Aphex Twin Conversation in 4

I remember an interview with RDJ from sometime in the late 90s, where he told a short anecdote about the spoken sequence in "4".

He said it was recorded while his neighbour was visiting him. His neighbour didn't know who Richard was, and asked him if he had heard Aphex Twin - to which Richard replied positively (or maybe even negatively, can't remember). Then the neighbour says "they're good", and Richard says "yeah".

Can anyone confirm this, and remember which interview it was?

This page has a lot of transcriptions of the utterances in various tracks, but suggests another interpretation of 4.

i think there was a theory that it was richard and his dad talking about the tank.

but i like the theory you posted more

3

the exchange sounds more like question/answer. richard? yeah. and like calx i rememebr reading something about him and his dad being in the tank when it transpiredddd

From an interview for the Alternative Press in 1997:

  Quote

Using an ancient Spectrum computer for some tracks, James incorporated all sorts of "tape loading" noises on songs such as the opening "4," where a sample of his dad's voice becomes the song's melodic hook.

 

"I'm actually letting my dad into my tank there," he explains. "My dad called me for tea, and I answered. My mum and dad's voices are in loads of my old stuff. Six years later I find these conversations I had with my dad while I'm in-between hitting something and recording it."

Only copy I can find at the moment's being hosted here http://www.aphextwin.nu/learn/98136166724590.shtml

I found this bit from that interview interesting

  Quote

So what will James do after his recording contract runs out?

 

"I'll write more music. But I won't release it; I'll just listen to it. It will just give me more time to do music. I'm tired of the publicity. This is the last [round of interviews]. I don't reckon I'll do it again. I've done 64 interviews in six days in five countries. It's an experiment. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do, just to see what happens. There is so much shit involved even if you don't play live or do press. You have to get out [of the business] altogether.

you can hear

"pretty good"

"yeah"

in the alarm will sound cover

2

1

  On 2/18/2010 at 12:04 AM, ShizKoE said:

From an interview for the Alternative Press in 1997:

 

  Quote

Using an ancient Spectrum computer for some tracks, James incorporated all sorts of "tape loading" noises on songs such as the opening "4," where a sample of his dad's voice becomes the song's melodic hook.

 

"I'm actually letting my dad into my tank there," he explains. "My dad called me for tea, and I answered. My mum and dad's voices are in loads of my old stuff. Six years later I find these conversations I had with my dad while I'm in-between hitting something and recording it."

 

Only copy I can find at the moment's being hosted here http://www.aphextwin.nu/learn/98136166724590.shtml

"You've got so many machines, Richard."

The Both of you are right ..

  On 2/17/2010 at 11:24 PM, psn said:

This page has a lot of transcriptions of the utterances in various tracks, but suggests another interpretation of 4.

I always heard it as "Sounds good?" "Yeah..."

Also, on that site, they said for Taking Control that it says "Lorna, Derek, Richard, Sarah, Vicky." Where as I thought it was "Lorna. Derek. RICHARD. C'est la vie." Maybe that's just the fact that I was taking a lot of French classes when I got that album two years ago.

Edit: I'm not claiming I'm right, just stating my opinion on what I heard. That's the cool thing, really, being able to have so many interpretations of sounds...

really, when i think about the vibes i get from that sample, and that song... just good-natured nostalgia, enjoying the company of friends and family. also

  On 2/18/2010 at 5:02 AM, hahathhat said:

really, when i think about the vibes i get from that sample, and that song... just good-natured nostalgia, enjoying the company of friends and family. also

 

 

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  On 2/18/2010 at 5:03 AM, Xyrofen said:

  On 2/18/2010 at 5:02 AM, hahathhat said:

really, when i think about the vibes i get from that sample, and that song... just good-natured nostalgia, enjoying the company of friends and family. also

 

 

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  On 2/18/2010 at 4:10 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

I always thought it was

"Richard!"

"Yeah?"

 

just makes sense.

The RDJ album was the first I ever listened to, and I heard the same. I always imagined the recording as being accidental, and it was a random moment where he was busy recording music and someone interrupted him at his work. Seemed to be fitting story behind the clip, especially in that track.

  On 2/18/2010 at 4:57 AM, Xyrofen said:

  On 2/17/2010 at 11:24 PM, psn said:

This page has a lot of transcriptions of the utterances in various tracks, but suggests another interpretation of 4.

 

I always heard it as "Sounds good?" "Yeah..."

 

Also, on that site, they said for Taking Control that it says "Lorna, Derek, Richard, Sarah, Vicky." Where as I thought it was "Lorna. Derek. RICHARD. C'est la vie." Maybe that's just the fact that I was taking a lot of French classes when I got that album two years ago.

 

Edit: I'm not claiming I'm right, just stating my opinion on what I heard. That's the cool thing, really, being able to have so many interpretations of sounds...

Yeah it's very interesting

Also, Sarah

his samples like this are always so charming... they're like tiny slices of life that are perfectly embodied by the music surrounding them. they always pleasantly surprise me.

  Quote

....."alright!"......

Not sure I could have expressed it better myself!

  On 2/18/2010 at 2:22 AM, JohnTqs said:

you can hear

"quite good"

"yeah"

it's

'richard?'

'yeah?

I think the voice in [mold] is saying 'twin, twin, twin twin'

i want your soul backwards is YOUR SOUL IS NEARLY OUT