Aphex Twin remains ahead of his time
By DAVE FULTON
Scene Music Critic
With the growing popularity of electronic music, it is becoming more and more difficult to be revolutionary in the genre. Artists like Moby, Paul Oakenfold and The Crystal Method have gained notoriety recently in today's popular music scene opening the floodgates for others.
However, more experimental artists such as The Orb have remained out of the limelight and instead wrap themselves in critical praise within the shadows of the electronic genre. Aphex Twin is no exception to this as his newest album Drukqs, demonstrates.
Aphex Twin, aka Richard D. James, has long been a pioneer in experimental electronic music. He began recording music at the age of 14 in England where he performed DJ sets and later progressed to become one of the most highly praised electronic artists.
His sound is unique in that it is so diverse. He breaks away from conventionality, instead choosing a path of everything from brash break beats to delicate piano to sounds so fragile and void the listener is barely aware of them. The results range from beautiful sonic landscapes to chaotic cacophony that blurs the line between what can be considered music and what is plain noise.
Interestingly enough, Drukqs brings a blend of all of these things together. Where most artists release a greatest hits of previously released songs, Drukqs comes across as a greatest hits of James' techniques and sounds.
Unfortunately, most of the intensely warm and soothing soundscapes of his Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2 album, are nowhere to be found on Drukqs. Instead they are replaced with explosions of drum `n' bass, mild melody lines and awkward sounds.
The double album begins with "Jynweythek Ylow," a peaceful mix of Orient sounding influence and ambience. At first listen, the song sounds as strange as the title, but once you get beyond the awkward sounding instrumentation, the piano melody is rather engaging.
"Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow" shares a very similar sound, but in a much more conventional way. The song seems more organized and less random than "Jynweythek Ylow" and adds a very haunting dimension to the formula. It's as if the two songs share the same recipe with subtle additions and subtractions making the songs unique in themselves.
Many of the songs on the album share such similar formulas. Many complaints pop music fans make about electronic music is that "all the songs sound the same." Upon first listen to some songs, this argument seems true. Only by comparing and contrasting such songs is it possible to see the individuality that the songs possess.
"Vordhosbn" maintains a sense of ambience despite the seemingly random lightning quick beats that are peppered throughout. At first listen the song sounds very similar to "Cock/Ver 10," however, listening to the two songs back to back, the differences become not only apparent, but so obvious one wonders how the two could ever be confused. It's as if James purposely engineered his songs to give the impression of likeness in order to challenge the listener find otherwise.
One of the most interesting aspects of Drukqs is its illustration of the influence James has had on other artists. "Omgyiya Switch 7" features James' trademark spastic drum programming along with whip-like sounds that are so often heard in Nine Inch Nails songs like "Perfect Drug" and "Mr. Self-Destruct." On a softer side, the last two Radiohead albums have shown a clear influence of James' ambient work. "Bbydhyonchord" and "Meltphace 6" are wonderful examples of James' keyboard melodies and atmospheric texturing that mirror Radiohead's "Everything in its Right Place."
Some of the best songs on Drukqs are simple piano tracks. "Beskhu3epnm" has a beautiful piano melody that builds up in unison with what sounds like a pencil tapping a desk. "Nanou 2" is the best and the most conventional track on the album despite its simplicity. There is nothing complicated about the song, but it has an intensity that even the exploding drum `n' bass tracks cannot match.
Drukqs is not an easy album. It is dark, mysterious and at times bizarre. It is the antithesis of today's cheese-laden pop songs by people with better looks than talent — an album designed for listeners who don't mind taking the time to work to find the enjoyment in the music.
If you are not a fan of experimental or electronic music, than most likely Drukqs is not an album for you. On the other hand, those seeking refuge from the horrific mess that today's music scene has become, may find asylum in the album's experimentalism. Either way, Richard D. James has once again shown why he remains ahead of the pack in the realm of electronic music.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, November 6, 2001
