Aphex Twin - POIII (Pick Only Three)

Xtal
Inkey$
Phloam

Xtal
Girl Boy Song
Rhubarb

"Cliffs"
Logan Rock Witch
Ventolin

dude needs to drop one big "calx" album. the blue, yellow, and green varieties are all so nice

Fingerbib
Acrid Avid Jam Shred
Rhubarb

those were actually the first three i came up with! rhubarb will stay but weighing fingerbib and acrid

Girl/Boy Song
Alberto Balsam
Analogue Bubblebath

Starting to reaquaint myself with loads of Aphex at the moment, he seems to make so much more sense now, in the context of the current music scene, than he did five years ago.

The whole IDM bubble burst, it became nauseating, but what with Four Tet, Zomby, Caribou and a few other biggish players revisiting some of the ideas he had, it's def time for a comeback. I'm hoping for something good, if not great - let's just hope he hasn't lost it nor become stuck in a creative rut.

not sure how that works xp, how do you see afx in the context of current music? i guess ~2005 was at the tail end of the idm backlash

I have discovered that, with nearly 10 years perspective, I actually freaking love the Drill N Bass stuff. It manages to be aggressive and yet so fluid. I've been listening to Cock/Ver 10 on the tube and it's just perfect for that morning rush hour on the Victoria line adrenaline rush.

It's funny, though, the way that this music an be at the same time, very fast, very aggressive, very over the top - and yet still retain a delicacy that only really shines through upon long-term exposure. There's this moment, right at the beginning of the track where it should be a pause, but he's left the long decay of the hi-hat just spinning with this really extreme reverb so it just kind of shudders and buzzes and it's the most beautiful sound, but to have that for a split second in the midst of the howling buzz before diving back into the cacophony of the song. It's just spine-tingling.

It does make more sense to me now than it did a decade ago. I think that yeah, artists are starting to catch up with the idea that this technology can be used for great beauty and delicacy as well as just showing off how hard and fast that nosebleed techno can go.

I've said before that Aphex got caught up in this demand to "show us a new trick" - not that I think RDJ specifically pandered to this but it became near impossible for him to release stuff or to work within a genre because a lot of the media and the fans were demanding that each new record was THE MOST INNOVATIVE RECORD EVER and it's a dumb way to approach music. I think RDJ has managed his career pretty well tbh, when that expectation got too much he just stepped away from it and carried on making the music that he wanted to.

Agree that it's easier and more fun to listen to him away from this clamour of expectation too, and I feel the way about some of the other notable IDM big dogs from that era.

not sure how that works xp, how do you see afx in the context of current music?

He seems to sit well with people like Flying Lotus, Subeena, Darkstar, maybe even Ikonika at a stretch. They all seem to have his sense of shimmering synth melodies that are bashed about a bit, and that end of post-dubstep has a ton of Warp/IDM in it.

(Should probably revive a different thread and ask what of the IDM big dogs is still worth listening to. I have such limited exposure... well it's not so much limited exposure as just ignorance of what I was hearing because I wasn't interested in its origin so much as its function. My experience of that music was dancing in Hoxton basements during my "lost year" 02-03 completely blitzed out of my mind and very very angry, and it was *perfect* for that state of mind, but I've no idea what any of it was. Just vague memories of going to Warp parties with Ed and coming home with my army jacket remixed from green to purple. It's probably better I don't remember that period of my life actually.)

But, erm yeah. Agreed. So much of Aphex's work is music that is better accepted on its own terms than being crushed under the weight of expectation. It must be so hard on the cute little pointy nosed ginger being a genius and all and having to reinvent music every 2 or 3 years. ;-)

He seems to sit well with people like Flying Lotus, Subeena, Darkstar, maybe even Ikonika at a stretch. They all seem to have his sense of shimmering synth melodies that are bashed about a bit, and that end of post-dubstep has a ton of Warp/IDM in it.

Yeah, agreed.

The thing people always overlook about Aphex is that at his peak he was fucking incredible at crafting melodies, for all the "ZOMG innovator pioneer ambient Windowlicker drill and bass" I don't think anyone would have been quite as excited about him without his ability to write a gorgeous tune. It's what lifted him above everyone else in his scene.

Yeah but I think Squarepusher and mu-Ziq had some pretty great tunage going on amongst their madder stuff.

Yeah, see this is the thing about Aphex - no matter how insane and strange his beats were going and how abstract his editing, ultimately, you *could* still sing his tunes. In a way that's very recognisable and catchy. He has an ear for an earworm.

While I don't think I could offhand sing you a Squarepusher or a mu-Ziq track. (but then again, that could just be because I don't really like Squarepusher. OK, yeah, Shadow Dancer always shouts at me when I say he's shit, and OK, yeah, there are some tracks that are quite beautiful but he was really really boring when I saw him a month or two ago. You cannot hum Squarepusher in the shower the way that if you sang even To Cure A Weakling Child or Vordhosbn, people would know what you were singing.

The thing that made Aphex stand out from pretty much any of the other IDM people is that I always saw him as very much a product of the original rave scene who took it on himself to experiment and diversify. This is opposed to people who began with experimental electronica (or home-listening electronica or IDM or Braindance etc) and worked within it.

(Squarepusher) was really really boring when I saw him a month or two ago

There's your problem. If you can't organize a chorus sized singalong to "Beep Street" then frankly you're not trying hard enough.

So what? wrt to the "month or two ago" - at the same gig, Chris Cunningham (showing even more grey in his beard) managed to be supremely NOT boring despite being of a similar vintage?

I mean to say Squarepusher's contemporary (post 2005) stuff flat out sucks.

