Compilation / Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Week 2! Containing the hardcore techno of Caustic Window and one of Richard's most celebrated albums, SAW 85-92. Have fun listening!

Before I listen, I just gotta say that SAW 85-92's cover is just perfect, I love it.

Compilation is just total love for me, I love RDJ's early hard techno stuff. Will listen in a couple of hours

SAW I - 10/10 - Brilliant , Beautiful .

Compilation 9.2/10 - minus .8 point because of Clayhill Dub , i absolutely hate it. - First Half (1-7) Is kind of "LITE" , some beautiful tracks . Second Half (8-13) is mental !!! Adrenaline injection X 100 (Except Clayhill Dub , which is rubbish)

Top 5 SAW I -

Green Calx

Xtal

Ptolemy

Heliosphan

Ageispolis

Top 5 Compilation -

On the Romance Tip

Pigeon Street

Italic Eyeball

Cordialatron

Joyrex J4

A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF MY THOUGHT PROCESSES AS I LISTENED TO CAUSTIC WINDOW - COMPLICATION

Joyrex J4 - Awful track. Always ruining threads and banning people.

Afx 114 - Cool lol. Nice beat. Apparently AFX's 114th track.

Cordalatron - Very awesome, but no Pigeon Street. I want Pigeon Street!

Italic Eyeball - Title makes no sense.

Pigeon Street - FUCK YEAH PIGEON STR oh its over.

Astroblaster - I was planning to skip through this one like the first four but it's actually really good. Grabbed me by the balls. Had to turn up the volume here, I fucking love this. The two moments at 1:58 and 2:01 are great. Tracks like these are what made techno great before all this bullocks shit. Three minutes left in the track... I'm moving on.

On the Romance Tip - Ah, an old favorite. I posted a story here once about how this track started playing in my head after I had hiked to the summit of a mountain and as I looked out at the miles of woods surrounding me and the enormous blue sky I felt like, this twinge of calm and deep satisfaction. It was very romantic in a geeky nature boy kind of way, oh my dog was there too.

Astroblaster - Even better the second time around.

Joyrex J5 - Who would ever want to listen to 7 minutes of this.

Fantasia - Another good one, this shits all over modern techno. Richard's a genius.

Humanoid Must Not Escape - Boring

Clayhill Dub - This album's starting to bore me, gonna skip through the rest of these

The Garden of Linmiri - I expected this to be semi-ambient from the title. Hm kind of Astroblaster-like but not as awesome.

We Are The Music Makers (Hardcore Mix) - Having the same sample but a completely different track doesn't make this a "mix," richard's a fuckin idiot

OVERALL: 2/10

Caustic Window - Compilation

Joyrex J4 - love how the stabs sound off-beat until the kicks come in, and then you realize that were always perfect. pretty good track, especially when it picks up in madness later on. ohhh I love those creepy little vocals, remind me of the 'lalala' in that one Analord track.

AFX 114 - One of his dirtiest beats yet. I like it here more than Phlange Place, as odd as that sounds. Short, but sweet. I wonder if this was live or something.

Cordialatron - One of my first CW songs, and still one of my favorites. Not hardcore at all, it creates some mind-maddening beats; he just makes it sound so easy, I hate him. The piano (or whatever) samples are just beautiful-sounding...Caustic has a soul here. I don't see how you could choose not to dance to this. This is another RDJ track where it doesn't sound particularly groovy until the beats come in, then you're like "WOW THAT MELODY IS JUST GROOOOOVAYYY" People today can't make such a perfect song. 1000/10, my favorite on Compilation.

Italic Eyeball - The beginning creeps me out to this day. Good beats here, reminds me of some Analord tracks. RDJ seems to be moving more and more away from the creepy-sounding melodies to more of a childlike sound, even in Caustic.

Pigeon Street - what can I say? one of the best melodies of all time, and it deserves to be short, nothing else should be done to this gem.

