How Aphex Twin Spurned the 90s Dance Mainstream ("Windowlicker") | New British Canon
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- For most of the 90s, Aphex Twin ran counter to what was happening in mainstream dance music. He was messing with low-key ambience during the forceful Eurodance of “Rhythm is a Dancer.” Moved to harsh industrial noise as Europe was smitten by the dreamy trance of Robert Miles’ “Children.” And when Prodigy and Chemical Brothers ruled the roost, Aphex Twin was attempting to rupture drum and bass with rapid stuttered software-programmed beats.
The Aphex Twin story is similarly antagonistic, filled with fabrication, half-truths and provocation pried from the man himself. Did he own a tank, live in a bank and do a DJ set using solely sandpaper and a food mixer? Quite possibly, but picking through everything he’s said for the presence of truth is a foolish exercise. The legend is more fun than the bedroom-based music geek reality. This is New British Canon and this is the story of “Windowlicker.”
#aphextwin #electronicmusic #musicdocumentary
Fact-checking by Serenity Autumn.
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Richard D. James: How Aphex Twin Came to Be
07:11 Selected Ambient Works 85-92
12:51 The First Three Albums with Warp Records
21:13 "Come to Daddy" & "Windowlicker"
31:09 The Lasting Impact of Aphex Twin
Bibliography
Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture by Simon Reynolds, 2013, Faber & Faber
Aphex Twin on the nature of electronic music (1995) Arte ( • Aphex Twin on the natu... )
"Words from Loaded interview room" John Perry, Loaded Magazine
"The Aphex Twin - Interview" John Robb, Volume, 1992
"Aphex Twin: Double trouble" Andrew Smith, Melody Maker, May 1992
"'I surround myself with equipment and just follow my feelings on the machines…'" Tony Marcus, Mixmag, Dec 1992
"Double Exposure" Andrew Smith, Melody Maker, Jan 1993
"The Aphex Effect" Dave Robinson, Future Music, Apr 1993
"Machine Soul: A History Of Techno" Jon Savage, The Village Voice, Summer 1993
"Aphex Twin" Simon Reynolds, Melody Maker, Nov 1993
"Aphex Twin: The Mozart of Techno" Ben Thompson, Mojo Magazine, Jan 1994
"Aphex Twin: Armed and Fairly Dangerous" Stuart Maconie, Q, Mar 1994
"Aphex Twin: 'Phex And Drugs And Rock'N'Roll" David Stubbs, Melody Maker, Mar 1994
"Perfect Sound Forever" Mark Sutherland, NME, Mar 1995
"Lucid Dreaming" Rob Young, The Wire, Apr 1995
"True Lies" Tony Marcus, Mixmag, May 1995
"Life as a tankboy" Richard D James, Details Magazine, Jul 1995
"Richard D James Interview" Marc Weidenbaum, Eponymous Rex, 1996
"They thought I was the only one" Junglizt, Junglizt Records, 1996
"Getting away with it" Mixmag, Oct 1996
"Is the Aphex Twin completely mad?" Richard Hector Jones, Jockey S---, Oct/Nov 1996
"Aphex Twin: The Clink, London" Ian Watson, Melody Maker, Nov 1996
"Aphex Twin: Teddy or Not" Stephen Dalton, NME, Nov 1996
"Interview From the Back of the Fridge" Zebra Magazine, 1997
"Interview" Bob Gourly, Chaos Control, 1997
"Interview" Marc Widenbaum, The Pulse Magazine, Mar 1997
"The Aphex Follies" Tamara Palmer & Jennifer Kabat, URB Magazine, Spring 1997
"Future Sounds" Richard Martin, Williamette Week, Aug 1997
"APHEX TWIN" Jason Gross, Perfect Sound Forever, Sep 1997
"Interview" Theresa Stern, Sep 1997
"The Aphex Twin" Ben Thompson, Seven Years of Plenty, 1998
"Face the music" John O'Reilly, The Guardian, Mar 1999
"Richard D. James - Interview" Meredith Danluck, Index Magazine, 2001
"Tank Boy: Aphex Twin" Paul Lester, The Guardian, Oct 2001
"Don't Fear The Aphex: The Weird Genius of Richard James" Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, Oct 2001
"You think his records sound like cutlery being chucked down the stairs?" John O'Connell, The Face, Oct 2001
"Selected Ambient Works 85-92 Aphex Twin Review" David M Percoraro, Pitchfork, Feb 2002
"Hey, Who's That Face in My Song?" Leander Kahney, Wired, May 2002
"The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01" Various, Pitchfork, Sep 2010
"Strange Visitor: A Conversation With Aphex Twin" Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, Sep 2014
"25 Questions for Aphex Twin: „Do you still own your tank?”" Heiko Hoffmann, Groove, Dec 2014
"Aphex Twin: 10 strange myths and the truth behind them" Chris Kelly & John Twells, Fact Mag, Apr 2017
"Aphex Twin - Windowlicker. Story behind the video" George Palladev, Medium, Mar 2018
"Aphex Twin's Mask Collapses" Andrew Nosnitsky, Crack, Nov 2018
"Aphex Twin's best songs - ranked!" Geeta Dayal, The Guardian, Feb 2019
"“Windowlicker” Turns 20" Christopher R Weingarten, Stereogum, Mar 2019
Soundtrack
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So what's your favourite Richard D James song, album, project, story, whatever? Please comment down below!
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I'm pretty sure there's a Pampers advert with Girl/Boy Song as the background music - without the beats, but the strings and bells ambient part. Looking at the other ads with his stuff, it's a lot less weird to think "Aphex Twin is selling nappies".
