I think you'll enjoy Selected Ambient Works 85-92 a lot more. It's not as fast-paced and more melodic. I love this album (Aphex Twin is one of my favourite artists) but I'd say this one is more of an acquired taste, haha. I love the album for its atmosphere, Richard is brilliant at creating it, imo. Here it's very childlike, nostalgic, innocent (despite occasional abrasive parts). Kinda like what Boards of Canada were going for on MHtRtC but unlike BoC's album here it's humorous and playful. You don't have to intellectualize this music (although you can, for sure!), for me personally there's plenty of emotion put into these tracks to enjoy it purely on an emotional level. Crazy production is more of a bonus Also he made this album on his computer using tracker software. It's not too dissimilar to modern DAWs but fits better for creating such type of music. He also used this software on a lot of tracks for his next album drukQs, that time making tracks longer, more complex and more ambitious. Hopefully you'll get to drukQs as well (it's over 1,5 hours long, btw!), it'll be fascinating to watch you react to it :)
I love how 10 20 30 years go by and people are STILL scratching their heads how the hell did he make this? what an artist challenging yet approachable intriguing tender repulsive. There is no right time for Aphex twin he will challenge expectations for literally decades. I think even if you never listen to his work again its a great feeling knowing this art exists and will challenge your mind I think that's what keeps people coming back its just great art. Even trolling his fans was it good art was it even made by him should you care who made it? Who's name was on the CD he wants you to think about what you're experiencing even if its pure silence. I know you mentioned the drums being a bit much but the drum work on Drukqs is something spectacularly unique and emotive even to people who don't like crazy drums its really special definitely give Drukqs a try probably his most impressive album on a technical level but i agree with everyone else that select ambient works 85-92 is probably the best starting point for most people. Would love to watch more Aphex twin from you.
Aphex Twin was really unique in the electronic scene, he grounded the chaos with melody and pretty much spearheaded the IDM movement alongside Autechre heavily recommend Jane Weaver - Flock if i haven’t before, a nice departure into some dream pop
Hot take: Richard D. James Album hasn’t aged well. It just sounds dated to me. Do people even still make drill ‘n’ bass music anymore? I hear this album, and I immediately think of the late 90s. However, the album The Eyes of Stanley Pain by Download, for instance, released the same year (1996), is an album that, if you hadn’t any prior knowledge, you wouldn’t know when it was released. Hell, I’ll even go so far as saying TEoSP sounds like it’s from the future! Just my two cents
What an album to start with Aphex Twin!!! This man has a ot of stuff so different, so, maybe you could follow with his ambient track, another side from him
Just found your channel and I'm digging your reactions. One album I 100% recommend is the Fishmans live album "98.12.28 男達の別れ". The length is a bit intimidating but it's absolutely worth it. Some of the best dream pop I have ever heard and Long Season Live is probably the best song I have ever heard. Consider giving it a listen
You should give the album 'First Utterance' by Comus a listen, pretty different to all the other stuff you've been checking out. Only real album of its kind and not many people know about it let alone record reactions to it.
His first releases were made with sample machines, drum machines, a ZX Spectrum 48k for basic sample sequences and synths that were either recorded on tape or DAT. Later he got an Atari ST for midi sequences of the synths. This album was composed with a Macintosh from the day. It had CD audio, some basic DAW and the violin is him playing a borrowed violin to sample it and edit the rest with the Mac. His newer tracks are made with the old synth sequence method and also with a tracker on a MacBook. He might also sometimes use his own Samplebrain AI program that compares sounds and replaces them. The stuff I heard on recordings from the recent Verona live set are insane. Maybe he sat behind his computer and did his thing again.