Astroblaster - This sounds BRUTAL. Layers on layers of madness. ohhhh that melody, good lord I love it! Caustic is gold. That second lead near 1:30 is my favorite part of the entire song, and that's saying something. Early RDJ classic! The dirty production makes this even more amazing, I couldn't imagine listening to this cleaned up. 3:50 is a monster of a sound.

On the Romance Tip - I've posted before that I feel this could have been on SAW 85-92, and I still think so. What a beautiful song, doesn't feel like it should be on a Caustic Window album. This whole song sounds very Incunabula-ish (I hear some sounds that I've actually heard in that album), are more complex than most SAW 85-92 songs. I can't imagine the love this would get if it were on that album. Reminds me of Heliosphan quite a bit, in the melody and beats.

Joyrex J5 - And back to the hardcore aciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid, DANCE DANCE DANCE. A bit repetitive, but I can see people getting down to this, esp. with the crazy one-off changeups and all. Another childlike melody....I love hearing his evolution. Even if this is older than Classics, his release evolution is clear. Changeup @ 5:00 is just nuts, this is why Aphex is better than anyone else.

Fantasia - god, the songs just get more and more brutal. This picks up QUICK, with barely any time for build-up. I'd laugh my face off if I heard this out somewhere, I should do that next time, nothing but Caustic! It's nice but just too busy for listening @ home, but it's nowhere near bad. Better than modern techno, hands down. Funny how the two porn samples are right next to each other...

Humanoid Must Not Escape - One of my other faves by CW, that acid line is perfect. Vocals are always funny in Aphex tracks, no doubt. A bit less crazy than Fantasia, but love it all the same. RDJ was beast at techno, I wonder if he's still got it in him...YEAAAAAAH YESS YESSSSS

Clayhill Dub - This sounds like some modern heavy bass dubstep in a way...King Midas Sound w/some cojones. From what I've read, this is about a particular room @ the uni he went to? Interesting. Dark, gloomy, makes you feel like you're traveling. I really like this. Has RDJ done anything like this since?

The Garden of Linmiri - Sounds so beautiful at first....then DIRTY. FILTHY. This reminds me of some of the songs on AB2, with the deep kicks and all. Not the filthiest song on here, but it's nice. A little bland, but still great. The melody is so darn unsettling on this one...yum. 4:00 might be the best singular moment on this album.

We Are The Music Makers (Hardcore Mix) - this song is so different from the other ones here. I like that it's at the end, because it seems to hint at what he would get into on releases like HAB (the melody at least) and even some of Analord. Sounds better recorded too.

all in all, 8.6/10. Very VERY good, but a couple of hiccups.

  On 3/22/2010 at 10:50 PM, Rabid said:

A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF MY THOUGHT PROCESSES AS I LISTENED TO CAUSTIC WINDOW - COMPLICATION

 

Joyrex J4 - Awful track. Always ruining threads and banning people.

 

Afx 114 - Cool lol. Nice beat. Apparently AFX's 114th track.

 

Cordalatron - Very awesome, but no Pigeon Street. I want Pigeon Street!

 

Italic Eyeball - Title makes no sense.

 

Pigeon Street - FUCK YEAH PIGEON STR oh its over.

 

Astroblaster - I was planning to skip through this one like the first four but it's actually really good. Grabbed me by the balls. Had to turn up the volume here, I fucking love this. The two moments at 1:58 and 2:01 are great. Tracks like these are what made techno great before all this bullocks shit. Three minutes left in the track... I'm moving on.

 

On the Romance Tip - Ah, an old favorite. I posted a story here once about how this track started playing in my head after I had hiked to the summit of a mountain and as I looked out at the miles of woods surrounding me and the enormous blue sky I felt like, this twinge of calm and deep satisfaction. It was very romantic in a geeky nature boy kind of way, oh my dog was there too.

 

Astroblaster - Even better the second time around.

 

Joyrex J5 - Who would ever want to listen to 7 minutes of this.

 

Fantasia - Another good one, this shits all over modern techno. Richard's a genius.

 

Humanoid Must Not Escape - Boring

 

Clayhill Dub - This album's starting to bore me, gonna skip through the rest of these

 

The Garden of Linmiri - I expected this to be semi-ambient from the title. Hm kind of Astroblaster-like but not as awesome.

