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

Ned - is that Marc Weidenbaum book worth buying?

I've not read the whole thing but what I've seen is good stuff. As a friend noted, the fact that he's not doing it track by track is a plus. Marc also mentioned this tidbit over on FB in response to my article:

"Rhubarb" is a favorite, up there with "White Blur I." I have a small chunk of text in the book specifically about "Rhubarb," about my sense of how in essence the main thing that "happens" in the track is that what begins as a five-note phrase becomes a six-note phrase. As melodic development goes, that is way minimal, to say the least. In the course of my research I interviewed two musicians (one in San Francisco, another in Portland) who had independent of each other transcribed "Rhubarb" for solo acoustic guitar, but in the end I had no room in the book (35,000 words total) to fit their comments in appropriately.

Give it another spin thanks to this thread. I think I'm coming around to it now.

i never got into this, not 20 years ago, not ten years ago and not now. the cd in six words: too much repetition, too few ideas.

I still have the double cassette that I bought from King’s Road Our Price at the time and it still plays perfectly. Soundtracked innumerable Oxford Tube coach journeys and psychogeographic wanderings around London. An awesomely emotional album, I feel.

Like many ITT I dug this out again for the first time in years. So much I'd forgotten about it. Obviously Rhubarb is the stately easy-listening highlight, but this is a really diverse album. I fell asleep after about three songs, woke up at 4:30am with all the lights on. Woops.

I still prefer SAW85-92 but every time I listen to this album (yup, me too last night) I start out going "why do I even like this, it's so flimsy, so nothingy" and by the end I'm like "THAT WAS AMAZING HOW DID HE DO THAT."

I am all about Shiny Metal Rods. Always.

(It is funny how we all just know and use the "fan fiction" names.)

To be honest I don't really know it by the FF names, I'm more likely to know songs by track number.

this is still one of the best suites of music ever recorded and, y'know, the album is not on trial here etc

Who said it was?

people who comment to bury the album rather than praise it

People having different opinions about a record! Who'd've thunk it?

Added this on my tumblr after reading numerous comments yesterday -- some of the ones just now could have fit in. (Plus the Macross still, but it's not just about that.)

http://nedraggett.tumblr.com/post/77298022831/well-having-teased-the-mention-of-this-macross

xp

i think it's one of those records that, more than most, reflects back on the listener. but of course you're very right, it's important to respect other people's opinions

No it's not, this album's brilliant.

NV OTM, this is like the ultimate Juddian shiny metal box album. Which is one of its strengths, IMO. Everyone who looks into it sees something different.

(Sensitive to faith, not denial, but hey who's on trial?)

I wanted to start a thread asking who is today's equivalent of RDJ. It feels like for all electronic music's range, there's no one working today who matches him in terms of innovation, breadth of scope and also humour. Is it worth starting a thread?

I want to start a thread completely DECONSTRUCTING the idea that "today" has or even needs to have the "equivalent" of previous era's artists. I'm so sick of this meme!

Agreed. It's not like "Didgeridoo" or "Come To Daddy" get played regularly/at all on the Ken Bruce Show! Also it puts an unfair and unwarranted burden on people who ARE trying to do something new and different now. Hacker Farm and Stella OM Source are brilliant but they are not remotely Today's RDJ, nor should they be expected or set up to be.

Quite right. Please, this isn't a 'meme' though, or at least it's not meant to be one.

I'm not saying there ought to be an equivalent, but RDJ and his work and his attitude really does feel like a one-off and I can't think of any other electronic artist who comes close, which is kind of amazing considering how early his involvement was in techno/ambient/IDM and just how many boundaries he pushed back then.

Talking about this here now:

What Is The "What Is The X Of Today" Of Today? Why is this meme so bad and hated?

okay, well i didn't mean it as part of any meme, i was genuinely interested to see if anyone could think of anyone who came close. I mean, I was thinking maybe Oneohtrix (who I don't like much) could count in some way; maybe even Actress, but again much as those are respected and thoughtful artists, I don't think their scopes are anywhere near as broad.

mu-Ziq IMO, a much under-rated producer. And yes all comparisons are invidious etc. etc.

who is the Nicolas Jaar of the early nineties?

Ken Downie (jks)

went to Marc Weidenbaum's SF reading for his 33 1/3 book. read from it, had a couple musicians do cool live stuff, answered some questions. asked him if he had thoughts about why Aphex never returned to this style. he kinda contradicted himself, first admitting this album really stands alone, then saying that actually, it was a rhythmic / melodic work like the rest, and that far from abandoning the style, after SAW II Aphex built on what he accomplished there.

not sure if i agree, but interesting to think about.

i guess this is old news to SAW II fans, but i realized today that "Parallel Stripes" is basically just a binaural beat. it's not hard to tell that it's two very similar sine waves phasing in and out against each other, but i imagine that RJD had binaural beats' alleged effects on brain functions in mind when he made it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats)

http://www.kallbinauralaudio.com/crosstalk-cancellation-or-why-dr-edgar-choueiri-is-my-hero-part-2/

coming soon: loudspeakers capable of playing back binaural audio

about a year ago, i drunksplurged on two copies of "the most minimal record ever made", which does nothing but play a 33Hz sine wave. you're supposed to play two at once, and the unavoidable differences between record players and speakers will create a binaural beat. i haven't had an opportunity to try it yet, but i really want to crank it up and confuse my entire neighborhood

protip: use Audacity to play 33Hz sine waves instead

yeah, that's a lot cheaper too! there's something cool about owning a slab of vinyl that only plays one tone though.

the shot of the moire patterns formed by the grooves sold me. just bought one, thanks

Milton are you familiar with the Thomas Brinkmann "alphabet" series? speaking of patterns on vinyl...

that WOW record is super cool looking

was just looking online for some closeups of those Brinkmann records. had one of mine pinned to the wall at the office for a while.

clearly having a very very slow morning at work you guys

I fell asleep after about three songs, woke up at 4:30am with all the lights on. Woops.

Did almost exactly this last night. Disc 2.

A couple of months after the release of SAW II a free festival was held near where I was living at the time in Clissold Park. At least I think it was that year - this would suggest so -

http://history-is-made-at-night.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/hackney-homeless-festival-1994.html?m=1

Following the festival, some friends with a double-decker bus / travelling sound system stayed on in the park for a couple of days playing New Age / ambient music through the night as we hung out.

It was oddly idyllic and peaceful and Blue Calx at least would have gotten a spin. So the album is of course reminiscent of that time and place, but I didn't know then that it was also mostly recorded right in the area as well.

Also / as well.

23 years now anyway.

This might be the best album to listen to while sick. I've tried listening to all kinds of stuff over the past week and it all felt wrong but I kept coming back to this until I finally just conceded and put it on constant repeat.

Good god -- next week it's 25 years old.

monumental album.

stone in ... retrospect

I am puzzled by this “this album is 25 years old” trend...I guess its a way to keep the olds engaged

It's to remind you of the icy hand of relentless time.

Yeah, that it does

seems a natural and enduring way of looking at things

Remember when the US celebrated its bicentennial? That landmark recognized a span of time roughly eight times as long as SAWII is old. Hope that helps.

Think it's also that when SAW II came out, 25 year old albums were things like Abbey Road and Let It Bleed and there seems a disconnect thinking of it in those terms.

Fun fact: no human being has yet lived for a span of time longer 5X the age of SAWII.

also, if you listen to SAWII five times in a row with no breaks, you die