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Aphex Twin

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File:Aphex twin richard d james.jpg
Richard D. James, also known as Aphex Twin

Aphex Twin (born Richard David James, August 18, 1971, Ireland) is a UK-based electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, acid, drum and bass.

Biography

Richard David James was born to Welsh parents Lorna and Derek James in 1971 in Limerick, Ireland. James spent his childhood in Cornwall, United Kingdom. As a teenager, he became a DJ and musician on the local rave scene, taking on the moniker "Aphex Twin". James formed the Rephlex Records label in 1991 with his friend Grant Wilson-Claridge and released his first records on this label, as well as Mighty Force and R&S Records of Belgium. After success with his early work, James relocated to London and released a slew of albums and EPs on the Warp Records label, under a bewildering set of aliases (from AFX and Polygon Window to the lesser known Gak and Power Pill).

The music of Aphex Twin ranges over many different styles within the encompassing name of electronic music. Early releases featured a more hardcore and acid based sound, and later progressing into his critically acclaimed ambient works, while his hardcore side remained active through his pseudonym of Caustic Window.

In 1996, he began releasing more material composed on computers, and embraced a more drum and bass sound mixed with a nostalgic childhood theme and strange computer generated acid lines. The early adoption of Native Instruments' softsynthesizers predated the later popularity of using computers to make music. The late 1990s saw his music become more popular and mainstream, as he released two singles, Come to Daddy, and Windowlicker, which were shown on MTV and the covers of music magazines including NME.

In 2001 Aphex Twin released his most personal album yet, drukqs, a 2xCD album which featured Prepared Piano songs under the influence of Erik Satie and John Cage. Also included were abrasive, fast, and meticulously programmed computer-made songs. The level of detail and artistry was so high, that reviewers and fans complained that the music was less in the style of innovative pop music, and more about detailed beautiful and personal musical art. drukqs is perhaps Richard's most controversial album to date; the album lacked the novelty found in his other albums, so reviewers guessed this album was released as a contract breaker with Warp Records - a credible guess, as James' next big release came out on his own Rephlex label.

In late 2004, rumours of James' return to a more acid techno based sound were realised with the Analord series. For these records, James used his extensive collection of Roland drum machines which he bought when they were still at bargain prices. Also he used one of the rarest, and most desireable synthesizers of his generation, the Synton Fenix, and the notoriously difficult to program Roland MC-4 sequencer (a sequencer with a reputation for excellent timing), as well as the infamous Roland TB-303 for his trademark acid melodies.

Apart from music, Richard D. James is a talented photographer, having done his own artwork direction for many of his albums. On the Windowlicker single, James hid a picture of his face in the second track (commonly referred to as "[Formula]", "[Symbol]", or "[Equation]"), which can be seen in a spectral analysis of the track.

Influences

File:APHEX.jpg
The Aphex Twin Logo, present on most Aphex Twin/AFX releases.

On Aphex Twin

James has stated in numerous interviews that he has no musical influences other than himself. [1] He claims to have listened rarely to songs on the radio as a child and that he is unable to read sheet music.

Conversely, James has said that he has listened to many bands and artists for inspiration and sampling (notably Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin for their use of breakbeats, but he has also expressed appreciation for The Fall). He signed fellow musicans and personal friends Tom "Squarepusher" Jenkinson to his Rephlex record label, as well as Luke Vibert.

Other debated influences include:

  • 808 State, whom he has remixed for
  • Amnesia
  • John Cage and his prepared piano technique (itself inspired by Henry Cowell and Erik Satie independently) in the piano tracks on Drukqs
  • Coil
  • Tod Dockstader An electronic musician who worked with tape, mangling sounds into music of the frequency and dynamics spectrum.
  • Brian Eno pioneer of ambient music, and for the artwork of his ambient records.
  • Larry Heard (One song on Analord is called Laricheard, an obvious pun on the names Larry Heard and Richard, as the song resembles Larry Heard's techno style.)
  • Kraftwerk and their electropop styles.
  • Reese
  • Derrick May Techno pioneer.
  • Erik Satie whose melodic style was borrowed on Drukqs.
  • Squarepusher and Luke Vibert for their extreme versions of drum and bass.

Influence of Aphex Twin on others

Aphex Twin has been a massive influence on the electronic music scene since the early 1990s, and to attempt to list the acts he has influenced would be a folly. His influence has been particularly marked on the genre known as IDM - 'Intelligent Dance Music'. James is quite unconvinced by this pigeonholing of music, however, stating: "I just think it's really funny to have terms like that. It's basically saying 'this is intelligent and everything else is stupid.' It's really nasty to everyone else's music. (laughs) It makes me laugh, things like that. I don't use names. I just say that I like something or I don't."

James has, perhaps unintentionally (he tends to distance himself from rock/pop music), had an influence on the rock scene. Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Peace Burial at Sea have all claimed Aphex Twin as an influence on their music. He dismissed going on tour with Radiohead: "I wouldn't play with them since I don't like them."

Aphex Twin's press

Aphex Twin press interviews are generally entertaining, eccentric, and confusing.

Aphex Twin has a reputation for lying in interviews, which he has admitted to the Guardian newspaper. Hard to verify 'facts' often mentioned in the press are Richard owning a tank (actually a 1950s armoured scout car, the Daimler Ferret Mark 3), a submarine bought from eBay, composing ambient techno at age 13 (contradicting most music history), having "over 100 hours" of unreleased music, being able to incorporate lucid dreaming into the process of making music and living in a converted bank.

A lie confirmed by his friend and label mate Mike Paradinas is Richard building his own synthesizers and samplers from scratch in his early years. Richard once built a fake sampler box, and a photograph and article of it was taken for a UK electronic music magazine. Although this was a hoax, Richard is experienced in electronics and electricity, and has modified and circuit bent his equipment from a young age.

Quotes

I'm just some irritating, lying, ginger kid from Cornwall who should have been locked up in some youth detention centre. I just managed to escape and blag it into music.


Discography

Albums

EPs and Singles

Promos and Compilations

  • Words & Music (1994) (Interview and tracks from Selected Ambient Works Volume II)
  • Classics (1994) (Compilation of early singles, rare and live tracks)
  • 51/13 Singles Collection (1996) (Australia-only release)
  • Cock 10/54 Cymru Beats (drukqs promo)
  • 26 Mixes for Cash (2003), Compilation of material "remixed" for other artists (plus four original tracks)
  • 2 Mixes on a 12" for Cash (2003), a 26 Mixes promo

Aliases

AFX

Brad Strider

  • Bradley's Beat (1995)
  • Bradley's Robot (1996)

Caustic Window

  • Joyrex J4 (1992)
  • Joyrex J5 (1992)
  • Joyrex J9 (1993)
  • CAT 023 (Unreleased, only 4 copies pressed)
  • Caustic Window Compilation (1998)

Gak

  • GAK (1994)

Polygon Window

Power Pill

  • Pac-Man (1992)

Q-Chastic

  • Q-Chastic EP (1992 unreleased)

Universal Indicator

In the Universal Indicator series:

  • Universal Indicator: Red (1989)

Various others

See also

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