 

We Are The Music Makers (Hardcore Mix) - Having the same sample but a completely different track doesn't make this a "mix," richard's a fuckin idiot

 

 

OVERALL: 2/10

lol

Xtal - brilliant opener, obviously one of Aphex's best. I'd love to know where that woman vocalizing is from. not much can be said except absolutely legendary.

Tha - for a 9:00 song, this does not get boring in the slightest. it may seem like it's going nowhere, but the progressions in this rival the best of Ae. Also, I love saying "Tha - Aphex Twin" (The Aphex Twin) :P Soothing as all get out, as this whole album is.

Pulsewidth - first true 'dancy' track on here. the synths remind me of Xtal but in a lighter form. the little bleep noise at 2:30 is just one example of how great Richard is, the little intricacies that propel this album to classic status. the drums are caffeinated and dry, and I love them. the little changeups in the bass melody are RDJ incarnate.

Ageispolis - the first song I really LOVED on here. the bass in this is like no other, I've heard stories of people using it to test out their systems, and it's a good song for that! the kicks are unbelievable, and the little Casio-sounding synth stabs are perfect, and once that droning synth fully reveals itself, it's all over, the song is perfect! 4-0 for Richard so far.

i - was a surprise for me when I first heard this album, but I place it in RDJ's top works. just pure love. doesn't deserve to be in SAWII, that album is not like this song, except for maybe Rhubarb.

Green Calx - annnnd we're out of ambient beats? lol, I still love this one, even though it is a strong change from the first few songs, aciiiiiiiiiiiiid. the break around 3:30 is my fave part, just genius, the drill beats are mindblowing, it's nuts to think he made this at such a young age, and in the '80s! this sounds like the oldest one on here to me, this or Ptolemy.

Heliosphan - I've nearly cried to this one, this, Rhubarb, and Vordhosbn are the only ones that have done that, so that attests to its beauty. even with the beats, this song is just so heavenly and peaceful. the synths sound so stretched out and droning....I'm having a hard time reviewing this one, it's just SO perfect. even today, this song can't be beat. BY ANYONE.

We Are The Music Makers - the parts where the bass rides in sync with the melody. GOOD. LORD. that is all. legendary. also, 3:50-on.

Schottkey 7th Path - we get into some SAWII-type tracks here. this song begins his "just creepy enough to be uncomfortable" phase, ending at SAWII. some of these sounds sound so alien to me, but I love it all the same. very dark track. Ae mixed this perfectly with Techno City by Cybotron, btw. :3 X-Files, why didn't you use this?

Ptolemy - my least listened to track, and probably my least favorite. it's nice, but it's so shamelessly cheesy, it hasn't aged well at all. still fun to listen to, very '80s-sounding. Maybe I don't like this so much b/c it completely erases this brooding feeling of Schottkey. hmm....listening to it now, I like it more than I used to. the beats remind me of Green Calx. it's a nice track. still my least favorite.

Hedphelym - This should have been after Schottkey. The deepest kicks I've heard, this track just screams creepy. One of my favorites from the album. He really gets into the sonic side of things here, it sounds so full and overbearing. It sure would suck to be like 7 listening to this home alone, lol. The beginning of this is perfect, and when those kicks first drop....it feels like my ears are being flipped and warped around. the bit when the synth is let to run on its own sounds so terrifying at times, it's almost like it's talking.

Delphium - YEAH DELPHIUM. Played this to oblivion when I first got this, absolutely amazing. RDJ stays pretty consistent on this album, there's really not one truly bad song. Ptolemy is ok for me, but that's really the only hiccup, and other people love it just fine. Most albums can't do that these days.

Actium - perfect outro to a classic album, just low beats and bring that ambient.

10/10, classic, would be #1 if it weren't for I Care.

Hmm I usually prefer to read reviews but, oh come on, let's play a bit the game heh.

I can't review completely Compilation 'cause I hardly remember half of the titles on it, anyway some good stuff here :

AFX 114 : The more this short track is good the more I find Phlange Phace lame. Powerfull and loud, any info about the small vid on youtube with those images like .. moon craters ?

