Hey everyone, Anthony Fantano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd. I hope you are doing well. Just swell as pie.

You're gonna need to be in order to potentially make it through this article, which I think some people are probably gonna be pissed about. But it is what it is.

We're gonna do a key album project tier list from the one and only Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin, whose discography is obviously one of the most celebrated in all of electronic music period. Though personally, I did find it kind of funny to see his records really just missing and unmentioned in some recently formulated greatest albums of all time lists. I'm not exactly sure why, because when many think electronic music in general, Aphex Twin is one of the first artists who comes to mind, especially when it comes to the nineties era of the genre.

While historically Richard may not be the most commercially successful electronic music artist of all time, considering considering how groundbreaking and mind bending a lot of his tracks are, he's done very well for himself and has really proven to be an artist's artist over time, influencing acts and dj's and producers from across the genre spectrum. So without any further ado, let's get into the albums.

First one on the chopping block. Yeah, that is going to be Richard's first official full-length LP, Selected Ambient Works 85-92. This is a very good album in my view, though it is maybe a bit of false advertising in a way, because as far as ambient music goes, it's not the most ambient album of all time. It's really more of like a mix of some ambient techno, but then some acid and some chill, heady, hypnotic IDM too. Just very low key, cerebral electronic music. It's kind of mind blowing that any of what is going on in this record was produced in the mid eighties, which just goes to show how ahead of its time this record was.

Now, with that being said, I feel like this is also a record that has maybe not aged the best with time. There are some tracks and productions that I feel like Richard, with subsequent records and pieces, has most definitely leapfrogged. And when it comes to ambient techno as well as IDM, there are tracks here that run as a little basic in my view. Still, numerous tracks on this thing, especially "Green Calx," are total bangers, dizzying, skilled, groovy and detailed.

It's also not a super consistent album as well as it is a little all over the place. I mean, I think the title says as much. It spells this out, but it really does feel kind of like a random compilation with quite a few tracks paling in comparison to others. But with that being said, still very good, still very enjoyable, still very ahead of its time. Still essential as far as like nineties electronic music listening goes. And I could very firmly put this record in the B row. It's a good one. It's an enjoyable one.

Coming up next we have the 1994 follow up to Selected Ambient Works 85-92. We have selected Selected Ambient Works Volume II, which is a bit more true to title. In fact, a lot more true to title. The vast majority of the music on this record is just straight up ambient music. In fact, over 2 hours of it. Yeah, Richard really did kind of deliver on the title again this time around. Not only did he do that in concept, but also on top of it. This year is the 30th anniversary of this record. And to really kind of like, be blunt about it, it still sounds incredible. Incredible to this day.

I mean, I get that there may be a lot of music fans generally, and Aphex Twin fans that much prefer the easier, breezier, more percussive experience that Selected Ambient Works one brings to the table. But for my money, when it it comes to ambient music generally, the textures and the sounds and the drones on this record are so gorgeous and so rich and so immersive. I mean, really downright cinematic most of the time. It really is a vastly different beast than 85-92. But like its predecessor, I do also kind of sit here in awe of this record and think like, damn, how did he make sounds this gorgeous and rich and immersive by himself in the early nineties? Because the overall experience of this thing really is, again, that gorgeous and that entrancing and also versatile, too. Each piece does have its own distinct personality, its own distinct sound palette. And I kind of gradually will myself to each one as they kind of come in and out. Really just an immaculate and sound rich ambient experience that I think is quite awesome.

I mean, it may be sort of like, you know, patience testing at about two and a half hours, but it's, you know, still a very gorgeous and one of a kind album. And I would put it in the the A row for sure.

After this, we have Richard hitting us with his 1995 album, I Care Because You Do, which is a record that sees him backing off of the ambient angle and really just like going for some straightforward, very clear-cut, very groovy and sometimes kind of harsh and glitchy IDM tracks, but without a lot of the softness and spaciness and ambiance that kind of made 85-92. As starry and as special and as immersive as it was. This record, as far as textures and progressions and sounds, it's really what you see is what you get.

It has its highlights, but simultaneously it has its lowlights, too, as there are at least a couple of tracks on this thing that, honestly, to this day, the mixing on them really just mystifies me, especially with "Ventolin," which, honestly, I don't know if I've given that track a full listen in years, just because every single time I put it on, I slowly feel myself getting tinnitus. There are a few others that are somewhat torturous as well. I mean, I still respect what the album is going for. And as far as, like, you know, underground electronic music goes in the nineties, it's still a unique listen and experience. But I think Richard has come out with far better records across his discography, even including many of the EPs that he's dropped over the years that we're not even really getting into in this core album, core project article.

So I'm going to put this one over in the C row. It's fine. It's okay. It's passable.

Following this, we have the 1996 album Richard D. James Album. This, to me personally, is one of Richard's peak creative eras in his career, really, his drill and bass era, when he's doing a lot of plays off of drum and bass vibes. The IDM tracks that land on this record are more rhythmically intense and sporadic, too. As far as drill and bass goes, even with this record being as short as it is, is, I feel like it perfectly personifies the genre.

