'Richard D. James' was the first Aphex Twin album I heard and (without being too melodramatic) it changed my life.
This was the first mainstream release of his 'drill n' bass' sound, after his ultra-rare 'Hangable Auto Bulb' EPs. The album uses a blend of beautiful, almost poppy, melodies, ... Read review
A native of Cornwall, Richard James is obsessed with the mechanics of music making: As a ... more
kid, he took apart and reassembled the living room piano. Under the names Aphex Twin, Polygon Window, AFX and other aliases too numerous to mention, he showed that...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A native of Cornwall, Richard James is obsessed with the mechanics of music making: As a ... more
kid, he took apart and reassembled the living room piano. Under the names Aphex Twin, Polygon Window, AFX and other aliases too numerous to mention, he showed that...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
If techno ever does become the sound of young America, don't expect Richard James to be ... more
its poster boy, deserving though he may be. A native of Cornwall, England, James is obsessed with the mechanics of music making: As a kid, he took apart and reassembled the living room piano. Under the names Aphex Twin, Polygon Window, AFX, and other aliases too numerous to mention, he showed that he could make entire tracks with the sounds produced by tapping on a Coke can. Like the indie rockers of yore, he revels in his marginality because of the creative freedom it gives him. His full-length U.S. debut, Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), includes some of the most serene sounds this side of the Orb, but his favorite hobby is the not-at-all-blissful pastime of driving a Daimler Ferret Mark 3 tank through his parents' backyard. None of his recordings have captured the competing impulses to lull you to sleep and blast out your eardrums as well as Richard D. James, his third and best album. As the title indicates, James has turned inward for inspiration, painting aural pictures of real and imagined scenes from his west country childhood. "Goongumpas" is a fanciful, playful tune that wouldn't sound out of place on the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As his adventures with the family upright indicate, James was a bit of a devil even as a child. "Beetles" is the sound of a boy frying bugs on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass, and "To Cure A Weakling Child" shows flashes of the sort of sadism found only on preschool playgrounds. If you still doubt that young Richard developed early on, the romantic Nino Rota-style strings on "Girl/Boy Song" are just made for passionate seductions, and the tune appears in three mixes, each one hot and hornier than the one before. The raucous undercurrents of even his calmest tunes and the sources of many of his most common sounds are what link James to the rock tradition. With Richard D. James, the artist solidifies his position as an electronic music mastermind who has earned a spot beside such well-respected innovators-whether or not he's destined for stardom. Jim Derogatis
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 2 to 4 weeks...
If techno ever does become the sound of young America, don't expect Richard James to be ... more
its poster boy, deserving though he may be. A native of Cornwall, England, James is obsessed with the mechanics of music making: As a kid, he took apart and reassembled the living room piano. Under the names Aphex Twin, Polygon Window, AFX, and other aliases too numerous to mention, he showed that he could make entire tracks with the sounds produced by tapping on a Coke can. Like the indie rockers of yore, he revels in his marginality because of the creative freedom it gives him. His full-length U.S. debut, Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), includes some of the most serene sounds this side of the Orb, but his favorite hobby is the not-at-all-blissful pastime of driving a Daimler Ferret Mark 3 tank through his parents' backyard.None of his recordings have captured the competing impulses to lull you to sleep and blast out your eardrums as well as Richard D. James, his third and best album. As the title indicates, James has turned inward for inspiration, painting aural pictures of real and imagined scenes from his west country childhood. "Goongumpas" is a fanciful, playful tune that wouldn't sound out of place on the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As his adventures with the family upright indicate, James was a bit of a devil even as a child. "Beetles" is the sound of a boy frying bugs on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass, and "To Cure A Weakling Child" shows flashes of the sort of sadism found only on preschool playgrounds. If you still doubt that young Richard developed early on, the romantic Nino Rota-style strings on "Girl/Boy Song" are just made for passionate seductions, and the tune appears in three mixes, each one hot and hornier than the one before.The raucous undercurrents of even his calmest tunes and the sources of many of his most common sounds are what link James to the rock tradition. With Richard D. James, the artist solidifies his position as an electronic music mastermind who has earned a spot beside such well-respected innovators-whether or not he's destined for stardom.Jim Derogatis
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Advantages: It will change your life in a good way Disadvantages: It will change your life in a bad way
'Richard D. James' was the first Aphex Twin album I heard and (without being too melodramatic) it changed my life.
This was the first mainstream release of his 'drill n' bass' sound, after his ultra-rare 'Hangable Auto Bulb' EPs. The album uses a blend of beautiful, almost poppy, melodies, with incredibly complex rhythms, which somehow harmonise perfectly. For the sake of a soundbyte, like Mozart being electrocuted. It's probably ... ...a great choice for first-timers.
Hyper-melodic tracks like 'Fingerbib' could easily be the theme music for a children's TV show, whilst tracks like 'PEEK 2475736252' could accompany a Cronenberg nightmare. At times it lives up to the stereotypes of "like listening to a car-alarm/modem/pneumatic-drill etc...", but without landing on the unlistenable side of 'experimental'.
'Richard D. James' was the first Aphex Twin album I heard and (without being too melodramatic) it changed my life.
This was the first mainstream release of his 'drill n' bass' sound, after his ultra-rare 'Hangable Auto Bulb' EPs. The album uses a blend of beautiful, almost poppy, melodies, with incredibly complex rhythms, which somehow harmonise perfectly. For the sake of a soundbyte, like Mozart being electrocuted. It's probably his least 'difficult' release, reflected in its huge popularity, and a great choice for first-timers.
