FOUNDATIONS: APHEX TWIN, PART 1
In the beginning.
Friends.
It’s Friday.
Mid-January, 2026. The world is mad. Christmas a distant memory. Pay day tantalisingly out of reach.
So here’s something divine and beautiful to lift your spirits.
Allow me to introduce you to Richard D James.
Aphex Twin.
The enigmatic Cornish Techno Druid.
An artist of extraordinary talent and vision. Who emerged fully formed from the mists and myths of deepest Kernow at the tender age of 21 with a sound so singular we’ve never heard its like before or since.
This will probably be a three or four part series (maybe more). The man is prolific, to say the least. But today I will begin at the beginning with two of the most perfectly formed long players in the history of not just electronic music, but the entire creative canon since we started exercising our vocal chords and banging logs with sticks.
It’s profound and life affirming stuff.
Enjoy.
SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS, 85-92
It’s often said that electronic music is cheap, throwaway, lacking in depth and sophistication. For those holding these opinions, please direct their ears towards this timeless masterpiece.
Aphex Twin’s debut long player, released in 1992, is a work of delicate, fragile, soaring, majestic, ethereal beauty.
It’s astonishing that many of these tracks were made when James was only 13 or 14 years old. As legend would have it, on synthesisers he’d either built himself or customised in order to harness them towards his own specific ends.
Words can’t really do justice to the impact this album has had on so many people over the years. Simply scrolling through YouTube comments reveals it has soundtracked births, childhoods, lives, loves, losses, deaths and so much more.
For me, it always takes me back to my second year of university. Sunlight pouring in through the window of my bedroom on the ground floor of a shared house in Hyde Park, Leeds. The world full of potential and promise, yet with many personal and painful issues playing out in the background at the same time.
That ability to seamlessly merge the bitter and the sweet, the light and the dark, the sublime and the absurd is one of Aphex Twin’s most notable characteristics. This is truly human music that touches on every area of the human experience.
The opening double shot of ‘Xtal’ and ‘Tha’ deserve special mention. I honestly believe this is what heaven will sound like if and when we get there one day.
‘Xtal’
‘Tha’
As an aside, one of the most striking things for me about Aphex is that while he was soothing our hearts and minds with blissed out Ambient Works from the heavenly realm he was also putting out some of the most raucous bloodclot squat party acid techno ever to touch wax.
Case in point, from 1991:
Oh, and you must make sure to check out his debut Peel session from 1992 where all the stylistic bases are touched:
Unbelievable scenes.
As I said at the start, we’ll be doing several more posts on Aphex and going deep into his tougher output. But I wanted to draw your attention to these pieces and set some context while we’re here.
Moving on.
SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS, VOLUME II
While Volume I introduced us to a world of innocent, almost childlike lo-fi creative exploration, Ambient Works Volume II is nothing short of a widescreen, cinematic masterpiece.
I remember my friend Matt telling me how he picked this up on vinyl from Selectadisc in Nottingham the day it came out in 1994. He took it home, sparked a zoot and listened to the whole thing start to finish. When it ended, he put the needle back at the beginning and listened to the whole thing again.
Stef has talked a lot about how true creativity and dedication to the artform have been slowly abandoned in club culture over the past 20+ years. I couldn’t agree more (it’s one of the reasons we’re working together). The recent lack of true, era-defining visionary classics like these LPs from Aphex Twin is a perfect example of how this plays out.
We live in a throwaway culture. Artists chasing algorithms instead of build true art and legacy. For any producers out there reading these words: keep your head down. Build us something truly timeless and unique. These things take years, a lifetime really. Forget the hype, the profile and the rest of that bullshit. The work will speak for itself when it lands. And the audience will applaud and be thankful for your dedication.
Anyway, back to the music.
Two personal favourites:
‘Cliffs’
This is one of those tracks that touches me on a truly spiritual level. I can’t tell you how many times over the years this piece of music has pulled me back from the brink, cleaned my mind and my soul. Plug in your best headphones, take a few deep breaths and let it wash over you. There is simply nothing better.
Finally, one more for the ages:
‘Stone in focus’
Let’s go for the two hour loop. It’s worth it.
Thank you for listening and reading.
Peace and love.
Rubin