Aphex Twin ‘Selected Ambient Works Vol II’
An Unwavering Influence
32 years have passed since the release of Aphex Twin’s genre-defining debut album, Selected Ambient Works 85-92. Since then, the Cornwall-raised artist, Richard D. James, has gone on to influence electronic dance music as a whole, paving the way for the greats we know today. He’s often referred to as the greatest electronic producer of all time—and rightfully so. From Daft Punk to Björk, very few artists are exempt from James’ influence whether they recognize it or not.
Even today, Aphex Twin’s work manages to sound nostalgic, timeless, alien and futuristic all at once. Now, he continues the trend with the release of “#19,” a track previously exclusive to the vinyl release of Selected Ambient Works Volume II. Along with this release, James has announced an expanded edition of Volume II, slated for release on October 4th, 2024. Pre-orders for the physical release are now open on his official website.
Ambient Perfection
“#19,” unsurprisingly, is excellent. It’s haunting, comforting, warm and cold all at the same time. It has that classic Aphex Twin air of simultaneous calm and unease. Much like all of Aphex Twin’s work, whatever you project onto it is what it gives you back. It morphs seamlessly with every listen. In a word, “#19” is transportive. Its distant, ticking clock and floaty, ambient synthesizer waves are simply otherworldly. Each second of the song’s ten minutes crawl by slowly, but are still gone too soon.
RDJ has come a long way since he was 14 and releasing tracks that no one had ever heard the likes of before. He singlehandedly pioneered what some refer to as “intelligent dance music,” secured a GRAMMY for 2014’s Syro and forever altered not just EDM, but music as a whole.
Long live the king.
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