Aphex Twin is one of my favorite composers and his 1995 album "I Care Because You Do" will always hold a special place in my collection. I have to admit I really don’t care for some of his work; the more harsh experimental stuff is not really my style. But when he gets all melodic and ambient there is none better. This track here is one of my all-time favorites.
Aphex Twin – Alberto Balsalm
[audio:alberto.mp3]
I just love Mookid. It reminds me about summer evenings spent watching the sun going down 🙂
I love this song.
And there are very good tracks on Selected Ambient Works as well.
Just off the topic here:
I was just listening to “In The End” – the bonus track on “The Science of Patterns” and it struck me: Did you have a little collaboration with Bonobo on that one? Haha, nah just kidding. It’s just that “In The End” shares a lot of elements with Bonobo’s track “Silver” on the album “Animal Magic”. At least that’s my opinion…
You know Bonobo, right? If not, I think you’d really like his style too.
– J
I absolutley adore that album. Every track is gold and its just unbelievably well done. Alberto Balsam is actually my favourite track aswell, mainly because its a good mix of very ambient works with a cool hip hop beat making this reallly cool texture to it.
Richard D James is god lol
Oh and i reccomend his side project The Tuss, although it may be a bit too heavy handed if you only prefer his ambient works.
Joaquim-
just went and listened to “Silver”…pretty nice. “In The End” was all about DJ Shadow though, back then his work was my big influence..Didn’t hear Bonobo until a few years ago through Dusty Brown.
I have regarded Alberto Balsam as one of the most beautiful songs ever made. Gorgeous work.
Further, I love Aphex Twin. I love his twisted sense of humor, too.
What technique did he use for that cover art? Almost looks like he had someone try to paint over a photograph or something.
Aphex Twin is pretty cool, agreed on selected Ambient Works, there are a lot of really spacey tracks on it. His videos are incredible too:
Windowlicker (hilarious):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1P3Wc-37pC4
Rubby Johnny (mindf**k):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l48HTZUHfeQ
Come to Daddy (creepy):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5Az_7U0-cK0
Jesus, theres a blast from the past, that tunes a fuking belter. Him and FSOL were the nuts back in the day, esp this tune….
Papua New Guinea ooooh yeah!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiyyEIQVvMw&feature=related
and this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oylzsdb13NU&feature=related
oh and a couple of leftfield numbers here….
Swords
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlKUzqmaiSE
Phat planet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YDyMlE5wUA&feature=related
Yay Aphex. I agree on not totally liking everything by him, but then again I sort of do like everything in a curious kind of masochistic way… But for really pretty and eclectic stuff I am listening to The Flashbulb these days. Benn Jordan amazes me.
That song was very good indeed. Reminded me a lot of and artist called “Milosh”. If you haven’t heard his stuff, I think you would enjoy it, based on that Aphex Twin song.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=123535560&id=123535093&s=143441
That song was very good indeed. Reminded me a lot of and artist called “Milosh”. If you haven’t heard his stuff, I think you would enjoy it, based on that Aphex Twin song.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=123535560&id=123535093&s=143441
“instrumental” and “I’m trying” would be two good ones to check out
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That was the first Aphex Twin song I ever heard all the way back when I was 14. It completely changed my expectations of what music can be. The percussion always reminds me of moving furniture on a hardwood floor.
Great post. Made my day.
Mike Milosh has some good songs, but I don’t know if Aphex is what comes to mind when I think of his music…interesting how different things can sound to different ears, huh?
I like the idea behind his albums too– the first one was about his love for his girlfriend, the second one, which is the one I own, Meme is about the breakup…although it’s a bit too moody for my tastes right now, songs like Falling Away were very fitting when I was jilted last yr.
acrid avid jam shred owns that whole album in my opinion.
i got into aphex off the ventolin ep when it came out, and then shortly after got the full length. pretty much obsessed over this for years, along with his subsequent output. listening back on it now, it’s still very good, but the repetitive nature of some tracks, like alberto balsam, is a bit hard for me to take if i’m not busy with something else. i’ve heard these tunes so much there’s nothing new in a straight listening experience and the tunes tend to drag on for me.
i didn’t mind some of the analord stuff…but….for me, aphex kind of milked his own cult of personality almost to the point of making himself irrelevent. whereas autechre have carved out something truly unique, albeit utterly cold, austere, and these days, inhospitable. autechre may not feel as good to listen to, but from a critical & historical perspective i think they will hold a more pretigious position in the pantheon of great experimental electronic composers.
I’ve always loved Aphex Twin. Ever since Windowlicker. That and Squarepusher. Something about seeing Chris Cunningham’s videos…made me feel like I was on drugs even when I wasn’t! Thanks for the post Scott.
I can almost get into his other stuff… But then I think… Well I’d still rather listen to something else so I don’t hehe. The older stuff is my favourite… I imagine that in ten year’s I’ll be listening to the stuff that, right now, is new… And again, I’ll not like the real new stuff again. If you get what I mean. He’s kinda too far ahead of everything else for you to be used to it and like it. Heh.
Aphex twin as been one of my main influencies. I just love his work with chris cunningham, It’s just so good. I know sometimes it might be a bit scary… but for me it is just perfect.
Its all about the Mookid
That album cover scares the hell outta me!
I love the song ‘Come On YOU Slags’ off that album.. creeps me out.. great feeling to it… a creepy feeling.. good though… RDJ is king
You have just said perfectly: a lot of garbage but the beautyfullest ambient works!
But I love the garbage…
alberto balsam along with fatcat and some other early fsol tracks was the first mp3s i got back in 95
first off, i just want to say your designs are tight as fuck. secondly, your music is amazing. and thirdly (which is also what prompted me to leave a reply in the first place) alberto balsam is the reason why i listen to electronic music. there was about 20 sec. of it at the end of a mix tape i was given and i was obsessed with it because i only got to hear half of the melody and i NEEDED to hear the rest. and now i’m realizing how inane that story is.
in summary: you have good taste because it’s analogous to mine.
Alberto Balsam is mine and my friend’s favorite longboarding surf song…wootie!
Wow, cool man, big thanks! http://jhqsoyflfvldxx.com