RDJ Album First Impressions

  On 3/15/2014 at 11:24 PM, Akiak said:

 

  On 3/15/2014 at 11:05 PM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

 

  On 3/15/2014 at 11:02 PM, Akiak said:

Fingerbib seems to be a popular fave, but it's actually one of the very few tracks I don't find all that special.

Interesting that you don't enjoy the best track on the record.

It's the middle part I don't like, I love the main melody.

yellow calx is prob my favorite on this one, followed by to cure a weakling child, but tbh this is my least favorite Aphex album.

 

 

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

  On 3/15/2014 at 11:54 PM, LUDD said:

 

  On 3/15/2014 at 10:36 PM, psn said:

Bought when it was brand new, at the old record store at one of the subway stations in Oslo. Was pretty blown away on first listen. 4 with its hectic drums and beautiful melodies was what stuck out the most on a record with tons of new sounds, but I remember getting a clear 80s EBM vibe from Cornish Acid.

 

Bought it when it on 12" when it was brand new too. Blew my mind. Couldn't stop grinning. Listened to it repeatedly all day while skinning up on the sleeve. I remember thinking that the breakdown in 4 was very reminiscent of tundra from FMWT. Haven't really been that blown away by anything since.

 

Wow, I hadn't noticed that before. I hear that too.

 

 

This was my introduction to Aphex Twin and IDM overall, listened to it in absolute amazement and shock on a road trip.

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

 

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

Edited March 16, 2014 by psn

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

Wow, seriously, I never noticed that! How on earth do you count the interlude part (for lack of a better word) after the main melody, 4/4 part? Edited March 17, 2014 by r2c

It's just a 4/4 measure tucked in after two 8/4 phrases. Or you can call it all one long phrase that's five bars of 4/4.

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

 

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

 

 

Do you think he understood this while writing it, or do you think that he just wrote it?

Must. Break. Vittle. Stickman.

  On 3/17/2014 at 5:50 AM, r2c said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

Wow, seriously, I never noticed that! How on earth do you count the interlude part (for lack of a better word) after the main melody, 4/4 part?

 

 

  On 3/17/2014 at 6:08 AM, psn said:

It's just a 4/4 measure tucked in after two 8/4 phrases. Or you can call it all one long phrase that's five bars of 4/4.

 

^Damn.

 

 

  On 3/17/2014 at 6:21 AM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

 

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

 

 

Do you think he understood this while writing it, or do you think that he just wrote it?

 

 

I didn't notice how "deceptively" simple it was until years later, when I head it slowed down, in terms of how minimal and simple the beat is.

 

it's pretty sparse but as PSN points out the meter is odd, It's a bit like Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" which is just a simple piano riff in unusual meter:

 

http://youtu.be/s2VzLn6DMCE

  Quote

 

 

The song is infamous among fans for its time signature, which many find hard to discern or even nonexistent. However, one possibility is that “Pyramid Song” could be based around an uncommon subdivision of 8/8 time (3+3+2) in which the eighth notes are swung. This could also be expressed as 16/8 time subdivided as 3+3+4+3+3. Another interpretation which can be found be following the drum pattern is a cycle of 5/4-4/4-4/4-3/4 that repeats itself throughout the song.

 

The RDJ has a theme of complex rhythms juxtaposed with simple melodies or vice-versa, which is what makes D'n'B interesting as well. Even the most off-the-wall tracks have at least one simple element within them.

Edited March 17, 2014 by joshuatx

  On 3/17/2014 at 3:19 PM, joshuatx said:

 

  On 3/17/2014 at 5:50 AM, r2c said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

Wow, seriously, I never noticed that! How on earth do you count the interlude part (for lack of a better word) after the main melody, 4/4 part?

 

 

  On 3/17/2014 at 6:08 AM, psn said:

It's just a 4/4 measure tucked in after two 8/4 phrases. Or you can call it all one long phrase that's five bars of 4/4.

 

^Damn.

 

 

  On 3/17/2014 at 6:21 AM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

 

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

 

 

Do you think he understood this while writing it, or do you think that he just wrote it?

 

 

I didn't notice how "deceptively" simple it was until years later, when I head it slowed down, in terms of how minimal and simple the beat is.

http://youtu.be/ljgYaeD0E_o

 

it's pretty sparse but as PSN points out the meter is odd, It's a bit like Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" which is just a simple piano riff in unusual meter:

 

http://youtu.be/s2VzLn6DMCE

  Quote

 

 

The song is infamous among fans for its time signature, which many find hard to discern or even nonexistent. However, one possibility is that “Pyramid Song” could be based around an uncommon subdivision of 8/8 time (3+3+2) in which the eighth notes are swung. This could also be expressed as 16/8 time subdivided as 3+3+4+3+3. Another interpretation which can be found be following the drum pattern is a cycle of 5/4-4/4-4/4-3/4 that repeats itself throughout the song.

 

The RDJ has a theme of complex rhythms juxtaposed with simple melodies or vice-versa, which is what makes D'n'B interesting as well. Even the most off-the-wall tracks have at least one simple element within them.