Cordialatron : Didn't listen enough this one at the moment, it'll come with time I'm sure.

Italic Eyeball : Nice, somewhat egyptian feeling for me.

Pigeon Street : lol. The reverb ending does something special, weird feeling, as seeing CAT004 yellow art while discovering Caustic Window, mental but can't explain.

Garden of Linmiri : woohoo that's what I call a kick drum, when it starts like OH SHI- *head banging*.

Interresting album for early Rich experiments, I'd be curious to see a video of the day he recorded Cordialatron or what, would be funny for sure and not only for his lame 80's haircut.

SAW 85-92 : I won't make only friends here but, here we go :

Xtal : Allright, five stars (on five yeah). As said, I wonder how did he manage to have those voices, and also this sound, those two fucking notes ti ti tuu tutu tu tuu tu-ti ti ti tuu etc, how, god how, where does it come from ? I even suspect hasard sometimes. This is so smooth, the whole song is so smooth, pff .. I can't tell more, you know what I mean, that's why I don't like to review.

Tha : The thousands of times I wan .. er, fell asleep with Tha background. Again, smooth, enjoying each of the nine minutes. And I'm still not able to find where the melody pattern begins btw.

Pulsewidth : The first synth notes are quite magic indeed, and the tiny first drum pattern it's like oh god it's so cheap I love it. But I'm quite zZzZz at the end

Ageispolis : The other five star from the album. Already only the title feels like ancient, lengendary feeling. And the track matches perfectly, it's quite important for me like an alchemy between the track and the title, it's enhancing the whole thing. Those pads, oh my, this bassline, oh my, this bleepy opening melody, oh great. The clip is nice too. I'd label it (yeah I know it's a bad thing) The Ancient Wisdom Song.

I : Hmmm, yeah.

Green Calx : YEAH ! This is a sunny end-spring early-summer day song, groovy and that. Best moment at first when the kick comes and go, and then BOOM move your knees stare at the ground, it's party time !

Heliosphan : That's here I won't make friends. Never been attracted by this one, that's it.

Music Makers : Same here, nice bassline though, a bit long for me.

Schottkey : Rich you proving you're a circuit conceptor, or a good datasheet reader, anyway I used to like it at first, and still today, but less than before. Still a good dark track, nice kick. I see "ancient jungle under rain and tribal stuff", don't ask me why.

Ptolemy : Party time again ! That bassline is so good, and the pad part also. Universe/ancient greek feeling as expected in the title. N1asp is fine too.

Hedphelym : Never liked this one, honestly I think I never will. Just, don't like it...

Delphium : Nice penultimate song, often the underrated ones, GTA San Andreas at night feeling here. I like the title also.

Actium : Useless, really.

It's fucking wicked but I assimilate this album with May-June era weather, I won't search any explanation for this, but I quite like the feeling.

Truly great album, surely my fav by him. 7.75/10 in Media Player and trust me, it's good.

Time for my thoughts on one of the greatest albums ever created, Selected Ambient Works 85-92. As Warp Records have so rightly said, it's "the birthplace and the benchmark of modern electronic music" and it goes without saying that "every home should have a copy." This is the only release by Richard D. James to appear in Robert Dimery's book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Here we go:

Xtal - Perfect album opener, and very high up there amongst the most beautiful pieces of music ever created. It's so warm and sublime, it can relax me in pretty much any situation. The vocals are absolutely heavenly. There really isn't much more to say, it's just perfect.

Tha - Another beautiful, perfect track. This track rules over it's minions in the field of relaxing masterpieces. It makes me think of light, refreshing rain splashing over me as I lay in the cool morning air. Towards the end, it's like lying down next to a campfire in a total state of relaxation.

Pulsewidth - This is a really fun track, never fails to put me in a good mood. The opening melody is amazing, we know that only Richard can make a sound like that.

