Richard D. James had an unbeatable 90's, producing albums and singles which remain among the greatest of that decade and ending with the one-two sucker punch of the chart busting 'Come to Daddy' and 'Windowlicker', both signaling the future more than anything since. Perhaps they were the end of the future? The 90's would see him hailed as the new Mozart among the serious composition world, and have heavyweights like Bowie falling over themselves to get a remix. RDJ ever the prankster would openly admit taking these remix commissions for the cash, whilst often producing something that bore little or no resemblance to the original, even suggesting that he had no interest in listening to the original (or his remix!).
In the ensuing decade RDJ would play it much more low-key, slowing his (visible) work rate, but still producing some great music when he chose to make it public. I saw him play an epic drill 'n' bass set at the Autechre curated ATP in 2003, with seemingly everyone at the festival present to see the rare appearance in support of his less well received 'Drukqs' album. It remains one of the most exiting shows I have seen, despite being essentially, a bloke behind a bank of machinery.
What makes RDJ different to other techno artists is TUNES. Image and hardware is only part of it. Having such a distinctive sound is rare in electronica, and only the best can do it. Whether making ambient techno, crazy breakbeats or Roland 606 acid tracks, RDJ has such a distinctive way of writing melodies, that even when he's seemingly taking the piss, the tunes are deeply human and connect with the emotions.
In fact RDJ's melodies are so specifically his style, that any attempt others make to sound a bit Aphex, come off like pastiche, a cheap copy. He is similar in this way to Paul McCartney as you can also spot a McCartney melody a mile off, and his tunes have an emotional resonance, even if he's singing about fish and chips or something.
The other artist I'm (perhaps strangely) reminded of is Ghostface Killer, who can tug at the heart strings simply with his rap flow, even when he can be rapping nonsensically. It makes you wonder whether any of this is by design even by the artist themselves.
After a few quiet years RDJ in his AFX guise went back to his rave and acid roots for the Analord project. This came as 3.5hrs and 42 tracks released on 11 EP's released throughout 2005. The following year, the best of these tracks were compiled onto a CD as 'Chosen Lords'.
Analords for the heads, Chosen Lords for the rest. All recognizably Aphex; with an emphasis on analogue acid squelch bangers.
There are many choice tracks among the set, but among the best are:
Where's Your Girlfriend? on Analord 1.
Analord 2 has 'Pissed up in SE1', mid-paced techno with gradually builds in intensity whilst the ever changing percussion effects hold your attention. 'Laricheard' is a tribute to the pioneering Chicago house musician.
Analord 3: 'Klopjob' warm pads and a nostalgic childlike essence, one of the best AFX tracks.
Analord 4 has the syncopated tick-tock 2-step bass rumble and orchestral synth that is 'Crying in Your Face'.
Analord 5 is a particularly good two track 12", that has 'Reunion 2' and 'Cilonen', there's a similarity across both tracks melodies. The label of this 12" is a photograph of the gravestone of a Miss Anna Lord, adding to the title confusion, which can be taken as meaning, analogue or anal or lord of the analogue, but is probably all three.
Worth mentioning on Analord 6 is the spooky themed 'Batine Acid', a complex rhythmic pattern you can't quite groove to, and 'Analoggins', a low frequency bowel mover credited to 'Captain Voafose & Smojphace'
Analord 7 has a great electro and trance influenced tune called 'Pitcard', with unexpected stop/starts.
'PWSteal.Ldpinch.D' is one of the best Analord tunes, deeply emotional, with a soulful house feel.
Analord 8's 'PWSteal.Bancos.Q' is a total acid banger of headfuck trance psyche, taking you down all sorts of wormholes. This is the most bonkers of the 12"s.
Analord 10 which non numerically was the first Analord release and came with a binder for all the other 12"s. Another two track release of similarly themed tunes of constantly inventive drum programming and 8-bit metallic crashes.
Analord 11, the last in the series (until 2009) when RDJ put a load of unreleased Analord tunes online to go alongside each individual EP, making each 12" the length of an album in itself! There is variety in this last 12", going from epic 8min fast paced drum workouts to ambient tracks. 'VBS.Redlof.B' is demented but never annoying.
The whole set with binder might currently set you back around £500, so perhaps the Chosen Lords and YouTube is the way to go with this.
Aphex Twin would end the noughties as quietly as he started, but this decade has seen more activity with the well received 'Spyro' album, the mechanized electronic instruments EP's and a huge dump of unreleased old and new tracks on soundcloud to keep even the most obsessive Aphex fans occupied for years to come. I can't wait to see what comes next.
