreman series. It was written originally by Tim Stamper and Chris Stamper, and later ported to many other computer platforms...
.
Influence on others
The London SinfoniettaLondon Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
has performed arrangements of Aphex Twin tracks. In 2005, the orchestra Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the Financial Times and as "a triumph of ensemble playing" by the San Francisco...
released Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin
Acoustica (Alarm Will Sound album)
Acoustica is a 2005 album by American band Alarm Will Sound. The album consists of acoustic arrangements of electronic tracks originally composed by Richard D. James , and originally appearing on his albums Selected Ambient Works Volume II, Richard D. James Album and Drukqs.-Track listing:Bonus...
. The album consists of acoustic arrangements of some of James's electronic tracks. He has also had an influence on rock bands like Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. However, he has dismissed the notion of going on tour with them: "I wouldn't play with them since I don't like them."
Despite his previous comments, he premiered new music alongside Radiohead guitarist/composer Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
in a 2011 collaboration with Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
. The animator David Firth
David Firth
David Firth is an English animator, video artist, amateur filmmaker, and musician. As a cartoonist Firth's work is largely distributed via the Internet...
has much of his work influenced and soundtracked by Aphex Twin.
Intelligent Dance Music
The term 'intelligent dance musicIntelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
', or IDM
IDM
IDM may refer to:Science and technology* Identity management, the management of the identity life cycle of an entity* IDM Computer Solutions* Integrated Data Management...
, was coined in August 1993 by the IDM mailing list based at hyperreal.org, as a term to describe the sound pioneered by the Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
Artificial Intelligence Series
Artificial Intelligence (series)
Artificial Intelligence is a series of albums by Warp Records released from 1992–1994 to exhibit the capabilities and sounds of electronic music. Warp described the new music as "electronic listening music" to clarify that it was meant more for the mind than the body...
. The series featured Aphex Twin tracks (under a different pseudonym), as well as early productions from labelmates such as Autechre
Autechre
Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums...
and LFO
LFO
LFO may refer to:* LFO , an English techno act* LFO , an American three-man pop/rap group** LFO , an album released by the American pop group LFO* Light Finding Operation, a form of mecha from the anime TV series Eureka Seven...
. The usage of this term spread in the USA and on internet messageboards, but the term is still a source of controversy and derision amongst the artists and fans, including Aphex Twin. As of October 2011 the list is still active.
Aphex Twin refers to his own breakbeat tracks as breakbeat, jungle, or drum and bass interchangeably. Other genres that he indulges in include acid, ambient, ambient techno, noise, and many more.
Equipment
| Synth | Synth | Drum Machine | Sampler | Sequencer | Software | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roland SH-101 Roland SH-101 Roland SH-101 is a synthesizer from the early 1980s, manufactured by Roland. It is a small, 32 key, monophonic analog synthesizer. It features one oscillator with 3 simultaneous waveforms, an 'octave-divided' square sub-oscillator, triangle and square/pwm waveform. It has a low-pass filter/VCF... |
Yamaha DX 1 | Roland TR-606 Roland TR-606 The Roland TR-606 Drumatix is a programmable analog synthesis drum machine built by the Roland Corporation from 1981 to 1984. It was originally designed to be used with the Roland TB-303, a monophonic analog bass synthesizer, to provide a simple drum and bass accompaniment to guitarists without... |
Casio SK-1 Casio SK-1 The Casio SK-1 is a small sampling keyboard made by Casio in 1985.It has 32 small sized piano keys, four-note polyphony, with a sampling bit depth of 8 bit PCM and a sample rate of 9.38 kHz, a built-in microphone and line level input for sampling, and an internal speaker... |
Roland MC-4 Microcomposer Roland MC-4 Microcomposer The Roland MC-4 Microcomposer was an early microprocessor-based music sequencer released by the Roland Corporation. It could be programmed using the ten key numeric keyboard or a synthesizer keyboard using the keyboards control voltage and gate outputs... |
Reaktor Reaktor Reaktor is a graphical modular software music studio of proprietary license developed by Native Instruments. It lets musicians and sound specialists design and build their own instruments, samplers, effects and sound design tools. It is supplied with many ready-to-use instruments and effects, from... |
Alesis Quadraverb |
| Roland TB-303 Roland TB-303 The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:... |
EMS synthi 100 | Roland TR-808 Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real... |
ReCycle | |||
| Yamaha GX1 Yamaha GX1 The Yamaha GX-1, first released as Electone GX-707 It's rumored that when Yamaha realized the model number shared the designation of Boeing 707 aircraft, they changed it to GX-1. Note the basic design of GX-1 followed the released in 1970., is an analog polyphonic synthesizer developed by Yamaha... |
Elka Synthex Elka Synthex -Overview:Designed by Mario Maggi, it was produced between 1981 and 1985 by the Elka company of Italy. A company more noted for its organs, this would be its first and last foray into music synthesizers under that name. Unusually, it also contained a built in real-time and step-time 4-track... |
Roland TR-909 Roland TR-909 The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer is a partially analog, partially sample-based drum machine built by the Japanese Roland Corporation in 1983. The brainchild of Tadao Kikumoto, the engineer behind the Roland TB-303, it features a 16-step step sequencer and a drum kit that aimed for realism and... |
Casio FZ 10 | Cubase | Metasynth | |
| Synton Fenix Synton Fenix Synton was a manufacturer and distributor of high-end electronic music equipment in the Netherlands. They were one of the principal importers of music equipment from E-Mu, Ensoniq, and Fairlight in Europe... |
Roland Paraphonic 505 | Roland TR-707 Roland TR-707 The Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer is a programmable digital sampling drum machine built by the Roland Corporation, beginning in 1984. The TR-707 was a staple in early house music, particularly with acid house. It is also a staple of almost all electronically produced Arabic pop music... |
Roland SP-808 | Apple Mac | Max Max (software) Max is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed and maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. During its 20-year history, it has been widely used by composers, performers, software designers, researchers, and artists for creating innovative recordings,... |
|
| Roland MKS-80 | 3 Korg MS-20 Korg MS-20 The Korg MS-20 is a patchable semi-modular monophonic synthesizer which Korg released in 1978 and which was in production until 1983. It was part of Korg's MS series of instruments, which also included the single oscillator MS-10, the keyboardless MS-50 module, and the SQ-10 sequencer... 's |
Roland TR-727 | ||||
| Roland 100m | Yamaha CS 5 | SuperCollider Supercollider A Supercollider is a high energy particle accelerator. The term may refer to:* Superconducting Super Collider, planned 80 km project in Texas, canceled in 1993... |
During an interview with Future Music, Richard said he likes using Ableton Live
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a loop-based software music sequencer and DAW for Mac OS and Windows by Ableton. The latest major release of Live, Version 8, was released in April 2009. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for...
but prefers Liveslice for beat editing/stretching. Asked what equipment did use, he responded "Raveolution 309, the Raven Max, MC-909 limited edition, Quasimidi Van Helden, MAM Freebass 383, Roland DJ-70, E-15, SP-808, Akai S3200, Behringer MX602A and all the Behringer effects that copy other things."
Aphex Twin's press
James described himself in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as follows: "I'm just some irritating, lying, ginger kid from Cornwall who should have been locked up in some youth detention centre. I just managed to escape and blag it into music."
James said he composed ambient techno music at the age of 13; he claims to have "over 100 hours" of unreleased music, and to have made his own software to compose with, including algorithmic processes
Generative music
Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system.- Theory :There are four primary perspectives on "Generative Music" Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different...
that automatically generate beats and melodies; in addition he claims to experience synaesthesia
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
, and that he is able to incorporate lucid dreaming
Lucid dreaming
A lucid dream is a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. The term was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik van Eeden . In a lucid dream, the dreamer can actively participate in and manipulate imaginary experiences in the dream environment. Lucid dreams can seem real and...
into the process of making music.
He lives in southeast London in a converted bank, which was formerly the Bank of Cyprus
Bank of Cyprus
Bank of Cyprus is a major Cypriot financial institution. In terms of market capitalisation it is the country's second largest company.As of December 31, 2005, the Group's Total Assets reached C£13,22bn and the Group's Shareholders' Funds were C£818mn . At 30 September 2008, the Group's Total...
and then HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
. Contrary to popular opinion, however, he does not own the silver structure in the centre of the roundabout at Elephant and Castle
Elephant and Castle
The Elephant and Castle is a major road intersection in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is also used as a name for the surrounding area....
. This is, in fact, the Michael Faraday Memorial
Michael Faraday Memorial
The Michael Faraday Memorial is a monument to the Victorian scientist Michael Faraday in Elephant and Castle, London, England.The stainless steel box-shaped structure was designed by Brutalist architect Rodney Gordon in 1959 and built in 1961 on the centre of the northern roundabout of the Elephant...
, containing a power transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
for the Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
, which James jokingly claimed to be buying in an interview with The Face
The Face (magazine)
The Face was a British music, fashion and culture monthly magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan.-1980s:Logan had previously created the teen pop magazine Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s before launching The Face in 1980.The magazine was influential in...
magazine in 2001. Some of these rumours are hard to confirm as he has been known to spread mistruths in the prankster tradition, making such claims as only sleeping two to three hours a night.
Stockhausen vs. The Technocrats
In November 1995, The WireThe Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
published an article titled "Advice to Clever Children". In the process of producing the interview, a package of tapes containing music from several artists, including Aphex Twin, was sent to Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
.
Stockhausen commented:
Aphex Twin, a fan of Stockhausen, responded:
ZX81 competition
Richard claims to have produced sound on a Sinclair ZX81 (a machine with no sound hardware) at the age of 11:When I was 11, I won 50 pounds in a competition for writing this program that made sound on a ZX81. You couldn't make sound on a ZX81, but I played around with machine codeMachine codeMachine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions executed directly by a computer's central processing unit. Each instruction performs a very specific task, typically either an operation on a unit of data Machine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions...
and found some codes that retuned the TV signal so that it made this really weird noise when you turned the volume up.
Studio albums (as Aphex Twin)
- Selected Ambient Works 85–92Selected Ambient Works 85–92-External links:*...
(1992) - Selected Ambient Works Volume IISelected Ambient Works Volume II-Formatting notes:The cassette version of the album featured six songs on each side, barring side three, which contained seven . The vinyl version featured four songs on each side, excluding side four, which contained five ....
(1994) - ...I Care Because You Do...I Care Because You Do-Song titles:Several of the song titles are anagrams:* of Aphex Twin: "Wax the nip"* of The Aphex Twin: "The Waxen pith", "Wet tip hen ax", "next heap with"* of Richard David James: "Acrid Avid Jam Shred"* of Caustic Window: "cow cud is a twin"...
(1995) - Richard D. James AlbumRichard D. James AlbumRichard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
(1996) - DrukqsDrukqsDrukqs is a 2001 double album by electronic musician Richard D. James, released under his most frequently used pseudonym, Aphex Twin...
(2001)
External links
- Aphex Twin discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
.