If there’s a patron saint of techno, then his name is Richard D. James. More commonly known as the Aphex Twin, he’s been making electronic music of enormous diversity since the early nineties and has developed a vast, devoted fan base on his own, rather eccentric, terms.
It’s difficult finding out any truly verifiable information about James’s life and recording methods. He’s a well known yarn-spinner and teller of tall tales, quite happy to embroider the truth about himself and his achievements while keeping his home life private. What we do know for certain is that he was born in 1971 and grew up in Cornwall. He made a name for himself on the rave scene in the early-nineties with the classic single Didgeridoo and later signed to Warp Records, home to many of the greats of the modern electronic scene. The Twin part of his alias is a tribute to his older brother, also named Richard D. James, who died shortly after birth. In honour of his brief life, his parents decided to give their next son the same name. These days Richard D. James the Second records most of his music in his own studio – located in the vault of the converted London bank that he lives in. When he’s not out driving his tank that is…
Drukqs was the first full Aphex album since 1996 and expectations were high. His last few releases had seen a radical move away from his softer, more melodic and ambient work, to an aggressive strain of mutant drum n’ bass. With such a long gap between records, fans fully expected him to release something different again, something that would reinvent electronic music entirely.
Of course it didn’t. Rather than anything radically new, Drukqs, when it arrived, took many of his previous styles of music and developed them further. But what styles! This is a record that swings from strange clockwork melodies one minute to manic breakbeat workouts the next. One track, Omgyjya Switch7, is made from computer game samples and listening to it is like being pinned down and battered by a very angry sumo wrestler. In a good way, obviously.
But it’s the solo piano tracks that make this record both so captivating and controversial. They’re lovely - and perhaps a bit too normal for some of James’s more electronically obsessed fans. Despite the lack of obvious techno elements these tracks are recognisably the work of the same man. They’re packed with James’s trademark twisted melodies, both beautiful and unnerving. Surprisingly, given the album’s length (30 tracks over 2 CDs), it’s a very cohesive album with a distinct and disquieting atmosphere. It’s easy to categorise electronic music as cold and faceless, but it’s a fallacy. There’s more emotion and atmosphere on virtually every track here than in an entire album by your average guitar band. The second disc especially, with tracks like Taking Control, which samples his mother’s voice, gives the album a very intimate, familial feel.
There’s music on this album to suit all moods, from the gloomy atmospherics of Gwely Mernans (I promise you, I’m not making these track titles up), to more conventionally danceable material like Taking Control. Kladfvgbung Micshk (honestly!) has all the spooky atmosphere of a stalk and slash movie and Mt Saint Michel Mix is a pure adrenalin headrush.
Drukqs occupies an odd place in the history of electronic music, both adored and reviled by fans. But if you’re at all interested in the genre, or want to know the ideal place to start with Aphex Twin, then this album is an essential purchase.