Favorite album: Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Favourite Song: XMAS_EVET10
I love the story behind the video for CIRKLON3 [ Колхозная mix ]
My top 3 are:
Mt Saint Michel + St Michaels Mount
Heliosphan
and #20 aka Lichen
I don't usually find the Aphex Twin albums very good, I mean, all his discography is kinda mediocre. But the album Druqks is seminal, is maybe one of the best pieces of music ever written, one that I could listen everyday for the rest of my days and never get tired... Because I already tried.
Aphex went a bit more into the Lemonheads story in a later NME interview. Apparently the label came back to him to ask him why the original song was nowhere to be heard, he told them he speeded it up so it was only a third of a second long and used it as a snare sound.
🤣
I heard this story before but with s club 7 instead of the Lemonheads. I wonder why.
Ohhh I thought he was referring to the The Lemon Heads candy for an ad…
That is a perfectly plated pile of bullshit. Chef's kiss.
This makes my day.
We (Pussypower Productions, basically me and my bro Jason as DJ’s and promoters) booked Aphex Twin to play at Club Industria in Glasgow in 1993, for £500 from Eddie Richards Dynamix Agency. Once they’d showed up, just him and a dancer/DJ if I remember correctly, and the gear was all set up in the club, Richard came home with me to my house in Cranhill in Glasgow’s East End to chill out before the gig. So I had Aphex Twin in my house, messing around, mixing a few tunes on my decks and drinking cups of tea and talking about our favourite 12”s that were out at the time!
This was when he’d only had a few 12”s out himself and his first LP had just came out, so he was well known and respected in the acid/techno club scene, but wasn’t yet “THE APHEX TWIN” (“we are not worthy”, “we are not worthy”) with the God-like status he has today. He was a quiet dude, just relaxing before the gig.
But the maddest thing was that his mum and dad were on holiday and touring around Scotland at the time, and just so happened to be nearing Glasgow, so he asked if it would be okay if they came up to the gig!
So we stuck them on the guest list and they showed up!!
It was the first time they’d ever seen their boy “doing his thing” in a club!
They were dead cool too, just sat at the bar talking away to the everyone, and having drinks bought for them all night!
It’s mad looking back at it now, out of all the gigs we’ve done over the years, that was the one I wish we’d filmed the most!
But hindsight is 20/20….
His dad actually called me the next morning to thank us for looking after them, and for such a great night, but unfortunately I was still unconscious after the mad night before and missed his call, and didn’t get to speak to him in person,
but fortunately the answering machine was on and he left a message thanking us for the great night, in his thick Cornish accent! (Which I still have on the little cassette those old machines used!)
Which was funny because his son didn’t have such a strong accent!
I’ve played at and promoted some amazing gigs over the years, but that was one of the best!
Cool! Thanks for sharing.
No way, that’s really awesome Richard before he became a myth
@@ernestoh429 Yeah, “the Man, the Myth” right enough! He also gave me a test pressing CD of his first album, which is really just an actual CD you would buy in the shops, but without the printing on it, so it just looks like an empty CD! I should’ve got him to sign it!!
Great story....these are good memories.
Ha amazing. I was there and remember him crouching on the floor behind a taped up black and white telly. What a time. We (State of Flux) supported pre-Bytes Black Dog at the same venue just a few weeks before AFX. Andy and Ed were just kids. So much fun.
My Aphex Twin story is a bit different. I've been listening to him since about 1990, but my son is another story. When he was a couple months old, he was having problems with sleep terrors. So I would play 'Selected Ambient 85-92' every night before putting him to bed. I would wrap him up in a 'moby wrap' to my chest and dance to the album humming the bass parts. That was 17 years ago. He has listened to the album EVERY NIGHT ever since. It eliminated his sleep terrors. So, ... doing the math... he has probably listened to that album more than anyone on earth. Over 6000 times. Ive worn out 2 cd's.
I shit you not.
Classic dad story...
Respect.
You do what you have to for the little one you love.
Your son is the most legendary Aphex Twin fan.
I listened to volume 2 at night, every night, for most of the 90s (I bought it when it was released) and well into the early 00s. I used to joke that it was the most played CD I had ever owned.
@@fogpumas that’s nice honey now let’s set up the dinner table
@@yungpmyou strike me as a Reddit mod
Windowlicker really is the epitome of everything he worked on coming together into one song. It's probably the song I relisten to the most because of how chopped up and sectioned it is but also flows together very nicely as well
I love the song, def his most accessible work.
its a mockery of pop music
@@anatta467 Was it intended as that? It's easy to laugh, it's easy to hate, it takes guts to be gentle and kind. It's easy to stand and point "ha ha!", but that's why nobody likes Nelson. Not everything has to be ironically detached and sardonic, just to prove you're clever by "fooling" people into... what... thinking you meant what you said? I thought we were past that horrible bullying attitude with irony and post-irony all over the fucking place, I thought that had died with the 1990s. OK maybe it lingered on a few years after.
Perhaps he wanted to make a good song that people might like? Perhaps he wanted to see if he could do it, instead of making music for snobs and weirdoes and ironists. Wanted to see if, if he decided to, he could make successful pop music. And he can! Did it twice, to prove it wasn't a fluke the first time. Then went back to sampling badgers farting slowed down 100x with the "I Have A Dream" speech sped up 500x to use as a snare. Everything sounds like a snare if you play it fast enough.
blue calx dude.
And it was used on Eurosport as the background music to the program listing, that's where I first heard it.
