Richard D. James (whose main moniker is Aphex Twin) started out as a relatively unknown artist under the name of AFX, releasing a string of EPs called Analogue Bubblebath in the early 90's. While minimally successful on the known London-based radio station Kiss FM, it wasn't until his ambient work under Aphex Twin that raised eyebrows and acclaim. His debut and one of the most heralded works in ambient Selected Ambient Works 85-92expanded on what previous artists could not or haven't tried to achieve, as Pat Blashill of The Rolling Stone said in his review:
"Aphex Twin expanded way beyond the ambient music of Brian Eno by fusing lush soundscapes with oceanic beats and bass lines."What makes Aphex Twin so remarkable is his merging of genres from ambient, techno, acid, jungle, to the broadest category of electronic. Yet, this man still finds ways of converting these ideas and thoughts in compositions that work from the start. His second and truly last ambient outing Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II was a bit of a sidestep in terms of his previous endeavors. Almost organic, the music on the 2-CD release was haunting, rhythmic masterpiece that broke tags that were once associated with ambient and the man himself. His work on the titled birth name album Richard D. James was both expansive in influence and riddled with genres. The opening track 4 focused on an idm structure that had a soothing breakbeat, while adding a techno keyboard step that bordered a ambient atmosphere. Fast-forward to Peek 824545301 and you get something entirely different, a rough, abrasive beat that lasts a quick 3 minutes. His contributions of expanding the said genres, more specifically what ambient music could be associated with.
DJ Homewrecker's Blog: Crash Course For Aphex Twin
Notable Works:
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1993)
Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II (1993) [Blog with download available].
Richard D. James Album (1996)
Come To Daddy EP (1998)
Drukqs (2001)
No comments:
Post a Comment