You are so right, I always thought that Aphex twin would be THE artist for the backrooms. His album drukqs fits so well with some nice and beautiful but weird songs in contrast with the creepy ones. I really recommend you listening to it
hell yes aphex twin!!! can't wait for your reaction to ambient works 85-92. also you should listen to onethrix point never's ''replica'' its an essential experimental electronic album.
like someone else said there were DAWs around at the time of this album but he probably used a tracker, like a modern version of one is OpenMPT. Might also explain the dodgy audio quality
Hey man I really recommend the album The Last Drag by The Samples. They have a real folk and alternative sound but a lot their songs break genre boundaries. The album is very calm and goes over topics of feelings staying the same as time moves on and a nostalgic sense of youth. Highly recommend a lot people say they are a cross of The Police and Grateful Dead.
the hectic drums can be offputting at first but theyll probably grow on you, the definetely did grow on me if you want more aphex twin with less of the fast hectic percussion then i would recommend Selected ambient works 85-92 or I care because you do. Selected ambient works vol 2 is also great but it is a 2 and a half hour long album of nothing but ambient music, so it probably wouldnt make for a great reaction lol
aint nobody do drum programming like Richard do! if you dig his sound, i think a deep discog dive is worth it, but i also recommend finding a playlist of goated Aphex Twin songs and reacting to that instead; his albums are maybe not as attention-grabbing as others you're listening to, but he's an essential artist imo with a lot of perfect tracks (Windowlicker, Alberto Balsalm, xtal, Flim, avril 14, etc etc)
Aphex one of those artists where a lot of his busier stuff might be too chaotic for you at first but then you'll find yourself humming little melodies from his songs and they just get better with repeated listens
This alblum is a good example as 2 why people call drill and bass spunk jazz because this and especially squarepusher undoubtedly have weird like jazz style drum and bass with fast pace stuff
Aphex Twin has tons of good songs (spanning many EPs, 12" different aliases), but his albums (as Aphex Twin) were never that good, IMO (except maybe 85-92)
Most Aphex Twin albums dont quite work for me. Some songs are great, but the albums always seem to miss the mark. The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, even Pet Shop Boys and Fat Boy Slim all work a lot better for me. The album is a time capsule for the experimental nature of the time, but we didnt stick with a lot of these sounds fot a good reason. They're singular and best kept that way.
4:41 In 1996 they did have DAWs and stuff like they have now. In fact the DAW known as Logic Pro X actually came out in the 90s. It was written by a company called eMagic, and ran on Windows 95 PCs. The version back then was vastly superior to what Apple did with it. Apple pretty much ruined the UI when they bought it. Actually Logic Pro was fine.. but they ruined the UI in Logic Pro X, and it's arguable that them not allowing people to stick with the old version (still having it on the app store) was stupid. Esp. since I bought it and paid $200 for it a few months befoer Logic Pro X came out and they made you pay for that instead of just downloading it as a new version.
Oh man so this version doesn't have Milkman on it from the Girl/Boy Ep.. You totally have to react to the Girl/Boy EP and especially Milkman.. You can skip the Girl/Boy song on there since it's the same.
i’m surprised that person said this album is a better starting point. his first album is way more accessible
Just because its more accessible dosent mean it represents the kind of work the artists does i find it to be a perfect starting point for aphex twin
Honestly, I care because you do is less consistently good tbh.
I think you'll enjoy Selected Ambient Works 85-92 a lot more. It's not as fast-paced and more melodic. I love this album (Aphex Twin is one of my favourite artists) but I'd say this one is more of an acquired taste, haha. I love the album for its atmosphere, Richard is brilliant at creating it, imo. Here it's very childlike, nostalgic, innocent (despite occasional abrasive parts). Kinda like what Boards of Canada were going for on MHtRtC but unlike BoC's album here it's humorous and playful. You don't have to intellectualize this music (although you can, for sure!), for me personally there's plenty of emotion put into these tracks to enjoy it purely on an emotional level. Crazy production is more of a bonus
Also he made this album on his computer using tracker software. It's not too dissimilar to modern DAWs but fits better for creating such type of music. He also used this software on a lot of tracks for his next album drukQs, that time making tracks longer, more complex and more ambitious. Hopefully you'll get to drukQs as well (it's over 1,5 hours long, btw!), it'll be fascinating to watch you react to it :)
Yeah, SAW 85-92 will hopefully be (more) enjoyable for him :)
oh hey love's easy tears
W Cocteau twins pfp I love that ep
I love how 10 20 30 years go by and people are STILL scratching their heads how the hell did he make this? what an artist challenging yet approachable intriguing tender repulsive. There is no right time for Aphex twin he will challenge expectations for literally decades. I think even if you never listen to his work again its a great feeling knowing this art exists and will challenge your mind I think that's what keeps people coming back its just great art. Even trolling his fans was it good art was it even made by him should you care who made it? Who's name was on the CD he wants you to think about what you're experiencing even if its pure silence. I know you mentioned the drums being a bit much but the drum work on Drukqs is something spectacularly unique and emotive even to people who don't like crazy drums its really special definitely give Drukqs a try probably his most impressive album on a technical level but i agree with everyone else that select ambient works 85-92 is probably the best starting point for most people. Would love to watch more Aphex twin from you.