Aphex Twin was a necessary component of the development of electronic music. Rebellious and infinitely original. I don't always like his music, but in the words of Beethoven: music isn't always designed to be beautiful or give you joy, sometimes it's meant to challenge your perceptions and the way you listen.
And he was deaf when he composed much of his stuff, so he knew what he was talking about.
Thiss comment reeks of "you just don't understand art"
The music sucks. Its boring and repetitive elevator music.
Do you feel this way about all electronic dance music, or just his? Because if it's just his, then yeah, I get it. But if it's all electronic dance music, then there is truly something you dont understand.
Very Cool!
@@flexygoo1295that’s just like, your opinion man
Am I the only one that didn’t want this video to end? Love aphex twin and this video was awesome!
Agreed
Wish this guy had more videos in the rave/ mid 90s electronic realm
Same
100 %
Yup, same here!
I forgot how much I love Aphex Twin. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, you’ve made an old lady very happy.
What are we counting as "old" here mate? Please don't depress me (I'm asking to find out if I'm old yet 😬🙈)
@@damotheman4196 52 going on 19.
@@Happinosis😂😂, see i wouldnt see that as "0ld".. But life, eh? Itd all about perspective 💭 ("act your age not your shoe size" me nan always said)
@@damotheman4196 I don’t feel old, except for when I see teenagers giving me the side eye. Makes me want to seduce their dads so they have to cal me “mummy”.
PS I mean none of that, I’m a nice person, I’m just autistic and say what makes me laugh 😘
@@Happinosis 😂 maybe they're giving you the side eye because they wanna seduce you! P. M.A (i employ it a lot in my day to day life, i.e- if im standing barking in the middle of the road shouting at traffic and a car beeps i immediately think "they must like my trainers" and continue to terrorise the traffic 😉😂) im 37, im starting to feel old! Glad i came up when i did though... Good music, good dancing, good drugs and horrid mornings. 😊
My favourite track by Richard is Heliosphan on SAW85-92. To say he created it when he was in his teens total genius. Pretty neat video by the way.
Yes. But. "Polynomial - C"
me too. that dorian mode is elevating. wish hed do a remix of it with some new drums.
Absolutely agree! Heliosphan is a masterpiece. The epitome of atmosphere for me. My favorite version is: (Live @ Shinjuku Liquid Room, Japan, Tokyo, February 1, 1997) [Proshot] . It's on youtube.
I think my favorite thing from Richard is his self-awareness. He seems to have always known exactly what he wanted for his music career and stuck to it. A lot of producers would've killed to work with Madonna, but he blew it off because it didn't interest him and it went against his feelings. It's commendable for someone of his stature to be so true to himself.
I remember that story when i was living in the Netherlands back in the day. The story popped back into my head last week as i was listening to Madonna in the car.
still Chris Cunningham is a big part of his life and the fact he created videos for Madonna czcams.com/video/XS088Opj9o0/video.html and Aphex czcams.com/video/eRvfxWRi6qQ/video.html is something I really admire
Many ppl rejected madonna including the prodigy. But richard happily copied Michael Jackson's music for his windowlicker
@@callactm14 how does Windowlicker even remotely resemble Michael Jackson’s music?
@@adamsmith307 if you cannot find similarities then watch the video it will give you a clue.
The first time I heard Aphex Twin was when "I Care Because You Do" came out in 1995. I was 18 and bought it on the recommendation of a guy at the music store. I popped it in the disc player of my shitty little hatchback, and I ended up not leaving the parking lot until it was over. I had never heard anything like it, but I was instantly hooked.
I was a punk rocker and also bought it in 95 when I was 18. I absolutely loved it, it was like nothing I’d ever heard.
That was also my first album that I bought from one of BMG or mail away CD programs after I saw Korn airing their favorite videos on MTV and they aired the video for Come To Daddy. I was expecting an industrial album and the disappointment was short lived when I was ridiculously pleasantly surprised to say the least to hear what that album had to offer. Made me an immediate fan for life.
to me I care because you do was peak aphex, no matter how crazy it got there was always a beautiful melody underpinning it
Nice story
Hey me too same age
I was in fourth or fifth grade when Girl/Boy Song came out. I overheard my oldest brother listening to it and fell in love. It was entirely enthralling to me, everything felt so unpredictable but intentional, it was like sinking into another world. I'd never heard anything like it before and I couldn't get enough. I remember recording a copy by holding a walkman-style cassette player up to the speaker while it played, and then I listened to that on the way to school and in my room. That was the last year my older brother lived with us, as my parents caught him using drugs and he ran away from home. Afterwards, anything that was even remotely aberrant was strictly banned from the household, including all of my brother's music--including Aphex Twin. But I never forgot that song, and the melody of the pizzicato strings, much like the trauma my family endured after my brother's absence, continues to haunt me 25 years later.
I just heard Girl / Boy for the first time today and my mind is blown - it’s amazing
im sorry, I hope you can see him again.
Like a lot of Americans, I was introduced to Aphex Twin through Come to Daddy airing on MTV. I was more taken with the video than the music. Around 17 when I started getting into electronic music is when I discovered his other music, which I preferred and loved. I've always been curious about James and his career so this doc is fantastic. Thank you for putting this together 👍🙂.
Please do one of these for Boards of Canada! Their story and legacy deserves a video of it's own, albeit hard to research for.
+1000
Yeah! If anybody deserves a well researched video then it is Boards of Canada.
I second this!