Ageispolis - Jesus Christ that's a good tune! 63 notes of pure awesomeness, that's what that melody is. This song can get so smooth, I love the moments such as 1:17 and 1:22 where the main percussion freezes and slides so sublimely. I don't know how he does it, but it doesn't damage the rhythm and instead of being surprising, it feeling like it has to be there.

I - Lovely little interlude. It's the most "ambient" track on the album, more in the direction of it's sequel SAW2.

Green Calx - Oh, how I love this track. The melody at the start really strikes a chord with me, it hits me deep down like no other melody can. Everything about this track oozes with life. It's alive! It's like a lush, colourful rainforest with robotic monkeys and ED-209s.

Heliosphan - This is a very powerful track. The beginning creates a feeling of importance, of power and might. You know something important is happening. Then, at 1:21, the main melody kicks in, in all it's supreme beauty. After an important pause, the percussion re-assembles itself, before blasting on again to the heart lifting rhythm. An amazing track.

We Are The Music Makers - Hey guys, wasn't there a forum named after this one? I think there was. Anyway, for some reason I'm not too keen on this track, though it does have some nice moments.

Schottkey 7th Path - After many sweet, uplifting tracks, we come to a fork in the road and decide to take the 7th path. This is notably darker than the album thus far, but what I find interesting is that unlike most of Richard's other dark ambient tracks, this one isn't just about fear. It has a childlike essence to it, with soul and sensitivity, like there's light at the end of the tunnel we just can't reach. It reminds me of some kind of nighttime swamp with twinkling stars up above.

Ptolemy - This track has some wicked rhythmic beats set to yet another amazing melody that only Richard could make. There's a great section at 4:06 which introduces another, more ambient melody. It always gives me a great feeling of warmth and tranquility.

Hedphelym - Another darker track. But unlike the 7th path, there's no light at the end of the tunnel here. We're in hell. This is pitch black, the perfect setting for that hopeless, powerless feeling of doom that weighs over you as the apocalypse draws nearer. It takes some bravery to listen to the whole thing. But if you make it through...

Delphium - ...you get to hear Delphium. We've gone right back to the early stuff now. This must be one of the '85 tracks mentioned in the album title. I didn't like it much at first, but I've grown to love it. It's simple yet sweet, with lovely strings and organic percussion. And I love those synths at 1:45. This track is an underrated gem.

Actium - This track has some of the most sublime melodies ever created! Seriously, just listen to that. Not only is that melody in perfect harmony with everything else, but it moves in such a perfect, sublime way. Every single note is exactly where it should be. A great way to end the album.

So, overall, I'd give this album a very serious 10/10 for being absolutely perfect. Usually, this is were I'd do a best to worst of the album, but I simply can't do that with SAW85-92. Nothing could possibly be at the bottom because I like all the tracks so much.

That concludes my review. Stay tuned for my synopsis of the Caustic Window tracks!

i have to say that i'm definitely glad i revisited these two albums in the past few days. compilation is the shit; i really wish i could get my hands on more rdj harcore. humanoid must not escape is one of the most badass songs ever spawned. don't enjoy italic eyeball as much as i used to (a bit on the boring side if you ask me) and still think that astroblaster is kind of shit. love cordialatron and the bass on clayhill dub slays. rattled the windows in my house when i played it on my good set of speakers.

for SAW, i totally use to write off ptolemy but goddamn if i'm not loving it now. and everything i would say about green calx and heliosphan has apparently been voiced already. ageisopolis is always good for lifting my mood. i certainly enjoy SAW way way more now than when i first got it and was kind of new to rdj's work.

An essential release for a new way of listening in ambient in 1992. I heard a part of the track "Agaispolis" in radio at this time and was looking after it for 5 or 6 years because I had no information about it. When this album was rereleased and I listened to it in the recordstore I remembered immediately that this is the one I wanted to have since I was 15...

been listening to nothing but SAW 85-92 the past couple of days, I forgot how amazing this was..

  On 3/23/2010 at 1:00 AM, bubbhasdance said:

Garden of Linmiri

 

 

 

2:20 - 2:30 might be the best singular moment on this album.

 

MAJOR FIX. it puts you in such a groove.

