Aphex Twin's _Selected Ambient Works Volume II_ is ten years old

Anyway, I'm not going to be an apologist for other peoples tastes. I've always felt that RDJ's real talent lies in his melodies/harmonies. While I really adore much of his drill'n'bass work, it's the underlying melodies of those tunes that really pushes me along. (in 'Meltphace 6', for one) When it comes to insane production skills and amazing break cutups I turn to Squarepusher who is purely virtuosic in his talents.

Err, why? I heard he did it to get out of contractual obligations.

That's the kind of pressure I meant. Sorry if I was unclear.

Still in debt to this thread for finally getting into this record; it's a belter.

SAW II is the only album that i have perfectly heard while sleeping, which is scary. I think is one of the greatest recording of the (past) century. Volume 1 come very close.

OTM, I still feel that the best way to listen to SAW II is while lying down in the dark at night.

that's one of my favourites too robin. i like how after a couple of tracks that are more about creating a creepy atmosphere, a really simple, childlike melody appears out of nowhere. it's what makes the album such a gripping listen.

(The second one I found too ambient - maybe be strange with me - of all people - missing a beat, but I did in the case of that one)

"Cliffs"? "Radiator"? "Hexagon"? "Shiny Metal Rods"?

I stil remember the first time I heard this record. My friend Sean and I were dropping off a gorgeous friend of ours who had just started seeing a sleazy Scandiweigan guy named Sven who lived is a megahuge loft in Brooklyn and did lots of drugs. We'd been imploring with our friend all day not to date this guy, but she was smitten (he later knocked her up and abandoned her -- went back to whatever Nordic rockpile he climbed out from under, but I digress...) In any case, we pulled up to the guy's building -- in a then-desolate area of Brooklyn (not so anymore), and decided to escort our friend inside. On the way up the stairs, there was this HUGE, sound emanating from the floors above....just bizarre and otherwordly. We walked into Sven's huge, cavernous loft, and it was like a scene out of "Excalibur". Just weird shit all over the place, incense burning, really dim lights and candles everywhere, and this intensely beautiful but somewhat disconcertingly foreboding music playing. Sean and I stayed for a few moments. Our friend immediately vanished into a back area somewhere, no goodbyes or anything. I was too busy being creeped out/intrigued by the music. Before I could ask Sven (who hadn't gottten up when we came in, sitting at a long wooden table in a bizarre stupor) what was playing, Sean had grabbed my arm and was pulling me to the door. We left feeling hugely weirded out.

A couple of days later, I got a package from Sire records (I was writing for a few periodicals at the time, and used to be on several labels' mailing lists). At the time, I'd never heard of the Aphex Twin, but the cover art to this strange looking album looked like some ancient artefact prized from some interdimensional time capsule. I slipped the disc into my player and hit play, and intstantly knew what this was.....and it instantly gave me the same sort've creeps. It still does. And I love it.

I've known this since I first got the CD! They got most of the titles wrong, though.

I think the reason this cd goes for a lot of money is that Warp originally used a cheap cd manufacturer to print this as a double-cd and a lot of copies (mine included) will have started oxidising about 5 years ago.

I was just reading Ned's review of a Black Tape for a Blue Girl album today; I would like to talk some ambient with him.

If he's listening, I would ask: I love my Aphex Twin SAWII, and I am in love with 'Tired Sounds of the Stars of the Lid," what should be next in that haunting, gorgeous vein?

OTM. I remember losing my SAWII and DLing it and crying when it didn't have Stone in Focus. All is better now.

Err. Have they fixed this? I'm ordering some junk from Warp soon, and I was going to do SAW II because for some damn reason the US track is missing "Stone in Focus," but if this is true I might just get it from Bleep...

Aphex Twin - #19 (aka Stone in Focus)

i like that metronome sound!

and yes, "#19" is the best thing on SAWII

Ah, you know, then I did have this, because I used to have this around somewhere and definitely ripped it before I sold it. But this saves me the trouble of scrounging through the CDRs. ;-) Thanks!