Aphex Twin classic or Dud?

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Okay, yeah I didn't mean to say ALL his work could use editing, but there's few records that don't: SAW 85-92, ICBYD, HAB, RDJ, and CTD. The rest, including nearly every EP, and even SAW II, I feel could use some quality control. These releases seem to put tracks on display that are either outright attempts to troll their audience by taking the piss, or a classic case of RDJ lacking any person in power with the ability to tell him "dude, wtf.. we can't release this." To be fair, most of those same releases also exhibit at least one absolute classic. However, it helps to be wildly popular amongst kleptomaniac music fans and to own your own record label to enable these traits. Fuck, I can't blame the bloke.. if I were him I'd totally release an album full of sampled toilet flushes and nothing else just to see how many copies it'd sell

octobeard, Thursday, 10 April 2014 07:27 (ten years ago) link

Of course I don't think he'd be considered the same way if he'd only ever released quality tunes. There was always a 'jellybean' effect to his output which meant you were forced to take the rough with the smooth and which in context made a track like Knieval parsable to the dedicated Aphex fan. My problem with Druqks was that it was more like a jar that promised 'every flavour' but was mostly made up of the same 2-3 flavours. I'll quite with the analogies now.

1 pONO 3v3Ry+h1n G!!!1 (dog latin), Thursday, 10 April 2014 08:54 (ten years ago) link

Can you imagine what a complete collection of Boards of Canada's early Music70 LPs would fetch? Good lord

octobeard, Saturday, 12 April 2014 09:42 (ten years ago) link

http://www.mixcloud.com/keyfumbler/

somebody culled a bunch of live sets.. some dope, Tuss-y workouts in the Metz and Minehead sets, makes one wish he'd release the newer stuff, as it's ultra high quality. see: "the metz track"

braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Saturday, 12 April 2014 18:35 (ten years ago) link

Metz, Paris is great but the key takeaway for me on that page is that Aphex has been playing a bunch of live shows over the last ten years and I've wasted my life.

ugh (lukas), Sunday, 13 April 2014 00:19 (ten years ago) link

after this thread was revived i spotted the double vinyl SAWII set on brown vinyl sitting unloved in a local shop.

however, seller wanted £95 for it.

i aint that keen.

mark e, Sunday, 13 April 2014 09:24 (ten years ago) link

the vinyls sounds like crap anyway.

i lost my shoes on acid (jed_), Sunday, 13 April 2014 19:29 (ten years ago) link

I have the brown vinyl and can confirm it sounds crap. I always liked to try and convince myself that Aphex had intended it to be a dodgy pressing to add an extra layer of "ambient noise" and that it was, of course, far superior to the CD version...
...it's not, it's just a dodgy pressing.

ringworm, Monday, 14 April 2014 09:41 (ten years ago) link

Why is it that a lot of people who don't like dance music like Aphex Twin

paolo, Monday, 14 April 2014 10:41 (ten years ago) link

If I tell someone who's into rock music that I like house and techno they'll quite often say 'oh I like Aphex Twin'

paolo, Monday, 14 April 2014 10:42 (ten years ago) link

Probably because his brand of conceptualism goes against what is considered to be the norm in 'proper' house and techno. Also because his historic pranks, interviews and the way he markets himself are more in line with rock/pop traditions of identity whereas house and techno often strives to erase the author and let the music speak for itself without attachment to a personality.

1 pONO 3v3Ry+h1n G!!!1 (dog latin), Monday, 14 April 2014 11:42 (ten years ago) link

idk I don't like house or techno but I like Aphex (and others) because they don't just go UNTS UNTS UNTS UNTS for ten minutes

ultros ultros-ghali, Monday, 14 April 2014 12:26 (ten years ago) link

so you haven't actually heard any house or techno, got it.

clouds, Monday, 14 April 2014 12:30 (ten years ago) link

I don't think most people think of Aphex Twin's music as dance music so I don't know why it would be weird to not like dance music but to like Aphex Twin

silverfish, Monday, 14 April 2014 12:59 (ten years ago) link

maybe not! but I will never let reality get in the way of dismissing entire sub-genres for arbitrary and/or inaccurate reasons

ultros ultros-ghali, Monday, 14 April 2014 13:00 (ten years ago) link

it's 2014, are these the best trolls we cd get?

waterflow ductile laser beam (Noodle Vague), Monday, 14 April 2014 13:42 (ten years ago) link

what if they went ULTROS ULTROS ULTROS ULTROS for ten minutes

From Tha Crouuuch To Da Palacios (DJ Mencap), Monday, 14 April 2014 13:46 (ten years ago) link

'Aphex Twin's Historic Pranks' would be a good intermittent Viz strip along the lines of Elton John's series of smalltime scams

From Tha Crouuuch To Da Palacios (DJ Mencap), Monday, 14 April 2014 13:48 (ten years ago) link

Why is it that a lot of people who don't like dance music like Aphex Twin

Because Radiohead and Kanye.

Seriously, though, I was playing "Drukqs" a year or so ago, and someone I was with perked up at "Avril 14th" and recognized it as the song Kanye sampled.