Aphex Twin was really unique in the electronic scene, he grounded the chaos with melody and pretty much spearheaded the IDM movement alongside Autechre
heavily recommend Jane Weaver - Flock if i haven’t before, a nice departure into some dream pop
Hot take: Richard D. James Album hasn’t aged well. It just sounds dated to me. Do people even still make drill ‘n’ bass music anymore? I hear this album, and I immediately think of the late 90s.
However, the album The Eyes of Stanley Pain by Download, for instance, released the same year (1996), is an album that, if you hadn’t any prior knowledge, you wouldn’t know when it was released. Hell, I’ll even go so far as saying TEoSP sounds like it’s from the future!
Just my two cents
Loved this album so muchhhhhhh!
Another great album (very different to this) would be swan’s ‘to be kind’ :)
7:55 "Richard, what are we doing?"
An eternal question.
selected ambient works volume II is right up your alley
What an album to start with Aphex Twin!!! This man has a ot of stuff so different, so, maybe you could follow with his ambient track, another side from him
Just found your channel and I'm digging your reactions. One album I 100% recommend is the Fishmans live album "98.12.28 男達の別れ". The length is a bit intimidating but it's absolutely worth it. Some of the best dream pop I have ever heard and Long Season Live is probably the best song I have ever heard. Consider giving it a listen
Wow, I'm gonna have a hard time trying to search that
You should give the album 'First Utterance' by Comus a listen, pretty different to all the other stuff you've been checking out. Only real album of its kind and not many people know about it let alone record reactions to it.
That album is so good.
I highly recommend Aphex Twins SAW 85-92 and DrukQs. His music is very out there but it’s still worth a listen.
His first releases were made with sample machines, drum machines, a ZX Spectrum 48k for basic sample sequences and synths that were either recorded on tape or DAT. Later he got an Atari ST for midi sequences of the synths.
This album was composed with a Macintosh from the day. It had CD audio, some basic DAW and the violin is him playing a borrowed violin to sample it and edit the rest with the Mac. His newer tracks are made with the old synth sequence method and also with a tracker on a MacBook. He might also sometimes use his own Samplebrain AI program that compares sounds and replaces them.
The stuff I heard on recordings from the recent Verona live set are insane. Maybe he sat behind his computer and did his thing again.
I'd check out "I care because you do" as an easier listen* by Aphex
*Apart from "ventolin"
And start as you mean to go on its on the much more dark atonal early style
The Ventolin remix album is so good
There’s more than one Aphex track in GTA.
There’s a SAW 2 track in GTA4, and in GTA V, there’s WindowLicker and IZ-US.
You are so right, I always thought that Aphex twin would be THE artist for the backrooms. His album drukqs fits so well with some nice and beautiful but weird songs in contrast with the creepy ones. I really recommend you listening to it
honestly the Come To Daddy EP is a way way easier entrance into his signature sound i’d HIGHLY recommend listening to that
Sorry this kid didn’t think aphex was bussin
I'm more into his ambient stuff but this album is nostalgic for me (first one I got into) and has some classic songs
hell yes aphex twin!!! can't wait for your reaction to ambient works 85-92. also you should listen to onethrix point never's ''replica'' its an essential experimental electronic album.