The thing that made Aphex stand out from pretty much any of the other IDM people is that I always saw him as very much a product of the original rave scene who took it on himself to experiment and diversify. This is opposed to people who began with experimental electronica (or home-listening electronica or IDM or Braindance etc) and worked within it.

yeah, this is one of the more appealing aspects of autechre for me. and lots of the other early warp guys too. (afx included, sure.)

Sorry, I'll always prefer Pop people who go Experimental to Experimental people who go Pop.

I mean to say Squarepusher's contemporary (post 2005) stuff flat out sucks.

― Tonight I Dine on Turtle Soup (EDB), Thursday, 27 May 2010 14:03 (57 minutes ago)

Gurrrwhhhhaaaat?? Hello Everything and Just A Souvenir were bangin! Best albums since Hard Normal Daddy.

Squarepusher sucks live afaik. Then again the two times I saw him were at festivals, and both times the sound guy messed up his equipment and he had a strop.

Funny how suddenly IDM is becoming really hot all over again. Autechre emerge phoenix-like from the ashes of their own sphincters; news of a new Aphex release; all the post-dubstep and chillwave crowd channelling the sounds once more. It's so positive for me as I think if one musical entity shaped my own life and tastes it was Warp.

Alan N - definitely. I like the idea that Autechre are still under the delusion that they're still making breakdance and hiphop music. Same with Aphex - it's not self consciously "bedroom" - you still get the impression that in his head he's making music for ravers.

Squarepusher sucks live afaik. Then again the two times I saw him were at festivals, and both times the sound guy messed up his equipment and he had a strop.

Don't worry, he sucks in a small club setting as well (circa 2004).

Sometimes this is my list:

-Polynomial C
-Girl/Boy Song
-Ageispolis
-- Using an Aural Exciter in an Orgone Accumulator (Masonic Boom)

xtal
acrid avid jam
4
-- hobbes

Sorry, I'll always prefer Pop people who go Experimental to Experimental people who go Pop.

not sure anyone is saying the opposite, tbh

aince yr all ignoring Analords

PWSteal.Ldpinch.D
Crying In Your Face
VBS.Redlof.B

Analords are excluded because they were released as AFX not Aphex Twin.

Can any friendly mod please edit the original post so it includes this: (Also I'm blatantly excluding any stuff not released as Aphex Twin so none of the psuedonymous stuff or the AFXs for the simple reason of, it makes the choice easier.) in it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tatccHVfuhA

please don't open that gate

idm didn't seem to make a lot of sense when minimal was ruling the world. those were lean years - jumping boxcars, avoiding railyard dicks. now that a million dubstep artists with ableton are all trying to invent their own micro-genres, warp's back catalog looks pretty good.

Funny how suddenly IDM is becoming really hot all over again. Autechre emerge phoenix-like from the ashes of their own sphincters; news of a new Aphex release; all the post-dubstep and chillwave crowd channelling the sounds once more. It's so positive for me as I think if one musical entity shaped my own life and tastes it was Warp.

And I was listening to the second disc of Plaid's Trainer, and the stuff from 92-94 sounds very much like a lot of UK Funky House coming out today too.

idm didn't seem to make a lot of sense when minimal was ruling the world

which is why it's ironic that my entry into microhouse was via arch-experimenter vladislav delay, who, while not part of the idm mainstream, was worshipped on the idm list circa 1999 (Vocalcity is also a good counterexample to kate's dim view of experimenters who go pop)

Hey, I'd rather experimenters who go pop than experimenters who go shit. But given a choice between the dichotomy posed, I would usually go the pop --> weird direction. (Which is the opposite of how I felt 20 years ago, mind you.)

My entry into microhouse came straight from my IDM background too, in the mid 00's when minimal was on the cusp of taking over the world. And I still prefer "IDM-house" to whatever else.

And I don't think this all is neccessarily a consequence of dubsteppers with ableton, though. I'd put my money on the fact that it's just time. The unsexiness of the recent past turning into the sexier-ness of the not as recent past, and so on. It's a force bigger than us all, and IDM's is due for its revindication.

kate i normally agree with you on that preference, another reason i find luomo so amazing.

Yo dudes, how hot is (CAT 00897-AA1)/(CAT 00897-A1) on AFX's ABIII? Why have I never paid attention to this song before?

stone in focus
54 cymru beats
fenix funk 5

Polynomial-C
Heliosphan
Windowlicker

Stevie - which track number is that? ABIII is a highly underrated album. I wish Kate hadn't made it Aphex-only.

OK, then. Come on, you slags, pick your top 3 non-Aphex Richard D. James tracks (yes, you can include the Tuss)

I'm thinking...

AFX - Where's Your Girlfriend
Caustic Window - Humanoid Must Not Escape
The Tuss - rushup i bank 12

ARGH but I might substitute Bradley's Beat (Part 2 I think?) for one of those ARGH too difficult this is kind of even harder than just doing Aphex because there's so much variety.

hmmmm..

quoth
laughable butane bob
analogue bubblebath 5 track 1

Starting to reaquaint myself with loads of Aphex at the moment, he seems to make so much more sense now, in the context of the current music scene, than he did five years ago.

This exactly.

Been playing loads of Aphex recently and in a particularly geeky moment did start to compile a best of Aphex/AFX but got overwhelmed. Have a sense that a new release would feel right (and apparently there is going to be an onslaught).

oh yeah, onslaught? can you elaborate?

dog latin, it's tracks 8 and 9. I still can't tell the difference between them yet.

the same

the soundcloud rollout was all a bunch of demos & experiments; with a few exceptions none of it came close to the quality of his "official" releases

RONG

Yeah, there were a few I would have chosen..