Josh in Chicago, Monday, 14 April 2014 14:35 (ten years ago) link

Aphex Twins lustige Streiche

clouds, Monday, 14 April 2014 22:36 (ten years ago) link

I like the UNTS UNTS UNTS UNTS type of dance music, and I don't like Aphex (except for some early tracks, when he was still making UNTS UNTS UNTS UNTS music), so I guess there's truth to this.

Tuomas, Tuesday, 15 April 2014 11:47 (ten years ago) link

smelly unts

1 pONO 3v3Ry+h1n G!!!1 (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 11:50 (ten years ago) link

I misread that as "UNITS UNITS UNITS UNITS" and I thought, man, songs that are nothing but units, units, units, units are pretty much my favourite thing in the world, whether it's techno or dronerock or what.

Branwell Bell, Tuesday, 15 April 2014 12:26 (ten years ago) link

Unts Unts Unts <---- going to use that for a song title

Eats like Elvis, shits like De Niro (Tom D.), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 12:27 (ten years ago) link

Because Radiohead and Kanye.

Seriously, though, I was playing "Drukqs" a year or so ago, and someone I was with perked up at "Avril 14th" and recognized it as the song Kanye sampled.

It was the case before Kid A or Drukqs though. His stuff often obeys some of the 'rules' of rock and works in a non club/dance context. This album cover explains it pretty well, really.

http://media.warp.net/images/WARPCD6.jpg

Also I don't think having an aversion to UNTS UNTS UNTS UNTS is necessarily a rockist or luddite reaction. It's more like the guy who asked What's with that constant cymbal tapping in jazz drumming?. I can see where he's coming from sometimes - a few times I've been in Germany or Holland and the constant immersion in (usually pretty lousy) techno can start to grate.

B-Boy Bualadh Bos (ecuador_with_a_c), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 12:44 (ten years ago) link

Unts Unts Unts <---- going to use that for a song title

check the b-side on this 1998 single

brock out with your cock out (sic), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 13:02 (ten years ago) link

BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and BOOTS and CATS and

1 pONO 3v3Ry+h1n G!!!1 (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 13:22 (ten years ago) link

Also I don't think having an aversion to UNTS UNTS UNTS UNTS is necessarily a rockist or luddite reaction.

it's not even a reaction worth considering. "reaction" implies familiarity. it's tantamount to saying "i hate japanese films because they're all about samurai"

it's maybe surprising that ppl still lump house and techno together under the banner of "dumb dance music" using some spurious hierarchization of "depth" in music. it also has frankly homophobic undertones to me (house arose out of gay post-disco subculture, gay culture is vapid, consumerist, etc.)

clouds, Tuesday, 15 April 2014 14:00 (ten years ago) link

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/Sprad/XTAL_zpsdb12d2cc.jpg

xtal

Milton Parker, Tuesday, 15 April 2014 18:45 (ten years ago) link

i was just listening to delphium and thinking how great it would sound mixed into quadrant dub

clouds, Wednesday, 16 April 2014 11:53 (ten years ago) link

two months pass...

"Crazy weekend. Need to put on something old and comforting."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGEQ9Hjr4c0

ugh (lukas), Monday, 16 June 2014 04:37 (ten years ago) link

mostly just a lol old moment, that album will be able to vote come november

ugh (lukas), Monday, 16 June 2014 06:16 (ten years ago) link

i always thought it was unce unce unce rather than unts tbh

doctrine the house (electricsound), Monday, 16 June 2014 06:38 (ten years ago) link

i listened to the richard d james album just a couple of weeks ago and it sounded better than ever imo

macklin' rosie (crüt), Monday, 16 June 2014 07:01 (ten years ago) link

that album will be able to vote come november

oof

am0n, Monday, 16 June 2014 21:05 (ten years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk7Q7nYJpS8

am0n, Monday, 16 June 2014 21:09 (ten years ago) link

is it just me or does the vinyl rip not sound that great

(talking about the mp3s, not the YT)

ugh (lukas), Monday, 16 June 2014 23:07 (ten years ago) link

this rules?

emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 04:13 (ten years ago) link

i listened to the richard d james album just a couple of weeks ago and it sounded better than ever imo

― macklin' rosie (crüt), Monday, June 16, 2014 8:01 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Me too. Such a tight little record. The definition of getting things over and done with in as little time possible. Also, b/w Come To Daddy on the CD-R rip I was given by a mate when I was 16, very possibly the record that changed my life.

now I'm the grandfather (dog latin), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 08:25 (ten years ago) link

xp - wow this is actually ace. Could this be the first lost album living up to its own myth?

licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 08:35 (ten years ago) link

so this is actually happening, the lost Caustic Window record? When is it coming out?

now I'm the grandfather (dog latin), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 09:25 (ten years ago) link

So this is finally available for listening, and I don't have the bandwidth to even hear it?

you go PUNCHING yourself in... THE DICK! (Branwell with an N), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 09:31 (ten years ago) link

Airflow is great!

piscesx, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 12:15 (ten years ago) link

think i like this one best

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

am0n, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 14:24 (ten years ago) link

yessssss

macklin' rosie (crüt), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 14:48 (ten years ago) link

i can't believe the entire board isn't FREAKING OUT to this right now

Karl Malone, Wednesday, 18 June 2014 00:13 (ten years ago) link


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