Up! Big BoC fan here 🖐🏻
100% agree
I’m a particular fan of Xtal, and the story that the tape hiss, popping, and sound artifacts were caused by his cat getting a hold of the master tape and mangling it a bit. You can’t add that with plug ins. Also that he composed some of the music for that record in lucid dreams, woke up remembering what he made and recording it again. Unbelievable.
Well, after watching, you brought up both those points. Grazi
...until now. Introducing the Cat Tape Mangler vst!
@@djvoid1 the best i get from my dreams is a cat mangling my face, except the cat is my mom, and my face is made out of Mt Fuji and there all these miniature luigi's mansion luigi's sucking up all these ghosts at my feet. I made a song about it but it's not very good
also if you finish your cat tape mangler vst plug in please send me a demo code, I could really use the help, I haven't been able to force my cat to mangle my tapes very much anymore
Lucid dreams.... my ass... Just afx joking...
Take his stories with a pinch of salt. He is infamous for misdirection, even in this video you see a lot of the stuff he says isn't true.
@@BlueZirnitra I want to believe
The thing I love about aphex twin stuff is even when it’s messed up, crazy, noisy, kind of weird. It still has a certain groove to it and even has a kind of hook to it.
I love your videos.
Not only do I get to intimately know the main subject artist, but you introduce so much additional artists I’ve never even heard of that my future watch list just keeps getting longer and longer.
Great stuff, thank you!
I only got into Aphex Twin about 2-3 years ago and what astounded me is that even a lot of his work released in the early 90s still sounds completely futuristic today. His innovation in electronic music is absolutely inspiring.
inspiring? please elaborate
Inspiration (noun). the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.
@@benbauer1065 perfect. What did Murray create that was influenced by Aphex Twin
@@diskoeric2248 you don't have to create something. Just to have a feeling inspired by music I think is valid enough.
welcome aboard
Everytime I hear Richard's music in all it's forms I am overwhelmed by a feeling I can only describe as nostalgia. It's not that, and it is. At one point in my life I owned everything I could from him, singles, records, cassettes, cds, mp3s, from all his monikers. It changed the way I viewed life, the way I viewed myself. It was more than "what a brilliant song", it was like listening to someone speak to you in another language and yet somehow you understood on some primitive collective conscious level. Maybe this is too heady of a response for a youtube comment, but I thank you for leading me down this rabbit hole again so many years later, and revisit these emotions I've long connected to Richard's music.
I always thought SAW 1 made me feel nostalgic for memories I never had.
Same. No single artist has had as much impact in my development as a person as Richard's music has. I'm confident his works will be studied for long after he has left this world.
Totally agree. Like you, I too had all his music from an early age. SAW 1 was the first thing i bought back in the early 90's and it was soooo different to any other electronic music, it was clear this guy was nothing short of a musical genius way ahead of his time. I mean, here's a 16 year old kid creating tracks like Xtal whilst everyone else was listening to shite like 'C'mon Eileen'! I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times at various raves in London in the early 00's. And now, every time i hear his tracks, i too am overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia. God i miss those days!
Not too heady at all. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are elsewhere in the CZcamss leaving similar comments about some Pink Floyd track they listened to over and over again in their prime. Personally, someone else's words that they honestly wrote for themselves don't speak to me as deeply as instrumental music. I have a lot of "post rock" music from my late high school and college days that was as essential to my day to day existence as food and water. But I evolved. Fifteen to twenty years later, I've revisited some of that music and have felt only echoes. Sometimes I feel nothing at all. Interesting how that all turns out.
100% agreed. I have a similar experience with Boards Of Canada.
The music documentary I needed, but didn’t know I did. Thanks for putting this together. Your work is greatly appreciated! 🙌🏽
I watched this the whole way through. So inspiring and a real insight into an outstanding artist. The quotes really added to the authenticity. This really inspired me to make music. Thank you
Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 is just a masterpiece and is so close to my heart, I would never let go of it.
Absolutely! One of the greatest albums I have ever listened to. It takes me to my happy place everytime. I love it so much! Also his Richard D James album is amazing.
Agreed!
It’s my favorite album to put on when I’m tripping on dmt…the soundscapes blend perfectly with the dimensional trip
Some of my favourite music is on that album, top notch ambient work.
@@MrBannystar nice user name 😂
All the clips individually make him sound like a narcissist, but when reassembled, they become a timeless critique of pop culture. About fame, and social heirarchy and how people bow down to the biggest and the most well known. To influencers.
It's almost as if Aphex Twin wanted to punish obsequious music followers. But like any counter culture, it gets folded in and becomes part of the culture.
He does not have narcissistic personality disorder, he is just a Leo. LOL. And don't believe ANYTHING he says, ever.
you may be looking into it too much and thus becoming part of your synopsis.....he made music how he wanted, dead easy - FUCK THE REST - nowt wrong with that, in fact it is how it should be
Maybe narcissists aren't all bad?
@@jnbeatnik it depends on on our operational definitions of "narcissist" and "bad" LOL
If we define narcissist as the DSM-5 "narcissistic personality disorder" then yeah, they tend to be at minimal rather challenging. And Richard James definitely DOES not fit the criteria for this disorder. He cares not for attention and is rather shy. He displays none of the 9 criteria for NPD (of which 5 would need to be present).
As for "bad", they are not all like Trump or Musk. Allegedly Madonna Ciccone has NPD, but I think same thing- she is just a Leo. If she DOES have NPD, I would place her in the "NOT BAD" category, as she used her need for attention to become famous. However, I never dated her. LOL
RDJ though- NOT a narcissist. Just a cool clowning around mellow dude, who is probably lying if he speaks. I personally think he does it to stop people from trying to interview him, because he does not want to talk, he just wants to make music.