Listen to black midi Please
6:00 "teletubbies trickshot montage" 💀💀
Okay, this album is very good, but damn you have to listen to Selected Ambient Works 85-92 it's absolute masterpiece.
like someone else said there were DAWs around at the time of this album but he probably used a tracker, like a modern version of one is OpenMPT. Might also explain the dodgy audio quality
Give it a few more listens and you'll be hooked 😂
Selected ambient works is much more listenable tbh
2 interesting albums:
"To record only water for ten days" - John Frusciante
"TNT" - Tortoise
Hey man I really recommend the album The Last Drag by The Samples. They have a real folk and alternative sound but a lot their songs break genre boundaries. The album is very calm and goes over topics of feelings staying the same as time moves on and a nostalgic sense of youth. Highly recommend a lot people say they are a cross of The Police and Grateful Dead.
have you listened to radiohead?
the hectic drums can be offputting at first but theyll probably grow on you, the definetely did grow on me
if you want more aphex twin with less of the fast hectic percussion then i would recommend Selected ambient works 85-92 or I care because you do. Selected ambient works vol 2 is also great but it is a 2 and a half hour long album of nothing but ambient music, so it probably wouldnt make for a great reaction lol
We need at least one SAW Vol. II reaction on UA-cam! Lol. No idea if Smags will like it or not but I'm definitely watching it
SAW Vol II is a sublime masterpiece.
aint nobody do drum programming like Richard do! if you dig his sound, i think a deep discog dive is worth it, but i also recommend finding a playlist of goated Aphex Twin songs and reacting to that instead; his albums are maybe not as attention-grabbing as others you're listening to, but he's an essential artist imo with a lot of perfect tracks (Windowlicker, Alberto Balsalm, xtal, Flim, avril 14, etc etc)
Aphex one of those artists where a lot of his busier stuff might be too chaotic for you at first but then you'll find yourself humming little melodies from his songs and they just get better with repeated listens
Maybe try Tri Repetae by Autechre, I feel like you might like that one better!
It was my first Aphex album loved it
Just gonna leave this here - a soul-crushingly beautiful album I'm shocked hasn't been on your channel yet:
Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
recommending london calling by the clash!
Teletubbies Trickshot montage LMFAO
My favorite Aphex albums are Drukqs and Syro, should check them out
This alblum is a good example as 2 why people call drill and bass spunk jazz because this and especially squarepusher undoubtedly have weird like jazz style drum and bass with fast pace stuff
Great reaction
Not phone call, tape reading sound.
“Yeah man that song was good I hated it” might be the funniest quote from a music reaction
Aphex Twin has tons of good songs (spanning many EPs, 12" different aliases), but his albums (as Aphex Twin) were never that good, IMO (except maybe 85-92)
You'll probably enjoy SAW 85-92 more but drukqs will blow you away
Is this even Auditoribly Possible???
Squarepusher next...
7:00 how it ends☠️
YELLOW CALX FTW
based
Logan Rock Witch is AWFUL to me lol
I could never get into this album. It has a harsh, boxy sound I find off-putting.
who ever said this is a good place to start is fucking trolling wtf
Hmm it was my first Aphex album and it worked well for mem. It's quintessential and memorable.
Most Aphex Twin albums dont quite work for me. Some songs are great, but the albums always seem to miss the mark. The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, even Pet Shop Boys and Fat Boy Slim all work a lot better for me. The album is a time capsule for the experimental nature of the time, but we didnt stick with a lot of these sounds fot a good reason. They're singular and best kept that way.
Aphex Twin is fine and all, but The Chemical Brothers is where it's actually at.
CORRECT
INCORRECT
"Dig Your Own Hole" and "Come With Us"
4:41 In 1996 they did have DAWs and stuff like they have now. In fact the DAW known as Logic Pro X actually came out in the 90s. It was written by a company called eMagic, and ran on Windows 95 PCs. The version back then was vastly superior to what Apple did with it. Apple pretty much ruined the UI when they bought it.
Actually Logic Pro was fine.. but they ruined the UI in Logic Pro X, and it's arguable that them not allowing people to stick with the old version (still having it on the app store) was stupid. Esp. since I bought it and paid $200 for it a few months befoer Logic Pro X came out and they made you pay for that instead of just downloading it as a new version.
Oh man so this version doesn't have Milkman on it from the Girl/Boy Ep.. You totally have to react to the Girl/Boy EP and especially Milkman.. You can skip the Girl/Boy song on there since it's the same.