TS: Aphex Twin: Selected ambient works 85-92 VS SAW Volume 2

drukqs pwns

saw II sounds lush on my stereo setup, it's really enveloping.. like somebody stated upthread, it's as if it's emanating from something other than the stereo speakers. hard to compare it to 85-92, the music is markedly different - the terrain and spaced out qualities of it aren't really present on 85-92. Stone in Focus is timeless and beautiful. it does sort of evoke the feelings of late night/early morning acid comedown, like a warm cave/gentle brain balm. Love Tha, too

Syro is spotty, for sure. Papat4 (Pineal Mix) + S950tx16wasr10 (Earth Portal Mix) are both fantastic, along with the front end of the album (Minipops + XMASEVET10). 4 Bit 9d Api+e+6 is another banger, even my mom dug it. the Circlont tracks are chunky-sounding, they don't have that effortless feel/flow that characterizes some of the "drill" tracks on Drukqs.

Fredugolon 6 (on Rushup Edge) is another underrated track.

my mistake, Fredugolon 6 is on the Confederation Trough ep. The CD version has this little gem: https://youtu.be/_wTl-wYL0-k

^ This guy gets it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1YMO1DZJMc

There's nothing as refined or fleshed out as this, on the RDJ album. 54 Cymru Beats is a modest example, check out Taking Control or Ziggomatic 17.. these tracks set a high-water mark that hasn't been touched since.

designer of saw II artwork/logo:

https://www.facebook.com/residentadvisor/videos/10154686276379480/

that was nice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDSFMxLQBsk

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR594wqhkiL/

having the logo mutate over time to unrecognizability would have been brilliant

hold on though are frogs and dogs up there really acting like Windowlicker isn't a banger on a big system

― 0 / 0 (lukas), Friday, March 31, 2017 5:23 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I really really like Windowlicker FWIW. It's clever in more ways than one.

but I do see what you're saying DL, there was definitely a sense of each track being its own thing back then. that whole stretch from ICBYD to Windowlicker rules because you don't know what you're going to hear, the way he mixes acoustic and real-world sounds with drill n' bass hell was always fascinating to me. it's hard to imagine him doing something like "Logon Rock Witch" or "4" anymore.

― frogbs, Friday, March 31, 2017 8:34 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

And this is OTM

Yeah there was a Disco Nihilist post that I think about a lot, talking about how Aphex releases used to be like shocking brand-new worlds. Hard to imagine that happening again.

there have been many posts saying exactly that...

At this point I find the most exciting thing Aphex Twin does is occasionally bring out tracks that include his signifiers, like on "Cheetah" there's a couple synth pads that sound like his classic ambient work.

all his tracks have his signifiers though?

Yeah, I guess so..perhaps some just resonate with me more

he comes up with some gnarly bass lines, like those in 4 bit, papat4, and Xmas_Evet10 on Syro. hell, even the circlont14 (Shrymoming mix) 20-step bass breakdown is good for a calboti (an internal chuckle). the textures are surely popping, or maybe they're just remarkable. papat4 is elating, the bass is burgeoning.. but it's short-lived. oh, Aphex *sigh*

https://youtu.be/_1Pk2bKF3xs

this Aleksi Perälä character uses tonalities (Colundi Sequences?) that vaguely recall saw II.. giant catalog of his stuff on Bandcamp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB_ClJ9nikY

Thanks for sharing that am0n. Getting serious tingles.