😁
"Maybe narcissists aren't all bad?"
@@chameleon47 I think we'd all seem pretty narcissistic if we collected every dumb, off the cuff think we'd ever said.
Selected Ambient Works Volume 2 will forever be my escape of this mad world. I've have listened it everywhere I went and I still listen it in all kinds of mental, spiritual, land and urban scapes, currently in some wild wild desert in northwest Argentina while doing my field ethnographic inmersion - it allows me to create and think in kind of every physical and mental state possible. Thanks James, for real. We will probably never meet and I really don't care... still I think of you and Boards of Canada as good and closed friends, the ones that get you without a word. And I don't really care if you keep making music or not, what you have done is eternaly present and I thank you for that. Cheers!
a genuine person with principles and a big big inspiration for all artists. quality vid! thank you
His Music was expansive and ahead of its time but Aphex Twin is the epitome of “you must be fun at parties”
Its like devo, he's doing it on purpose and probably with multiple layers of irony but its valid if thats just exhausting for you
@@mobius273 i honestly got pretty into devo for a while when i was younger, before i had any clue what their deal was. then i got embarrassed about being into them. then i learned about the point they were aiming for and am half back on the train lmao
@@mirmalchik i find the total self awareness and the complete lack of shame they have about themselves super interesting honestly. Like they've weirdly made selling out as much as an artistic expression as anything else they do imo
I'd say more like a narcissist with a bad inferiority complex and criminal lack of talent.
I'd like to go to a party where only the people who have been told that they "must be fun at parties" by boring normie bros get to go.
My gateway to Aphex Twin was Chris Cunningham. I wanted to make music videos when I was a kid and when I first saw his Aphex Twin videos it blew my mind…and then I thought I’d listen to more. Really loving lots of your recent NBC vids
This was me, too.
Somehow i knew you liked aphex, i could just feel it.
Hey Medlife! How's it going?
I only want doctors that listen Aphex Twin, from now on.
Same here
Amazing documentary. Always was curious about Aphex Twin. Thank you for putting this together. In addition to that it took me through a music wormdrive of discovery you wouldn't believe.
Great video. Really interesting to get the context for all these great musical moments, from the beginning, with proper information. One of the most intriguing and musically experimental artists of all time (using and modifiying technology developing at an accelerating rate) creating sounds, samples and beats which had never been heard before. Thanks for posting this, it was really well researched and the clips of various key tracks illuminated the subject.
For me, it's I Care Because You Do. Growing up in rural Louisiana, that album, no hyperbole, changed my life. I still get goosebumps when Acrid Avid Jam Shred comes on. Very warm place for me.
Aphex Twin lands exactly on my wavelength a couple of times, but I think "Rhubarb" is not only one of his best songs but also one of the best songs in general. I think that song has a transcendent beauty, that is impossible to describe using words.
Quite a beautiful song.
Donkey Rhubarb has been my name on most social media since I was 21.
Try telling us that again Niko not using any words plse
Trippy ass video for sure, the trippiest one I’ve come across is “Rubber Johnny”. I forget the name of the song but it’s in Cornish with a lot of seemingly random characters
Lichen is my Rhubard
There was so much I'd forgotten that he'd said and many things I didn't know about RDJ's life in this documentary - Good work man. I'd have to say that "Drukqs" was one of my favourite collections of his work: It has it all from the mashed up beats, haunting & beautiful melodies to serious compositions. It's possible that "Mt. Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount" is a favourite one from that. It's a beautiful place, I ended up visiting the place years before I knew of his music.
Never knew he was a fan of Steve Reich's compositions either, or him saying that it was "shit" hehe.
The difference in Aphex Twin music, is that he is not just creating sounds in a new and clever way, like the most experimental musicians do, He is actually expressing emotions, feelings and vibrations, making his music reach you, the way a good music manage to do.
Why do you assume that most "experimental musicians" are not expressing their emotions or feelings? Close minded comment.
Exactly
he makes music for himself
@@anatta467 and thats what makes it special
Back in early 2013 I was a dumb teenager listening almost exclusively to pop-punk. Somehow or another I kept seeing the artwork for Richard D. James Album and finally decided to figure out what the hell I was looking at. The night I BOUGHT the album on ITUNES (zoomers will never know this feel lol) I had to go dig my car out of the snow and decided "Yeah I guess I'll listen to this now." I was digging the snow out, but as soon as 4 started I was blown away, this was nothing like my beloved 90s alt-rock. I think I must have replayed 4 a dozen times before I even got to Cornish Acid. As soon as I got done with shoveling I went back inside and started searching the internet for more stuff like it, eventually branching into all different types of genres of dance, rock, hip-hop, and even world music. Aphex Twin is a living god to me, if it weren't for him I might still be listening to only Green Day, Bilnk-182, and Fall Out Boy
Back in the late 90s - early 00s the Warp guys were VERY heavy in my rotation. RDJ, Boards of Canada, Autechre, Squarepusher. It's still some of my favorite music ever made.
My favorite Twin track - To Cure A Weakling Child. I had no idea it was licensed for commercial use til this video.
Autechre I honestly never really 'got' but good lord, Squarepusher and Boards of Canada are the shit
@@futureshocked I can agree that Autechre was more hit or miss than the rest. But they put out so much music that it really didnt matter. It just took a bit more effort to curate the tracks that I really wanted to hear over and over.
You have a great taste in music, my friend.
@@Brosenbrose Dude I'd love a playlist!
