Marking
its 30th anniversary today is the debut album from Aphex Twin, Selected
Ambient Works 85-92, which was released on November 9th, 1992. Issued
in double LP, CD and cassette formats, it became a cornerstone for the
next evolution of electronics music, commonly referred to as “IDM -
intelligent dance music”.
As the first waves of techno &
house/acid house music swept the clubs in the UK through the late 1980s,
cresting with the dawn of the new decade, DJs and producers like
Richard D. James were looking for ways to evolve the music into more
thoughtful, progressive forms. This desire became the impetus for James
to found his Rephlex record label. After debuting his Aphex Twin alias
the prior year with the Analogue Bubblebath EP followed by the
Digeridoo 12”, when it came time to put together an album, James decided
to soften his edges, He compiled a set of tracks largely based on
input from friends regarding which of his recordings they enjoyed
hearing most when they were chilling out.
The material for the
album was reputedly all recorded directly to cassette between 1985 and
1992, utilizing a limited set of electronics, synths and drum machines,
often modified and customized by James. While still pursuing his
academic studies prior to committing full time to a music career, James
had been focusing his education on engineering and electronics, so that
expertise dovetailed perfectly with his interest in music making.
The
genius of the album’s style is that it combines the contemporary
electronic rhythms of the dance floor with the layering of subtle,
evocative melodic textures which, when infused with the soft-focusing
effect of the somewhat “low fi” recording techniques, created the
album’s trademark dreamscape effect. Indeed, it’s James’ nuanced and
delicate melodic sensibilities that set his music apart and above so
many other electronic artists. There’s a compositional cohesion to his
use of musical refrains and chord shifts which stamp his work with its
distinctive surrealism. While it isn’t technically “ambient” in the
classic, "Eno" defined sense of the term, it still rests inside an
atmospheric landscape which avoids the jarring edginess of the more
brutal material James had been releasing for the clubs.
The album
was minimally packaged with the iconic Aphex logo prominently
dominating the otherwise blank surface. The logo had been designed by
Paul Nicholson under the guidance of James, with the two going through
several iterations before they settled on a final form. James’
principal instruction was that it should refrain from the use of any
sharp edges, thus the entire design is based on rounded corners with the
overall shape vaguely suggesting the letter “A”. James has also
suggested it has some significance as a sigil, though he has not
elaborated on the specifics of its meaning or intent.
Since its
original release, the album has been reissued and remastered numerous
times, though its content has remained exact, with no bonus materials
ever being added. Its influence and legacy have remained consistent as
well. It set a standard for its genre of electronic music and pushed
other producers in the field to try to keep up. Listening to it today,
though it may have been produced with limited and primitive tools, it
still sounds contemporary and even ahead of the times. It’s simply one
of the best, most visionary electronic music albums ever created. It is
the soundtrack for “dreamers of dreams”.
