Aphex Twin - Druqks

Steve Christian · Post by **Steve Christian** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:00 pm

Although I do like Aphex Twin (windowlicker's my favorite), I've always LOVED Amon Tobin. His music and programming never ceases to amaze me when I listen to it. Both Aphex Twin and Amon Tobin are pure genius and so far ahead of most out there in my book.

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:10 pm

Good topic.

DrukQs is a totally brilliant album, as most have mentioned, it is perhaps among the best of Aphex's work. For me personally, I've never really heard such mind bloggling arrangment of drums and melodies which flow seemlessly through each other. The other thing that is striking about the album, is the quality of the production. All the noises sound crystal clear, reverbs are beautiful and well, no need to comment on AFX's production skills.

Also, has anyone heard '4', which the first track on the Richard D. James album? How the fuck did he get the snares like that? I've a decent system and turning that track up is just awesome, I can't imagine what it would sound like on a massive system!

Another album that totally blows me away was Venetian Snares' Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett , and I presume if you enjoyed DrukQs, you'll love it. Perfect fusion of speedcore style percussion and classical music. Apparently, I'm told that Snares actually played all of the instruments himself, and then mapped it together somehow.

ethios4 · Post by **ethios4** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:19 pm

yeah, "4" is a great track! That album still sounds ahead of its time and it came out in what, 1996? Thats what gets me about a lot of RDJ's music...I can sit and listen to "4", knowing all I know, and still I think "how the hell does he get that sound?!?"

I was just listening to SAWII a few days ago, when the ice storm hit, and thinking how its such simple music, but it evokes such powerful emotions and spaces. SAWII is just about the most timeless electronic album ever....and he was, what, 20 when he made that?!? Thank God for ppl like RDJ!!

To me he represents just about everything that is wonderful about electronic music......he's breaking new ground, not selling out, full of mindbending attitude, fun, intelligent, accessible to an unbelievably wide audience without compromising to anyone, and so totally enigmatic that all you can really say is wtf?!

LOFA · Post by **LOFA** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:35 pm

I think that it is a combination of concentration and sense of humor. I don't believe that Aphex twin thinks like a classical musician. He strikes me more as an artist that is mastering a medium. If there is great length of time attributed to processes I am willing to bet that it is spent in the conceptual state or post production/mastering rather than obsessively tweaking.

I am reluctant to believe that his time is spent making obsessive microedits. There are too many good vst's (as he has commented) that have been inspired by his own primitive attempts (by comparison, technology, specialization, etc) in the past, that make more objective decisions, paralleling the intitial conceptual criteria than laborous time spent hunched over the increasingly technicolor past.

To put these ideas in a more electronic-music-forum-friendly manner:

"He works in the large, graceful, inspired brush-strokes of a visionary genius." I am not sure that this is the case, but I am willing to bet my student debt that it is closer to his aspirations than sitting around obssesively making edits all day.

This was supposed to be a short post. Now I have less time to edit my Phat Beats Yo.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:57 pm

I never cared for the piano bits in Drukqs. If you've ever played a prepared piano, you will share my feeling I think - everything you play on those buggers sound deeply emotional and heartfelt.

The beat-stuff however is AWESOME. "Taking control of the drum machine" makes me grin. I don't think Afx spends all that much time micro-editing. You do it for a few years, and then you have it down. Also, the Twin always repeats his edits across the entire track - making them more thematic and poignant.

Thinktanx · Post by **Thinktanx** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:44 am

Beautiful album. Most of RDJ's music can absolutely be contributed to pushing his gear as far as it will go, or, in fact, beyone where it is supposed to go. Personally, I love the prepared piano bits. They are an ode to two great artists (Cage, Satie), and provide a beautiful contrast to the big drum tracks.

I also love '4'. It is maybe my favorite Aphex track. Also, Nannou off the Morvern Callar soundtrack. Definitely, look that one up if you haven't heard it. It is incredible, all music boxes, kabbas, and tinkling percussion, and, of course, amazing programming.

Just out of curiousity, does anyone know what sampler Aphex uses?

the_viirus · Post by **the_viirus** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:56 am

drukqs?

lots of drum samples chopped/arranged by hand according to a tempo grid.
lots of FFT play.
lots of ring modulation.
good use of "space"

re-iterations.
in "vordhosbn" its nearly the same melodic sequence over and over. he just changes the way you hear the same thing each time.

he also has a penchant for liveslice...according to that interview he gave in 2006.

my humble 2 cents...
now i will pop out skanfrom "soothing sounds..." and pop in drukqs.

kineticUk · Post by **kineticUk** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:10 am

Thinktanx wrote:Most of RDJ's music can absolutely be contributed to pushing his gear as far as it will go, or, in fact, beyone where it is supposed to go.

... well said. (Thats what its all about in the end.)

thelike5 · Post by **thelike5** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:50 am

File this one under the "what the fuck?" department...

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

In October 2006, Entertainment Weekly's website ew.com reported of Kirsten Dunst: "Before a lot of scenes, she'd play Aphex Twin's wistful solo-piano ditty 'Avril 14th' to put herself in the right reflective mood: That was my sad little lonely song that I'd listen to a lot."

Thinktanx · Post by **Thinktanx** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:22 am

thelike5 wrote:File this one under the "what the fuck?" department...

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

In October 2006, Entertainment Weekly's website ew.com reported of Kirsten Dunst: "Before a lot of scenes, she'd play Aphex Twin's wistful solo-piano ditty 'Avril 14th' to put herself in the right reflective mood: That was my sad little lonely song that I'd listen to a lot."

Dunst got it from Sofia Coppola. She included it on the soundtrack. Sofia is a fan of the oldschool Warp stuff, particularly Aphex and Squarepusher.

Cryptic UK · Post by **Cryptic UK** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:52 am

Thinktanx wrote:Just out of curiousity, does anyone know what sampler Aphex uses?

Probably all of them who knows.

subbasshead · Post by **subbasshead** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:01 pm

The IDM genre is heavily related to mathematics, what are the specifics?

Well I personally don't do it like this, but I know a lot of artists that sample mathematical formulas and make them into music. It could be about mathematics by the scales and notes, but everything can be about mathematics really. I personally just do it by the feeling.

The Aphex Twin's favourite drugs, in order of preference: grass/hash,
mushrooms, coffee, tea, Ventolin, aspirin. At a festival last week, he licked a little too much liquid acid off his hand, then had to spend the night convincing his mate, who'd similarly indulged, that they were in a field, not standing on the edge of a hypodermic needle. He wasn't very successful. Have his tastes changed as he's got older?'Only in as much as I know what not to take when I'm going to see my parents.'

http://xltronic.com/nostalgia/aphextwin.nu/v4/

Thinktanx · Post by **Thinktanx** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:10 pm

subbasshead wrote: http://xltronic.com/nostalgia/aphextwin.nu/v4/

Thanks for the link.

napalmskatterjazz · Post by **napalmskatterjazz** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:24 pm

go listen to Venetian Snares... especially hospitallity which most of the time signitures are 7/4 or 11/4. and extremely intricate...

XPM · Post by **XPM** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:07 pm

Don't believe anything he says in interviews.
He's a liar. A really funny liar.
He cracks me up every time I read an interview with him.