I remember getting into Autechre for a little while cause I was starving for more Warp type stuff. I think the idea with them is that they've hidden a nice melancholic melody behind a metric ton of glitches and overbearing beats, and if you listen to one of their tracks enough you pick up on it and have an eargasm or something. I ended up falling off them cause it was too much of chore to get to that point.
I still love Gantz Graf, Dropp and of course Eutow.
This was a brilliant watch, you've given me a new fascination and appreciation for Aphex Twin
Great video, very inspiring. I totally love your work!
His output is dizzying and often difficult to digest. That said, there's a genuine brilliance to his work. I appreciate that he took the piss out of the industry as clearly he was more into sitting at his workstation and making sounds.
My entry to Aphex twin was by my high school art teacher. He first played us 4, I remember being so mystified and intrigued. Then he showed most of his other work. Truly genius!
This was a great doc. Thanks for putting in the time creating it and being so accurate with the terminology too. 🤙
That was so entertaining. A true artist I've admired and loved since I was kid in the 90s. I went through so many musical taste phases, but RDJs music was always in heavy rotation throughout. It really speaks to me about the love of making music and not having much interest in preparing music for release etc.
I can’t wait to finally dive in this man’s discography. He’s got such a diverse style to his music but it always has this methodical and contemplative demeanor.
Look up "Aphex Twin Dump". He just dumped out a few hundred tracks a couple years ago as a zip file and it's fairly easy to find.
You're in for a treat. This man puts the Midas touch on everything he does.
@@cpoc2004 That's no joke.
Better get on it. Lotta chunes, not a lotta time.
It's probably a bit overwhelming but I'd start with Syro, then Selected Ambient 85-92, Richard D. James Album, and then Rushup Edge. Those four albums represent a few different styles that he's known for and act as good points of reference if you prefer one over the others.
It's good to hear an artist in this field reject the label "Intelligent Dance Music" based on the wording alone. It's kind of a shame a term that snotty is one that's used so regularly.
I could’ve sworn most idm artists have shown to disliked this label
They should stick with the term Braindance it's more logical then calling the music intelligent
@@genericonion6255 I have no idea if they do or not, though it's good if they don't.
I was lucky to see Aphex live around 2005, 2006 I think. I don't remember much about the gig, just an overwhelming euphoria at getting to hear one of my absolute favourites live. Windowlicker will always be, in my opinion, one of the best songs of all time. Awesome video 🙌
I was a teen when i first heard about Aphex Twin, i was in a Virgin megastore (closed since then), listening to his whole "Drukqs" album. Musically the biggest slap i've ever got in my entire life melodious, powerful, abnormal, mysterious. Then got back home and checked Richard's discography i was amazed by the diversity of his projects, no linearity unlike "normal mainstream music", like he said instrumentals are not limited by words hence a wider creativity. That's a thing i like about this type of music, to be surprised and not get stuck in a routine.
I can't imagine how far ahead of time he
is. He is a inspiration for any Music Producer pushing the boundaries.
As a wanna be producer it amazes me what this guy comes up witj, and it also sort of depressing how far away from that level of creativity I am.
Windowlicker
Little clarification about the 27.50 bit :
"J'aime faire des CROQUETTES au chien "
"J'aime faire des croquettes" -> it means " I like to make DOG/CAT FOOD " because croquettes is the generic name of these dried bits of veg-meat mix, and is a name used for dog or cat food, in French.
Then,
"AU chien" -> it means "out of dog", or at least "dog flavored", like when we precise the aroma of a dish (chocolate cake -> gateau AU chocolat).
So these bits (croquettes) are destined to feed either dogs or cats.
So it means either the lady enjoys making croquettes out of dogs (meat - what else ?) to feed it to dogs (rough canibalism, makes me think of Soylent Green) but maybe to cats, (eating the mighty dogs ennemies prepared with love by our human ally) which makes me wonder which one is the weirdest, and both is also possible.
It could also just be DOG FLAVORED., fed to dogs, fed to cats., fed to both. An ersatz, so to speak.
The sentence sounds weird in French, enough to vaguely catch your attention until you realize what it means, which is gradual due to multiple interpretations.
Well played, lady, well played...And her guy obviously likes details. Unless he isn't himself fully aware of these multiple possible interpretations ?
It's a subtle language, a misstep and you'll sound either crazy or perverse, quickly (aren't we all when speaking foreign).
So in short, it's not as gibberish as the voice says, although sure, it has fuck all to do with the title itself, but it's not totally random, just a clever funny confusing little sentence whispered between confusing beats and sounds in a funny clip made by clever people.
Love the california mocking general vibe of it, glamour, pussy, coke and long cars ridiculed.
I'm French, of course (de vélo).
Class dismissed, bisous.
Hey, in fact this isn't the correct sentence, idk how the video can be wrong and give a wrong explanation to it.
His girlfriend said "J'aime faire des craquettes au chien", which means hugs. So basically just hugging the dog.
I just want to add that A.G Cook might be the new Aphex. I would advise to give a ear to Naked Flames, too.
Two young talented artist that might grow up. I am eager to see what they gonna bring to the music world.
This video is so well done! Great research and editing !!
Excellent documentary. Thank you for turning me on to a lot of great music I’ve never heard of before! Rock on, brother man! Exclamation.
I've been listening to electronic music since 1991. Saw this man live in 93. He gets a lot of props, and rightly so, for his broken beats but he also made some great techno. One of the greatest tracks back then was Polygon Window - Quoth. Absolute steamrolling banger.