 

 

SAW I

Amazing work, nothing more to be said what hasn't be already.

Compilation - 7/10

Good stuff, he definitely could've shorten some songs up and gotten rid of others. If someone else made this they would be adored, but because its Richard, he can do better and has.

not much to say regarding saw85-92... flawless really in my opinion. only songs i don't regularly listen to are green calx and hedphelym -- that's just me. 11/10.

regarding compilation, i hadn't listened to this a while. not my favorite rdj era, but some sure winners. joyrex j4 is a fucking awesome song... its angry and in your face hardcore technoey stuff but its wonderful. this rhythm and melody were totally ripped off by some more recent song. i can't remember its name and that's killing me. afx114 is whatever... short interlude... loud and kind annoying sometimes, cool other times. coridalatron and italic eyeball are amazing tracks! something really really dreamy about these. saw85-92 has the sunday morning feeling down solid, but these ones really do feel like soundtracks to dreams. if i can make it through the first 1:30 of astroblaster i really like the track, but i rarely do and i'm not a huge fan of skipping around tracks. the grindy bass synth is really fucking awesome -- what the hell is that? that gabber bass drum makes me want to pull my brains out my nose. on the romance tip -- the name pretty much gets it, amazing track. beautiful pad-strings. this song makes me feel all right in the same way ageispolis or heliosphan do. joyrex j5 is pretty awesome, very very space age sounding. the higher pitched background noise that oscillates up and down is really fucking awesome. dump truck loads of groove here. i can't listen to fantasia, too loud not enough in it. humanoid kind of embodies the parts of acid i don't like... boring track, but its well polished (obviously). clayhill dub is meh.. not good, more tolerable than the bad hard songs. the garden of linmiri suffers from the same too loud hard techno disease. the we are the music makers hardcore mix isn't bad, but i rarely listen to it.

edit: compilation gets a 6/10

garden of linmiri gets me very pumped up and ready to punch someone hard in the face

sorry no review but i love saw 85-92 but dislike green calx the most

I never knew Caustic was this good! I mean, I've heard Compilation quite a few times, but wow, this is a lot better than I remembered, esp. On The Romance Tip

  On 3/25/2010 at 9:00 AM, bubbhasdance said:

I never knew Caustic was this good! I mean, I've heard Compilation quite a few times, but wow, this is a lot better than I remembered, esp. On The Romance Tip

AAAAAAHHHHHHH, STOP YOUR PROFILE PICTURE, IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!!!!!

Edit: HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  On 3/25/2010 at 9:00 AM, bubbhasdance said:

I never knew Caustic was this good! I mean, I've heard Compilation quite a few times, but wow, this is a lot better than I remembered, esp. Astroblaster

I always knew Astroblaster was good. And I still say Ptolemy should have gotten taken out for On the Romance Tip

  On 3/25/2010 at 9:00 AM, bubbhasdance said:

esp. On The Romance Tip

I got this avatar specifically for this RDJ cycle, it will not leave until this is over

Listened to Compilation again earlier (had to put down Cosmogramma), and it is loads, loads better. RDJ sure made some god techno back then, I'd like to see him try his hand out nowadays.

  On 3/24/2010 at 7:02 AM, Glass Plate said:

An essential release for a new way of listening in ambient in 1992. I heard a part of the track "Agaispolis" in radio at this time and was looking after it for 5 or 6 years because I had no information about it. When this album was rereleased and I listened to it in the recordstore I remembered immediately that this is the one I wanted to have since I was 15...

just you guys know I randomly copy and pasted this from Discogs, I was going to keep doing this intermittently but I got lazy.

OK guys, it's Caustic Window time! I slightly modified the playlist I listened to. Instead of listening to Compilation, I listened to each Joyrex, which basically means I've listened to all 13 tracks on Compilation plus 2 extra tracks, which the fans call "Popcorn" and "R2D2" Here we go...

Joyrex J4 - This sounded a lot better than I remember it! Hardcore, upbeat techno with a spring in its step. It has such a simple, yet effective melody which makes it all sound bouncy as hell. So far so good!