 

 

Wow, it's so beautiful slowed down. Often times I wonder if he experiments at writing tracks at very low BPM and then speeding them up to see what he comes up with. Although, in my experience this can cause problems with drum patterns.

  On 3/17/2014 at 6:21 AM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

 

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

 

 

Do you think he understood this while writing it, or do you think that he just wrote it?

 

 

He probably sequenced it on a computer, or on an MPC? Since those machines tend to steer you in the direction of 2/4/8/16/32 kind of phrases, I'd guess it was quite deliberate to break out of the mold. Generally, though, I think RDJ works very much on intuition.

I think the US got shafted by getting the Girl/Boy EP and RDJ Album combined rather than two separate releases. Dumb WB record exces couldn't handle the fact the 'album' was so short (running time).

  On 3/17/2014 at 3:30 PM, psn said:

 

  On 3/17/2014 at 6:21 AM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 9:11 AM, psn said:

 

  On 3/16/2014 at 2:12 AM, joshuatx said:

Fingerbib seems to resonate the most with listeners. It's the most straightforward track beat-wise, so it's technically the least experimental on the album. It's one of my favorite tracks of his discography.

 

It's deceptively simple, yeah! The deception lies in the fact that it has the most complex meter of any Aphex track ever.

Do you think he understood this while writing it, or do you think that he just wrote it?

He probably sequenced it on a computer, or on an MPC? Since those machines tend to steer you in the direction of 2/4/8/16/32 kind of phrases, I'd guess it was quite deliberate to break out of the mold. Generally, though, I think RDJ works very much on intuition.

Whatever he used to sequence it, I'm pretty sure he'd try to remove anything which would influence him in that sort of way (numbered grids, pitched metronomes etc.), because it goes against making music using pure intuition. I wouldn't ever say he deliberately tries to use weird time signatures and stuff like that, which is something I'd associate more with stuff like radiohead.

 

I think Ae said something similar in the AAA regarding why they were using a certain daw I had never heard of.

i like the US version, to me all the tracks are fairly similar in style and go together well

Is goon gumpas just a pisstake, or what? It's annoying. And Rock Witch is like a Willy Wonka apocalypse on acid. Maybe I'd have to be on acid to enjoy it (but probably too scary lol).

 

I really enjoy a few tracks on RDJ album and ICBYD, but I guess I'm more of an SAW I, Analord, & Tuss kinda guy. Can enjoy those pretty much all the way through.

 

Trackermatte for president.

  On 3/15/2014 at 8:48 PM, boris said:

  On 3/21/2014 at 4:44 AM, popiax said:

 

  On 3/15/2014 at 8:48 PM, boris said:

 

lol, indeed

Yellow Calx is interesting to me because it sounds like RDJ's early experimentation with a drill beat. Like, a year or so later he could have made the same track and made it 100x better. It's a bit rough, but still a nice piece.

I bought RDJ Album when it first came out, and thought it was just okay upon first listen. I bought it mostly cuz of 4. At that time, I was listening to a lot of drum n bass and Atari Teenage Riot, etc., so I was more into that vibe. And then I was blown away by downloading Hasty Boom Alert on a Hotline server, so then I went out and bought a few Mike P releases. That shit changed my life. Theeeen several months later, I really understood RDJ Album much better- i.e. it's a great album.

It is.

  On 3/21/2014 at 4:30 AM, r2c said:

goon gumpas

annoying

u watch ur mouth boy or imma get the pooh stick

 

but yeah uh i think i prefer the poppy/melodic tracks (4 fingerbib gumpas girl/boy rockwitch) to the proto-drukqs ones. Maybe my favourite aphex album? i dunno, i've probably gotten more out of SAW85 + II combined, but at that length it's more of an experience than an album proper.

RE: Pyramid song, it's hilarious to me how much people have freaked out trying to figure it out. But the answer is EXTREMELY simple. The rhythm is just a very slow bossa nova rhythm. The piano replaces the rim shot in the beat.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to8mmycJgqw

Very cute comic.

Reducing an album to a simple fucking word and naive meme-type drawing is pure laziness. Takes no skills, no artistic talent, it takes no brain to do that, you could do the same thing to a 2 year old child.

 

 

p.s.: Christgau does it better. A lot.

  On 3/22/2014 at 12:23 AM, Philip Glass said:

Reducing an album to a simple fucking word and naive meme-type drawing is pure laziness. Takes no skills, no artistic talent, it takes no brain to do that, you could do the same thing to a 2 year old child.

 

 

p.s.: Christgau does it better. A lot.

 

Richard D. James Album [Elektra, 1996]

Jungle sure has livelied up this prematurely ambient postdance snoozemeister. His latest synth tunes are infested with hypertime electrobeats that compel the tunes themselves to get a move on. And where once he settled for austere classical aura, now he cuts big whiffs of 19th-century cheese. He even sings. Hey, fella--I hear Martha Wash needs work. B+

 

http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Aphex+Twin

 

 

I still prefer the comic.

good beat *fapfapfap*