Yep, I think people misunderstand his role in the very influential more melodic UK Techno too. In fact that whole era isn't recognised so well imo. Black Dog, B12, Stasis, Degiorgio, Bernardi, Nuron etc, that early 90s to mid 2000s was on fire, release after release of timeless stuff really!
And beautiful piano...
Pretty well-researched, nice work. There’s room for a few more things too: the epic Rephlex records; the poor initial reception & later recognition of Drukqs; the quietly huge Analord series; The Tuss; fan covers by the likes of Alarm Will Sound, The Bad Plus, and tonnes of CZcamsrs; the recent SoundCloud releases and several huge live gigs connecting back to the fanbase etc
Rephlex records are so sick
yup
also Syro winning a motherfuckin Grammy?
Analord and The Tuss are some of his best worked yet so often overlooked (unless you go out of your way to find it)
Yeah it would be great to keep adding to this film.
enjoyed every minute of this. thank you for this!
What a great video, what a great artist. Thank you James for all of those unforgettable memories
Damn, I already loved Xtal a lot but that (supposed) detail about the tape being mauled by a cat somehow has made that admiration even stronger!
One thing that still annoys me is that despite its popularity, Electronic music still isn’t as widely respected as it should be. Innovators like Aphex Twin and SOPHIE are musical visionaries on the level of people like Jimi Hendrix or Paul McCartney. Hopefully that changes going forward.
it has 2 problems: the makers dont usually wanna do proper interview or public image so they are just a name and the artist's life is short in the big lense, rockstars get recognition after being 20-30 years in the public lense, in electronic music 10 years old stuff is just too old for the media.
I'd rate them in this order actually: Jimi Hendrix, Aphex Twin, Paul McCartney.
@@RobSoskop yeah that’s accurate.
@@ravenitz The avrg age for electronic music fans absolutely isn't higher than hip hop, what made you think that ?
Thank you Richard for all the work you've shared with us.
really good video seen this like 3 times already! thank you for the afx knowledge!
I love his resentment of "influence". When I was studying creative writing, we talked about how influence is inescapable. When you consume another artist's work seriously, it becomes part of your own art. Contamination is unavoidable.
Didgeridoo will always be my go-to, no matter how much I love the rest of his oeuvre. It just takes me right back to raving back in the day.
Yep when ever that tune was played in the rave scene in 1993 wow was so unique
@@minigrande2576 Isopropanol too. Banger!
Love this. Pleased to say Mark Darby and Mighty Force are still going strong, even more pleased to say I had a track out on one of their compilations during lockdown. Thanks for this great insight, nicely done!
Thank you for putting this together - fascinating.
Richard D. James might be the best musician of my lifetime. The awe and respect I have for his music and the impact it's had on me is immense. As someone that didn't get too deep into electronic music, his stood out above the rest when I first discovered him in the mid-late 90's. He's right, there are no words for his music, you just need to listen.
Man I have listened to most all of his released stuff , and to hear he has stuff unreleased that's even crazier makes me want to cry. Think of the all the sounds we haven't heard
must be some aaron funk.
Some urban myth stuff. Mental
He released a bunch of tracks on soundcloud and a webpage which address can't remember now.
It is funny, most of its music can be heard on that webpage he did.
my guess is theres thousands of hours you, especially you, will never hear. haha jk
Really enjoyed this, thank you :) I'll latch onto what the other viewers are saying and ask for a Boards of Canada video!
This is remarkable. Great work, mate. It really took me back.
This is by far the best music channel on Ytube, you guys create amazing and diverse content, it’s just perfect ❤
If you could just do fade ins/outs on the musical excerpts, that would make the experience much more enjoyable - even though it already is the best content on CZcams 🏄♂️
Thanx guys 😎
I still listen to a heavy rotation of μ-Ziq and Aphex to this day. Brilliant soundtrack in any situation, fantastic soundscapes from these 2 composers.
I'm going to have to do a dive on μ-Ziq soon. Richard is favourite artist but I think I've heard like one track from μ-Ziq. Can you recommend a couple that might be great introductions?
I would start with Lunatic Harness and Tango N Vectif, there’s a LOT
@@gimmedimmy6533 Expert Knob Twiddlers. It's Mike Paradinas and Aphex. A great album of absolute nonsense.
Also, check out the early works of Plug/Wagon Christ. Very amen-heavy but has the same vibe.
@@thirdkind1543 Tango is his best work until today, when I heard it for the first time, I was completely blown away. Also listen to Kosmik Kommando - Freaquenseize.
@@saschaeggert2148 Seen them both in Orbit in Leeds. Was a rephlex night. Amazing night
Man, Little Fluffy Clouds just gets me every time. Such a clean, crisp sounding piece. Yes, I know that's Orb and this is about Aphex Twin.
It's a great tune!
when i saw the orb play in detroit they did little fluffy clouds but without any of the samples! no "they went on forever...you might sill see them in the desert." - no nothing. it was completely different and i don't know if they were sick of it or what but that just really surprised me... pomme fritz was my favorite.
@@winstonbbailey8740 wow even without the title sample?!
One of the most important artists of the modern era.
FINALLY! Been asking for an episode on AT for ages, not that he made it because of me, but I'm so happy for 30+ minutes worth of history on this interesting guy
I lived through the 90s and remember having to endure FKING "Children" and otehr garbage. Donkey rhubarb (which I still love) was the first I heard of AT. I still listen to him.
@@mirellatorrisi1397 Big up for being an OG fan. Speaking of "Children" I still like it although I'm more of a dnb/jungle guy, and on that note I thought only The Prodigy retaliated "against it" with "Poison", but cool to hear dnb inspired AT too to make something radically different.
