TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #98
Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works II (1994) <Warp>
Genre: Ambient, Minimal Techno
Nationality: UK (Lanner, Cornwall)
Many know Aphex Twin as one of the masters of electronica, specifically glitch and breakbeats. He stands proudly along with his Squarepusher and Autechre counterparts, so it’s interesting to see that some of his greatest works are his forays into ambient music. For a figure so heavily revered in pioneering a complex and mathy genre of music, minimal textural ambience is one of the last things you would expect Aphex Twin to do. The Selected Ambient Works were among his first material, however, and they remain to be some of the most innovative ideas in electronic music ever. His second collection was much larger than his first, spanning two discs instead of one, and being much less beat heavy. Each song, whether it be “Cliffs” or “Grass” or “Shiny Metal Rods,” were inspired by the lucid dreams experienced by Richard D. James himself. What resulted was a record filled with nuances, endless tiny details that amounted into a sprawling work of genius. This is the kind of stuff that rivals that of Kraftwerk, Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream. It has all the beauty and mystery behind a Brian Eno work, yet all the terrifying soundscapes of a Nine Inch Nails record. FYI: this is not a record you play late at night by yourself. Key Tracks: “Lichen,” “Stone In Focus (vinyl and cassette only),” “Cliffs,” “Blue Calx” For Fans Of: Brian Eno, Boards Of Canada, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream
