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AFX, "ANALORD 01-05"
Richard D. James may have made the most clever move of his entire,inconsistent career with the release of this series of twelve 12" vinylEPs. Only the first five are available as of this writing, but it isalready obvious that the grinning, tank-driving egotist is producingmusic that is unashamedly and resolutely anachronistic, kitschy andretrograde.Rephlex
For an artist like RDJ, who almost out of the gate wasbeing referred to by overenthusiastic critics as a mad genius, beingcalled "maestro" and drawing comparisons to Mozart, it must berefreshing to produce music that is in no danger of ever being referredto as genius by anyone. The music on the Analordplatters is vintage AFX, produced with analogue beatboxes andsynthesizers, recalling early 1990s underground Detroit and Chicagoacid techno. These tracks do not represent an attempt to reinvent thewheel, nor is it a hyperkinetic digital blur of fractured, overcomplexrhythms. No prepared pianos were harmed in the production of thismusic, and there are no self-aggrandizing, aggro-industrial pop singlesalong the lines of "Come to Daddy" or "Windowlicker." Mostrefreshingly, these five pieces of wax contain no financially motivatedremixes of major label artists or annoying post-gabbercore dancehalldrum n' bass mashups. Instead, each contains a full compliment ofsquiggly, buttery retro-acid groove, each track more deceptively simplethan the last, all of them eminently entertaining. Thick, rubberybasslines slide over subterranean keyboard melodies echoing throughabandoned metal buildings. At turns slinky, sexy, seedy and druggy,this is a pitch-perfect recreation of the classic underground technosound that informed all of RDJ's early work. Ever since the release of I Care Because You Do,Aphex Twin seemed to be involved in a dialogue with his critics andfans, constantly trying to live up to the ridiculously exaggeratedpraise heaped upon his merely competent work. The Analordseries is a conscious step out from under the shadow of his reputation,and though this will inevitably draw ire from critics and fans whothink RDJ owes them a masterpiece, I'd rather listen to these fivesingles than nearly anything that Aphex has released in the last fewyears. "SteppingFilter 101" immediately creates a paranoid underseaatmosphere akin to the finest work of Drexciya, all old-school drummachine kicks and slippery, lubricated acid lines with beats randomlydropped into the echo chamber. AFX's intuitive sense of simplistic,almost subliminal melody is in fine form throughout the five platters,most especially on the killer sidelong retro-electro oddysey of"Phonotacid." I almost started laughing when I first heard "Pissed Upin SE1," a cheesy, emotional new wave excursion that shamelessly laysit on thick and maudlin. The beautiful "Bwoon Dub" submerges distanthorn fanfares into a thick, substantial stew of dubby, infectioustechno. Analord 03 ups the Nintendo quotient by severaldegrees, sounding like childlike tossed-off videogame theme music on"Boxing Day" and "Midi Evil Rave." "Halibut Acid" is a particularlycompelling track from the otherwise tame fourth volume, and the fifthsingle is possibly the weakest of the lot, containing only two tracks,which both seem a bit too hyperactive for their own good. At their veryworst, however, the Analord EPs are always fun and energetic,effortless in their ability to recall the days when underground technowas fun and hadn't yet been co-opted by pedantic critics and fascistIDM listees.
For an artist like RDJ, who almost out of the gate wasbeing referred to by overenthusiastic critics as a mad genius, beingcalled "maestro" and drawing comparisons to Mozart, it must berefreshing to produce music that is in no danger of ever being referredto as genius by anyone. The music on the Analordplatters is vintage AFX, produced with analogue beatboxes andsynthesizers, recalling early 1990s underground Detroit and Chicagoacid techno. These tracks do not represent an attempt to reinvent thewheel, nor is it a hyperkinetic digital blur of fractured, overcomplexrhythms. No prepared pianos were harmed in the production of thismusic, and there are no self-aggrandizing, aggro-industrial pop singlesalong the lines of "Come to Daddy" or "Windowlicker." Mostrefreshingly, these five pieces of wax contain no financially motivatedremixes of major label artists or annoying post-gabbercore dancehalldrum n' bass mashups. Instead, each contains a full compliment ofsquiggly, buttery retro-acid groove, each track more deceptively simplethan the last, all of them eminently entertaining. Thick, rubberybasslines slide over subterranean keyboard melodies echoing throughabandoned metal buildings. At turns slinky, sexy, seedy and druggy,this is a pitch-perfect recreation of the classic underground technosound that informed all of RDJ's early work. Ever since the release of I Care Because You Do,Aphex Twin seemed to be involved in a dialogue with his critics andfans, constantly trying to live up to the ridiculously exaggeratedpraise heaped upon his merely competent work. The Analordseries is a conscious step out from under the shadow of his reputation,and though this will inevitably draw ire from critics and fans whothink RDJ owes them a masterpiece, I'd rather listen to these fivesingles than nearly anything that Aphex has released in the last fewyears. "SteppingFilter 101" immediately creates a paranoid underseaatmosphere akin to the finest work of Drexciya, all old-school drummachine kicks and slippery, lubricated acid lines with beats randomlydropped into the echo chamber. AFX's intuitive sense of simplistic,almost subliminal melody is in fine form throughout the five platters,most especially on the killer sidelong retro-electro oddysey of"Phonotacid." I almost started laughing when I first heard "Pissed Upin SE1," a cheesy, emotional new wave excursion that shamelessly laysit on thick and maudlin. The beautiful "Bwoon Dub" submerges distanthorn fanfares into a thick, substantial stew of dubby, infectioustechno. Analord 03 ups the Nintendo quotient by severaldegrees, sounding like childlike tossed-off videogame theme music on"Boxing Day" and "Midi Evil Rave." "Halibut Acid" is a particularlycompelling track from the otherwise tame fourth volume, and the fifthsingle is possibly the weakest of the lot, containing only two tracks,which both seem a bit too hyperactive for their own good. At their veryworst, however, the Analord EPs are always fun and energetic,effortless in their ability to recall the days when underground technowas fun and hadn't yet been co-opted by pedantic critics and fascistIDM listees. - (Analord 01)
- Phonotacid (Analord 02)
- Midi Evil Rave 1 (Analord 03)
- Halibut Acid (Analord 04)
- Cilonen (Analord 05)