This is so strange, yesterday I was binging some of your videos and hoping for a Richard video...about to see it, already excited 🙏🏼
What a fantastic summary. Well written, and well placed. Always been a fan of Aphex but wasn't across the specifics. Thanks very much.
Such a great guy. Met him in Orbit in Leeds. Sat off my head next to his feet whilst he played tracks. He let me stay there. Wasn't bothered. 😂😂 Met him in Manchester and the doormen wouldn't let us meet him but he told them to let us on stage. He spoke to us whilst he started packing up his stuff. He said are you going to the Leeds gig and said I'll put you on the guest list but we had already got tickets. A top guy.
Hey thanks for making this, I've been a fan of his since 1993. As an American, he was the most notorious and difficult musician to track down his work in the states. Also, it was quite maddening to try to figure him out as an artist, since he mostly stayed in the UK, and his interviews were nonexistent even in the early internet days.
Brilliantly put together. Love Aphex Twin which is what brought me to this video, but had never heard of squarepusher. Got me well into him. Absolutely mind blowing. Thanks for that.
I remember the first time I heard Xtal at my friends house... It was mind blowing, it was so beautiful and magical for me at the time (I was around 17 years old, so in 1999), this music was touching me in a way I've never felt before. Aphex Twin opened a whole new world to me in music, with Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and love him to this day because of that. Also got completly addicted to Come to Daddy and Windowlicker, of course!
I have been listening to richards James work since I was like 10 playing this online game that had a music player. It’s truly nostalgic for me to listen to tracks like analog bubble bath, come to daddy, and xtal while doing work. It has always zoned me out and got me into more of his work and other techno and experimental artists. I’m grateful for this video getting behind the artist.
Never clicked on something so fast
He was so crazy good and on another level of talent
Is
@@famousashtray Us
@@zachariahpoltergeist4516 I see what you did there
@@famousashtray I'm so happy to be in this corner of youtube with you guys.
@@famousashtray ;)
You really are providing some of the best music documentaries on CZcams. Never stop, please❤️
Excelente, gracias por compartir el video. Muy bueno como lo contás. Saludos
Amazing doc my man, very well researched
I fkn love Alberto Balsam. Can listen to it on loop for hours while learning. Fantastic stuff
me too, it resonates at such a deep level to me.
takes me back to the quiet summer nights, behind my computer, with the window open, feeling a breeze, hearing distant noises, while the track meanders through time.
The only whole record I really loved of his was Selected Ambient Works Volume 1. His other records , I loved selected tracks. But just last year I discovered that he's made so many recordings that I don't think anyone will ever hear it all. I like his style though- he always does things his own way all the time. I love the way he talks about music. He's quite intelligent.
Your channel is a great source of inspiration and education. Thank you.
I love your videos. I studied graphic design motivated for music videos and experimental music at the 90s and 00s. Is so interesting to know details of the creative process of artist that marked our lives. Regards from Chile. 💖
I remember as a teen, how mysterious this scene was. We were warned by many preachers that this was the new Rock and Roll. This only just added to the mystique.
This was fantastic, thanks. Was obsessed with Aphex Twin between about 95 and 05.
this was amazing. thanks for making this
amazing video on covering aphex twin's impact and influence
I learned a lot
*thanks*
The Come To Daddy EP is exquisite, especially Bucephalus Bouncing Ball. I’d never made the connection between Aphex Twin and Minecraft music, but my youngest loves things like C418 and Stahl or whatever they are. Maybe this is my window into getting him into good music!
Who could pick a favorite? He's put out like thousands of hours of music for every mood, quirk, phase, or moment. I love it all, it's been one of the most enduring presences in my life. My friend sold me the Nine Inch Nails album "Further Down the Spiral" for $10 because he didn't like it, and the moment "At the Heart of it All" came on I was like "oh that's the best fucking thing on this album by far" and I look through the liner notes to find it's from "Aphex Twin", and I went to a local alternative record store the next day and was like "give me everything you have form this guy." 25 years later, I still listen to everything from Power Pill to his Soundcloud dump. Thanks for making this episode. The more people find this music, the better.
the tuss - akunk track (rephlex) is a must imo
@@dinofiori Thanks for the recommendation, it was delightful.
Wonderful video man, well done!
This was so good. What a nostalgic trip. Well done!
Windowlicker is so groundbreaking that nothing has ever captured the same mood.
Aphex the goat! This video was spot on! Gnarly little mention of Spectrum48K beats too which is wicked and crucial to his time! Aphex twin is our modern Mozart!
Absolutely loved every minute of this!
awesome video , thank you for making this
I discovered Aphex when my dad's friend played "...I care because you do" that had just came out, in the car on the way to dinner and I instantly fell in love. been listening to him ever since. I love the Richard D James album most of all of his LPs, but The Tuss and the AFX Analord series was also under incredibly heavy rotation. I love all his work and can't wait for whatever he puts out next.
Aphex Twin is one of the greatest who ever did it, no doubt. I've got instantly hooked on his "Xtal", which popped up on CZcams randomly (thus becoming the first song I've heard of him) becoming one of the best songs I ever listened to: it's beautiful - that beat makes me wanna dive into something very essential and of a big importance as well as making me feel melancholic. There are certainly not so many artists like him and I'm glad I got to know more about his persona
That's a good favorite to have, I really enjoy that song and Ageispolis and On and 4.... All of it
That one is so good
Same for me. The first time i heard Xtal my chin was scratching the bottom.
i happily watched the whole video. well done. thanks.