I think Richard D. James Album is his best.

His stuff really helped to develop my taste in music when I was younger.

Windowlicker ftw

Drukqs is great stuff!

i'm only really familiar with some of his Warp stuff, the jungle stuff and obviously Windowlicker (agreed, ftw) etc... that old video directed by Jarvis ****er was euphoric.
just been checking his wiki entry, could somebody PLEASE explain to me in plain english what DSP (digital signal processing) actually entails? Apparently he was an innovator...

My friend has the full vinyl set :D

I just downloaded Melodies from Mars. Its alright. I haven't got into to much. It might be a compilation though.

i always heard it was an unreleased soundtrack to a video game that never got made.

personaly i think the Richard D. James album is aphex twins best, and the song with the didjeridoo in it is really cool, not sure what album it's on though.

I don't own any Aphex Twin at all. A pretty poor show that needs to be rectified.

I'd say the Come To Daddy EP is the best starting point, abrasive but in a bitesize package and has it's ambient moments too.

Yeah I would agree with that, I'd also recommend these.

...I Care Because You Do - Incredibly multi-layered album, it's worth owning purely for Alberto Balsalm.

Richard D. James Album - The first Aphex Twin album I ever got ahold of, it's pretty short but instantly listenable.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - The first full-length Aphex Twin album, and it's pretty awesome. It's more downtempo than ambient, but it's very beautiful.


Alberto Balsalm


4


Xtal

I've slowly been warming to it
any recommendations?

I agree. I've got the discography, and probably only listen to about a
quarter of it, if not less.

I like this song alot from the prodigy: YouTube - The Prodigy - Rhythm Of Life [Original Mix]

Well it didn't delete it. But I thought this was the prodigy topic and pasted that. My bad

But i do have a sort of favorite from Aphex, its their original but remixed YouTube - Aphex Twin - Ventolin (cylob mix)

For the beginner I would recommend 26 Mixes For Cash. Very good indeed.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...xesforcash.jpg

I would recommend

Classics (Aphex Twin album - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

26 mixes for cash isn't something that a new listener would get into in my opinion.

while 26 remixes might not be the best for a new listener (mainly because 2 disc sets are pretty overwhelming) i don't think 'classics' would really provide a new listener with an accurate taste of what future albums would hold.

i'm sure someone else said it earlier in the thread but i still think the best starting point is a toss up between i care because you do or the richard d. james albums. a new listener might not like everything on those discs but there should be a few tunes they enjoy and can use those as a launching point to delve further into his catalog. if you start with 'classics' and expect more of the same when you pick up something like 'drukqs' your setting up your ears for a harsh kick in the pants.

if you listen to those two albums and nothing appeals to you then just move on, aphex twin is just not for you.

I honestly dont think it matters which cd you pick. Aphex twin hands down is the most aquired test in music. You either love it.. or you hate it. Within 1 listen of any song beyond maybe YouTube - Aphex Twin - Avril 14th you should get a feel if you like him or not. Only reason I mention that song is because its "normal" compared to most of aphex's stuff.

So true.

while avril 14th is great it's about as reflective of his work as a rock is compared to a mountain.

you must not have tried listening to merzbow if you think aphex twin is the most acquired taste in music too hehe

270k vs 12k in record sales... to be an acquired test there has to be a fan base for it. 270k rankin on record sales tells me very few people listen too it.

And I really don't think avril is, because I've had classical friends love that song, but when I play 10 seconds of
YouTube - aphex twin - come to daddy or YouTube - aphex twin - vordhosbn they say there is no way they are the same person.

Edit vordhosbn is a bad example, because I have alot of dnb/gabber friends who like it and dont like aphex. but come to daddy for the most part determines who likes Aphex twin.

maybe i just dont get it but I think aphex twin is so overrated...

For me its about being a pioneer. He basically invented IDM and it has a very distinct sound. I know there was others, the orb,detriot techno etc but aphex twin is the one that everyone goes too and considerd IDM when they hear people mention IDM. Also aphex's range is unreal.. he can go from something that anyone would listen too and enjoy down to something only a very select few would enjoy. Most artist today you see do 1 sub-genre and its all they do.

I don't see why some people are so obsessed with drukqs, to me it sounds like a b-sides compilation with a few good tracks (vordhosbn, Omgyjya-Switch7 for example) and a few interresting piano stuff (avril, petiatil), but other than that its mostly filler. What am I missing?

I could rip apart any artist you mention too. There is a genre called IDM and it was pioneered in my mind by aphex twin. Most genres are just combinations of 2 already existing genres and then slapped together. With IDM its not polished, its an orgy of sounds and to a select few with the aquired taste for it, it sounds good.

In your mind which artist is considered a pioneer in "techno"

Ehm, I'm not sure you understood me correctly, I like a lot of other Aphex stuff, especially SAW 85-92 and Chosen Lords. I have, however, yet to understand why some people see druqks as his best work. So, does anyone else care to give me a clue?

I can't really understand why people would call it his best works, either. I only liked the Drill n Bass and piano tracks in drukqs. The rest of that album just wasn't really worth listening to IMO.

i think people call druqks his best work because it's the best collection of all his different styles in one cohesive piece. you might not like all of it but based on the tunes you do enjoy you'll be able to find a more specialized album.

i find the drill n bass stuff boring to be perfectly honest. then again i've always preferred his ambient and neo-classical pieces.

I agree with this except I've always found the track sequencing terrible. When I first got it, I made a CR-R of the more upbeat tracks. Not that I didn't like the piano tracks, but this was for driving so the upbeat stuff was more appropriate. Even listening to the album today (ok, a few months ago was the last time) the order sucks, but the material is good.

BTW, new material is in the works. :thumb: I would post a link from bbc uk dated March 13 but I'm a noob so I can't post links till I have 15 posts.

I totally agree. I've been a huge Aphex fan since in fist heard SAW 1 and I like most of stuff (SAW II I'm not so hot on, but there are a couple of beautiful tracks on there), however.....Druqks leaves me cold. I do like the one with "Let's have some Aphex acid!", though.

SAW I, Surfing on Sine Waves, I Care Because You Do, Richard D. James etc are all seminal stuff. Oh, I forgot 26 Mixes For Cash.

Druqks is a head scratcher. Maybe I'm getting old.

Absolutely. His stuff on Warp lead me to Autechre, Black Dog, B12 and much much more.

I'm actually kind of suprised Aphex has this big of a following.
I'm a big fan though.

Wha??? You serious?

I'm always suprised by some of my favs fan bases. I'll think one band is huge, and another is still pretty unheard of. I'm usually incorrect.

I hear ya.
I sometimes think I've found something obscure and it turns out it's already cliche'.

I've never heard anyone refer to drukqs as a masterpiece, in fact I thought it was a bit underrated.

I actually like the hodgepodge way the tracks on that album are arranged. It's incoherent and weird but it just works.

I like aparatus

Look at the you tube video called aphex twin-math equation there is a face made by the soundwave