Drukqs [PA] - Aphex Twin

Richard D. James, or Aphex Twin, or AFX, or Polygon Window, or whatever he feels like calling himself has always, since the release of Selected Ambient Works 85-92, been regarded as the bees bollocks as far as IDM (intelligent dance music, a genre AFX has scoffed at in the past) is concerned. And this is not unjustified. His 'ambient' stuff, although rather dated now, is still great to listen to as something chilled and impressive. He's been fantastically ...
...Windowlicker EP he included a picture of his face in the music. And by this I mean if you pass the music through a spectrum analyser then a spooker picture of James will bee seen. It's this 'how the hell did he do that?' attitude linked with the quality of the vast body of his work, that proceeds this release. Unfortunately this work does not really, as a whole, seem anything majorly new - just treading water. There are moments of greatness, however, ... more

Richard D. James, or Aphex Twin, or AFX, or Polygon Window, or whatever he feels like calling himself has always, since the release of Selected Ambient Works 85-92, been regarded as the bees bollocks as far as IDM (intelligent dance music, a genre AFX has scoffed at in the past) is concerned. And this is not unjustified. His 'ambient' stuff, although rather dated now, is still great to listen to as something chilled and impressive. He's been fantastically new in other albums since. As an example, on the Windowlicker EP he included a picture of his face in the music. And by this I mean if you pass the music through a spectrum analyser then a spooker picture of James will bee seen. It's this 'how the hell did he do that?' attitude linked with the quality of the vast body of his work, that proceeds this release. Unfortunately this work does not really, as a whole, seem anything majorly new - just treading water. There are moments of greatness, however, in my personal favourite 54 Cymru Beats. Also, although other critics have had a go at his Satie-esque piano excursions, I think they are bloody great taken out of context. This is something which is general about the album. It is fan-bleedin'-tastic if the Twin's legacy was forgotten, and in that sense it's great as a record to get into Aphex, but with that good good stuff behind him this is a little dissapointing. Check out the Richard D. James Album, or Come to Daddy/Girlboy EPS, and don't forget Windowlicker, of course. 

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