Popcorn - This track is kind of so-so for me. It has a great set of melodies, but I guess that was taken from the original mix, which I have yet to hear all the way through. It still has some good beats.

AFX 114 - Now that's what I'm talking about! This is the epitome of hardcore techno, right here. It feels like factories at night blazing with the most fearsome inferno. And the radio frequencies are the icing on the cake. Very powerful stuff.

Cordialatron - And now we come to the opposite end of the Caustic Window spectrum. A sublime, oriental masterpiece with tingling beats and ascending, high-class melodies that really hit the spot.

Italic Eyeball - I'm not a massive fan of this track. It does have some good tunes, makes me think of abandoned Egyptian tombs, and the beats are interesting. But overall it seems to go on for too long.

Pigeon Street - I love Pigeon Street. Everyone loves Pigeon Street! Why oh why did he make it so short? He could've based a whole track around that tune and it would have been awesome!

Astroblaster - Alright, back onto the hardcore stuff. You'll notice that Astroblaster gets more and more awesome pretty quickly. It's an epic dance track, chock full of wicked beats and thumping synths. The rhythm is relentless, never stopping for even a second.

On The Romance Tip - Wow, that was a change, wasn't it? Suddenly we are swept into the open air, we gaze upon rich colourful skies and feel the wind stroking our bodies. A beaufitul work of ambience with melodies gently soaring through the breeze. So uplifting.

Joyrex J5 - Oh god. This is slightly too abrasive for easy listening, and at almost 7 minutes, seems to go on for way too long. Just a steady rhythm with bubbles and snorts of acid. Though it does start to get good at 5:00, when loud, crazy beats suddenly jump out of nowhere.

R2D2 - I love this track so much... it reminds me of a cute little robot who has lost its way along a distant planet. From the very beginning, it beeps and squelches to the sweetest little melodies. I get a kind of nostalgic feeling from listening to this.

Humanoid Must Not Escape - Time for some more of that hardcore Caustic Window sound. Wicked acid lines and warbly, lasergun synths adorn the repeated sampling of "Let's fuck!" and "Yeeaeh! Yeah, Yeeeah!". I'd say this ranks somewhere in the middle.

Fantasia - This is an absolute masterpiece! After starting with a tremendous acid chorus, it thunders into a cycle of loud alarms and seriously messed-up acid. But the real highlight comes later, when the nice lady from the titular porn film starts moaning and gasping, wanting more, and more, and getting plenty of hot, wet and sticky synths. I came at 4:32. And, is it just me, or does the section from 5:35 genuinely sound like synthesized fucking? You can really hear it going in and out, taking some sticky, stretchy fluids with it.

Clayhill Dub - I believe this is part of some kind of ancient techno ritual. Random clangs and roars are thrown around on top of an exquisite melodic bass line. I am able to predict the sudden noise at 2:40 without checking the timer at all. Gotta love that claustrophobic ending.

The Garden Of Linmiri - It starts quietly, and eerily. It almost tricks you into thinking it's an ambient drone track. Then, all of a sudden, it begins. You are drawn ever closer to your doom as loud, thrashing beats, clonks and whirring bleeps overwhelm your ears. It goes on, attacking your body again and again, never loosing its eerieness despite all the chaotic noise. Piercing slashes of static stab through you, repeatedly, just to remind you you're not dead yet. This is such a perfect track, it leads me to think that it could have been inspired by a dream. 10/10

We Are The Music Makers (Hardcore Mix) - I don't like this track so much. It's way too noisy, it sounds like too much is going on at once, and the individual noises still don't sound very good. Again, it's quite an abrasive track. Though I guess it lives up to its title, it is hardcore, after all.

So, overall, I'd give the work of Caustic Window 7/10. Some of the tracks are really, really good, almost perfect, but some are not that great. My top tracks are Fantasia, The Garden of Linmiri, AFX 114, Pigeon Street, R2D2, and On The Romance Tip.

I hope you guys appreciate this, my lengthy reviews for these threads take upwards of an hour to write, you know.