The rhythmic and intense details across nearly every track on this thing are just amazing and still, like, dizzying to this day. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people have experienced the effect of certain genres of electronic music, especially when they're decades old, sounding stale or dated or kind of played out. Just old hat after a while. Whereas, like, a lot of the songs on this record, "4," Cornish Acid" and so on still sound fresh to me because they are that complex and boundary-pushing while simultaneously being very digestible, too.

There is a lot of experimental electronic music along these lines or that has been deeply influenced by this album where the experience of listening to it is kind of like homework. Meanwhile, Richard D. James Album, in my opinion, does not feel like that at all. This just straight up is an incredibly fun and groovy album to listen to, really one of my favorites in the Apex twin discog, and I happily throw it up in the S row.

And as long as we're talking about Richard's drill and bass era, I feel like I would be remiss if I was not talking about Come to Daddy a little bit. The rhythmic complexities, and breaks, and just all-out insanity on these little records, these little EPs, this mini album specifically with Come to Daddy are just incredible. Not to mention there are beautiful, subtle moments like "Flim," for example. I love how Richard is making use of all of those pinging metallic samples and turning them into these just amazing, mind-blowing rhythmic compositions on "Bucephalus Bouncing Ball."

Look, there are some experiments and some adventurous ideas on these records that to me, again, are still mind-blowing to this day. Really, again, kind of prime Richard D. James era for me. "Windowlicker," "Come To Daddy," these are very awe-inspiring albums that have held up incredibly well, in my opinion. And I would throw Come To Daddy pretty handily in the A row, cleaning up shop.

Fast forward several years later and we are getting Richard's 2001 album Drukqs, which has had a bit of a storied history, I suppose. I know originally, back in the day, it didn't get like the most glowing Pitchfork review. I get that it's not like the easiest and most straightforward listening experience, because some tracks are like weird, experimental electroacoustic pieces, some tracks are just like straight up instrumental piano interludes, and then others are some of the most chaotic and insane and intense drill and base and acid breaks that Richard has ever put together. So again, believe me when I tell you this record really is all over the place. It's running the gamut. I get it iff a lot of people don't want to put on this chaotic ass album that sort of like, pulls them violently from one vibe and emotion to the next.

But for me personally, I love the fuck out of this LP. This is incredible. I mean, maybe you could argue it's due for a possibly a different tracklist. One that sort of separates the various moods in ways that lines them up together more accurately, sections them out or something. I still love this album for what it is because I think its various parts even if they're not coming together in the most cohesive way or being assembled into a flow that's obvious.

The respective pieces making up this album are all incredible. The piano interludes are gorgeous. The electroacoustic fusions are mind bending, and, you know, very much how do you do it. Meanwhile, the drill and bass stuff blows a lot of what Richard was doing on the Richard D. James Album completely out of the water.

This record, again, in my opinion, is incredible. Very wild, very special, very unique album. I really can't think of any other albums in popular music's existence that are like this one or at least, you know, perceived this record. Every single time I put it on, I'm just mystified and deeply impressed with just about everything that it does. I'm going to put this over in the S row as well.

Okay, finally, we are going to finish things off with Richard's comeback 2014 album, which was kind of an interesting point of discussion for me in this video because this is the only aphex twin kind of full-length, proper commercial album that I've had the opportunity to review while my YouTube channel was existing. Clearly, The Needle Drop on YouTube was not a thing in 2001.

So, yes, my opportunities to review a new Richard D. James album, full album have been few and far between. And the one opportunity I did get to have it, many would argue I totally blew, as I thought Syro, generally speaking, was just kind of okay. However, I went into this video sort of hoping that it, maybe with time having passed, because it is ten years later since the release of this thing, that it would have grown on me, at least a little. And I will admit most certainly it has.

I sort of see this record in a similar light to I Care Because You Do. As far as IDM and acid base is concerned, I feel like the grooves and the pacing on a lot of these tracks is very mild. It's not quite as thrilling or intense to me as some of my favorite Richard projects. Which, again, it's pretty funny to me so far to, like, look at this, uh, uh, ranking over here. And my favorites at the top are either the craziest drill and bass shit or the most ambient thing that he's doing. Records that land somewhere in the middle for me in his catalog tend to just like, feel kind of okay, or ranging upwards to good, to decent.

Revisiting this record, I will say I do feel like the first leg of it is just maybe a little bit too mild for my tastes. As far as chill, heady electronic music goes, it's bordering on elevator music. But in the records defense, and what I feel like what I have changed my mind on is that around the midpoint, it really does pick up the pace in a way that is a lot more admirable and peppy than what I gave the record credit for in my original review.

So, even if this record isn't reaching Drukqs levels of intensity per se, the tempos and rhythms really do start getting the blood pumping around the midpoint. Specifically with tracks like "180db_" as well as the "CIRCLONT" cuts. The piano piece at the very end of the album I found to be, in retrospect, pretty endearing as well.

I could throw this record pretty handily into the B row and pretty much leave it there as far as key Aphex Twin albums and projects are concerned.

Anthony Fantano, Richard D. James, forever.