Do you prefer your Aphex Pre or Post Drill n Bass?

He had some really great stuff before the BPM explosion, which sound do you prefer, or is it just an evolution of his sound to you? Kinda like the division in sound from DMX's career.

just an evolution... Otherwise it would B boring 2 listen 2 always the same styles of an artist...

My introduction to Aphex Twin was the RDJ album. The drill n' bass output drew me in. I had never listened to anything like that when I first heard it, being rather new to electronic music at the time. Years of avid listening to breakcore, d'n'b, old rave and jungle, and even juke, I find myself listening to RDJ's drill-n-bass output less often than his older albums or the Analord and Tuss releases. It's no less brilliant imo, and I agree it was an important evolution in his sound (who doesn't I suppose...) but with a few exceptions (girl/boy song, HAB) I find myself listening to the the "pre-BPM explosion" output more often these days.

Also, I suppose there's a post-Drukqs sound - Tuss and Analord aren't drill-n-bass.

Are you talking about his analogue stuff post and pre D'n'B, or about analogue vs. laptop?

I miss that whole era when drill first emerged. Mu-zig, Squarepusher, and Aphex all made incredibly classy stuff. I think the problem is a drill sorta turned into breakcore, the most classless music ever invented.

  On 7/26/2012 at 4:24 PM, acid1 said:

I miss that whole era when drill first emerged. Mu-zig, Squarepusher, and Aphex all made incredibly classy stuff. I think the problem is a drill sorta turned into breakcore, the most classless music ever invented.

This, even though I like a lot of breakcore. Hangable Autobulb and Feed Me Weird Things are magical and Lunatic Harness is quite good too.

  On 7/26/2012 at 4:49 PM, sweepstakes said:

  On 7/26/2012 at 4:24 PM, acid1 said:

I miss that whole era when drill first emerged. Mu-zig, Squarepusher, and Aphex all made incredibly classy stuff. I think the problem is a drill sorta turned into breakcore, the most classless music ever invented.

This, even though I like a lot of breakcore. Hangable Autobulb and Feed Me Weird Things are magical and Lunatic Harness is quite good too.

Good point. Happens to a lot of genres I suppose - dubstep went all gimmicky and unrefined as well.

You know, I think juke/footwork worked the other way around - it was dance-oriented often kitschy lo-fi music. Then after the Planet Mu comps and blog hype Machinedrum, Ital Tek, Africa Hitech, Ramadanman, etc took influence from it and have made some great tracks.

Anyone notice that allmusic.com has a drill n' bass entry, yet the term is basically absent on wikipedia? I feel like it deserves a bit more recognition, even if it was basically a Rephlex/Warp trend (and within the "IDM" scene). Maybe I need to write up sections about it on the d'n'b and IDM pages :/ I mean there's an entire moombahton page now for fucksake!

I prefer it right in the middle.

I think the direction it seemed like he was heading in with those most recent live tracks were a perfect mix between his old and new styles.

Neither.

  On 7/26/2012 at 5:25 PM, Candiru said:

I think the direction it seemed like he was heading in with those most recent live tracks were a perfect mix between his old and new styles.

Q: Do you know that you are the drill n' bass inventor?

Luke Vibert: What the fuck is drill n' bass?

ambient and minimalist RDJ is my fav RDJ.

Hangable Auto Bulb is his best album

It's all very good.

I really like how RDJ is capable of totally switch his sound every album. That's why I respect him a lot. I'm totally sure his next album will blow our shit out like all the time. APHEX TWIN 4LIFE

I too love Rich's variation, it keeps his career alive, keepin us guessing where he goes next. Of course we know he composes all styles, and arranges them to his satisfaction for release.

I agree the Tuss stuff, even some Jidomatix, mix the analogue with the digital programming. SAW2 will always be my fav, as that's when me and my friends caught onto this weird chap in England who was making a fuss in the ambient scene.

Sometime it seems he has explored so many different genres that we expect him to invent new ones with each release. I'm still hoping for an outright noise or trip hop album from the man someday. But please no dubstep, you're better than that Dickard!

HAB and before for me. After HAB he went down hill and Autechre took over imo.

  On 7/27/2012 at 11:37 PM, narkeworld said:

HAB and before for me. After HAB he went down hill and Autechre took over imo.

This... although I RDJ album is still quite good, and Come To Daddy is what got me into Aphex Twin in the first place.

Also '95 and earlier Autechre is still good but I agree that Aphex was a bit better then.

HAB is one of my favorite works of his... Come to Daddy is great too. I'm back and forth on RDJ albums, depends on the mood I'm in, but Milk Man will always have a special place in my heart

  On 7/26/2012 at 10:55 PM, jefferoo said:

It's all very good.

this.

I like it all.

DJ sets sprinkled with tracks from every era.............. thats the RDJ I love

  On 7/27/2012 at 9:27 PM, Rubin Farr said:

Sometime it seems he has explored so many different genres that we expect him to invent new ones with each release. I'm still hoping for an outright noise or trip hop album from the man someday. But please no dubstep, you're better than that Dickard!

I'd be happy if he just kept releasing loads of Manchester track/Metz track style albums from here onwards. Those tracks are the best things he has produced so far I think.

i don't get those couple new live tracks that people rave about. simply because it's recorded live and sounds like crap, i can't really rate it.

best of both worlds