Hyper-melodic tracks like 'Fingerbib' could easily be the theme music for a children's TV show, whilst tracks like 'PEEK 2475736252' could accompany a Cronenberg nightmare. At times it lives up to the stereotypes of "like listening to a car-alarm/modem/pneumatic-drill etc...", but without landing on the unlistenable side of 'experimental'.
I think it's flawless. I've listened to it regularly since 1996 in many different places and found that it fits any situation (possibly excluding funerals).
Advantages: some great drum n bass moments Disadvantages: not up to his usual standard?
...signee to his Rephlex label), Richard D. James' third major-label album as Aphex Twin was his first to work with jungle -- though, to his credit, he had released the breakbeat EP Hangable Auto Bulb almost a year earlier. Contemporaries Orbital and Underworld were beginning to incorporate moderate use of drum'n'bass in their work as well, but this album was more extreme than virtually all jungle being made at the time. The beats are jackhammer quick ... ...is a child-like ode that gradually deteriorates into a bizarre fantasy concerning the milkman's wife. With all the Aphex Twin's curious idiosyncracies, though, Richard D. James Album is a very listenable record and a worthy follow-up to I Care Because You Do. [The American issue features the English EP "Girl/Boy."] ...
philnewall 11.08.2002
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Advantages: Probably the least weird Aphex Twin Album Disadvantages: Does get a little boring
Classics. The title is maybe a little up it's own arse, as this is not an album of classics, however much the music may have influenced today's electronic artists. However on reviewing this album I do feel the need to take into account that at the time the majority of tracks here were made, RichardDJames (AphexTwin) was not very old for an electronic artist.
This is by far the most accessable album of his, yet may not sound so unless you've heard AphexTwin's other releases, seemingly disappeared into a wall of white noise and distorted drums and computer noise. This album however tends to stick to a beat. The tracks are hard acid techno rather than the experimental electronica of late. Therefore this album may appeal to people who would not necessarily consider themselves fans of this particular genre or in fact Aphextwin ...
Advantages: A good starting point for AFX Disadvantages: Not as cutting edge as his previous work.
RichardD. James, or AphexTwin, 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 ...
Advantages: Very atmospheric Disadvantages: Purely background music
RichardDJames (AKA AphexTwin) is a very varied musician. When compared to his previous work, and in fact his newest work, this is entirely different. I have recently lost respect for the artist and don't listen to his music as much as I once did, but still appreciate this album for what it is. A soundtrack to a really bad day.
Most closely related to 'Selected Ambient Works 1' (Which is more musical) this package consists of 2 cd's packed with dark groaning bass, children's voices, moody synth, and hardly any sign of a beat. However this is by no means a bad thing.
The album consists of 24 Untitled tracks, with only a small thumbnail picture in the sleeve to represent each individual composition, pictures from which not very much can be gained and definitely no clues to what the tracks might be called should they have titles ...
jamesmccreet
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Product Information for "Richard D. James - Aphex Twin" »
Product details
Title
Richard D. James
Performer
Aphex Twin
Genre
Electronic
Sub Genre
UK Techno
Release Date
11/1996
Original Release Year
1996
Label / Distributor
Warp / PIAS UK/Sony DADC
Producer
Aphex Twin
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
5021603043121
Catalogue Number
WARPCD 43
Additional notes
Album Notes
Aphex Twin: Richard D. James. In a career filled with re-invention, Aphex Twin comes full circle, with an album named after his real-life identity, RICHARD D. JAMES. James performs his usual boundary-jumping, genre-crashing magic, constantly changing gears and never standing still. Melodies are drawn from an infinite variety of sonic sources and juxtaposed with harsh, stuttering breakbeats and placid keyboards in ever-changing permutations. James manages to coax a wide range of emotion from his synthesizers, from the whimsical, playful melodic line which introduces "4." to the harsh beat and angular accompaniment of "Cornish Acid." "Peek 824545201" throws down a skittish, slithering beat, while "Corn Mouth" is a jumble of techno shrapnel. "To Cure A Weaking Child" makes haunting use of sampled voices of children, reassembling them into words and repeated phrases. Drums and keyboard sounds meld into one another freely and playfully. James further showcases his ability to recycle traditional sounds into altogether new forms with the string arrangements of "Goon Gumpas" and "Girl/Boy Song," but nowhere is this gift utilized more effectively than in "Logan Rock Witch," whose goofy rhythm and church organ support a chiming, sparse, guitar-like melody line.
Album Reviews
NME (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67) - Ranked #20 in NME's 1996 critic's poll. Rolling Stone (1/23/97, pp.62-63) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...combining jolting beats, pristine melodic fragments and random noises into elegant--if at times unnerving--futuristic pop....manipulates his infinite palette of tweaked synth tones like a classical composer arranges a string section..." Spin (2/97, p.88) - 7 (out of 10) - "...in bringing dreaded Meaning to a genre born to deny it, James again removes all bets on what DJ music might become....This is the touching sound of another shut-in boy genius disappearing down his own ear canals in an effort to connect with the world..." Entertainment Weekly (1/31/97, p.58) - "...his quirkiest, most personal work....If machines could joke or cry, this is how they would sound." - Rating: A-
Titles on disc 1
1.
4
2.
Cornish Acid
3.
Peek 824545201
4.
Fingerbib
5.
Corn Mouth
6.
To Cure A Weakling Child
7.
Goon Gumpas
8.
Yellow Calx
9.
Girl/Boy Song
10.
Logan Rock Witch
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23/12/2000
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