Classics – The Aphex Twin – Released January 30th, 1995 R&S Records
Classics is a compilation album of vintage Aphex Twin tracks from his pre-Warp era. It was released by R&S Records in 1995 under the alias The Aphex Twin.
The Aphex Twin was the original name Richard D Hames used on the earliest Aphex Twin releases, the “The”, being subsequently dropped by the time of his first (and only official) R&S album, 1992’s Selected Ambient Works Vol 1.
(It’s worth noting, however, that on the recent Bandcamp version R&S also dropped the “The” prefix and so the digital release of Classics is credited as just “Aphex Twin”.)
Classics is essentially a compilation of early EPs (plus two remixes) which came out mostly on R&S alongside RDJ’s famous first release, Analogue Bubblebath, which was originally released on Mighty Force.
No points for guessing that Richard D James found the idea of a “greatest hits” compilation hard to stomach, especially so early in his career, and would have preferred that the compilation never saw the light of day.
He considered it a cynical cash grab, with R&S “milking” his success by re-releasing old tracks, since he’d already signed to Warp by that point having released two albums on the label while continuing to refine his sound.
Much of the tracks on Classic do show their age in places and have more of a DIY aesthetic topped off with a dark, brooding industrial motif.
I snapped this LP up as soon as it came out, as it was the perfect way for me to fill in the blanks and play catchup with an artist I had, at the time, just recently discovered and subsequently became obsessed with.
So yeah, here we are, decades later, revisiting these classics and cueing them up just for you while wishing you a happy Avril 14th…
Didgin’ The Classics
So which one are you? Are you a digeridoo or a digeridon’t?
If you believe the lore this track was inspired by the hippies who’d show up to raves with digeridoos because they were smelly hippies and that’s the kinda thing smelly hippies do.
The other piece of lore is that the demo for this song was sent off inside a piece of drainpipe, something which would likely result in a call to the bomb squad these days. (Because there was no such thing as pipe bombs in the 90s.)
The third and, perhaps most telling piece of lore, is that RDJ originally played this track to clear away the riff raff at the end of the night.
Given the fact that this track was made way back at the very beginning of the 90s, when BPMs were generally lower, it’s easy to see why.
It may not have been purposely made to clear dancefloors, but the relentless high-speed breaks, brooding psychedelic textures and angry acid was unlike anything anyone had ever heard before, so that was the desired result.
Suffice to say, this track was years ahead of its time, but as we now know, Aphex Twin was just getting warmed up…
Next up we have Flaphead, not to be confused with Flathead, an Australian headmaster who was also big in the 90s. (Though not quite as hardcore.)
Flaphead is a dark industrial techno clangfest which can be considered a distant progenitor of his later Polygon Window classic Quoth.
In fact, the industrial motif punctuates the majority of tracks on this compilation and generally can be split into two types.
First, the four-to-the-four stuff like the previous Flaphead, and more breakbeat-inspired stuff, such as we have here on Phloam.
And, much as Flaphead can be seen as a proto Quoth, Phloam points towards future styles 1995’s I Care Because You Do.
More industrial mayhem next with Isopropanol, which has a very distinctive Aphex chord progression. The distorted kick and zap beat which comprises the main rhythm would later be reused on the 1997 release Come To Daddy.
There’s also a creepy sample in here of a posh kid singing which AFX nerds aren’t sure as to the origin, some say it’s from The Sound Of Music (which RDJ sampled before) but others say no. Not being familiar with the movie, and with zero fucking intention of sitting down and watching it, I guess we’ll never know.
As an aside, this track was originally named Isopropophlex and appeared on the first ever The Aphex Twin release, 1991’s Analogue Bubblebath EP on Mighty Force. (More on that in a moment.)
Polynomial-C is a tune that’s long overdue a remix. Ok, so there have been some bootleg remixes but they’re all shite. And I’d still love to hear RDJ do a modern re-imagining of this one. </hint>
Melodically it’s one of his best but, as with most the stuff on here, its showing its age and the DIY beat sounds comparatively tame by today’s standards. To hear a beefed up version coming out of a massive soundsystem – can’t be the only one who’d go completely mental dancing if I heard it.
Also, if RDJ ever does decide to pull a Pete Tong and do an orchestral show (unlikely but we live in hope) this one’s gotta be in there. (Right after Icct Hedral, obvs.)
Tamphex (Hedphuq Mix) – ah this one!
It’s basically a sample of an old Tampax ad on loop over a dirty DIY techno beat, filtered and twisted and punctuated with some typically weird squidgy synths… why stop when your period starts?
Magic!
The fact that it’s the Hedphuq Mix makes me wonder if there are, in fact, other versions of this track? Maybe a more ambient one with some absorbent synth pads? (….I’ll get me coat…)
Phlange Phace is an angry acid and breakbeat number that certainly has some UK warehouse rave in its DNA, but that warehouse has since caved in and now the ravers are under tonnes of concrete and twisted rusty metal.
Dodeccaheedron is another brooding dark industrial clanger full of abrasive metallic shards of scraping percussion and instantly-recognisable Aphex pads.
Again this is a pretty cool tune, but one does get the sense of a young artist still finding their sound.
This one, I feel, bears more than a passing resemblance to the title track from the Polygon Window release, for example.
As such, you can totally get why RDJ was a bit miffed at R&S for putting this out since he felt he’d moved on as an artist and would prefer we all hear the newer stuff.
Then, suddenly, out the grim darkness, soft iridescent bubbles of light come sailing through the heavens in the form of Analogue Bubblebath.
This bright and playful piece remains one of his most well-loved tracks and with good reason. It has the same feel-good melodic mastery which we associate with SAW1 with an upbeat breakbeat tempo and plenty of frothy hands in the air riffs to boot.
It most likely was created around later than most of the tracks on here, as it sounds clearer and more carefully produced.
It also bears the honour of being the first proper (The) Aphex Twin release, coming out on Mark Darby’s Mighty Force label all the way back in 1991.
Again there’s plenty of lore around this one, and how RDJ was reluctant to sign a deal and put out tracks so his mates talked him around one night while he was tripping.
I bet his bank balance is glad he did, it may well prove to be the most lucrative acid trip in history, that’s what I call acid management… ok I’ll stop now I promise…
Anyways, whatever the true story was, Analogue Bubblebath was the tune which launched his career, building his underground following and eventually the attention of R&S.
This second deal gave us Digeridoo and some of the other tracks on this compilation, as well as the pivotal release, Selected Ambient Works Vol 1.
Then came his deal with Warp Records, who he continues to release music for to this day.
And it all started with this gorgeous little track – honestly it’s well worth buying this compilation just for this tune alone.
The compilation switches gears completely with Metapharstic, a heavy acid techno track which, in true Aphex form, sounds completely unlike any of its peers.
Note the kick drum here, heavily distorted though lacking thump somewhat. Hearing it on vinyl through a good sound system you’ll note it does have a fair bit of bottom end.
You’ll also hear a robot voice going, “Aphex” over and over because… Aphex.
We then get two remixes for Mescalanium United, aka Marc Trauner, a German techno artist who also released on R&S as well as Lenny Dee’s Industrial Strength label.
RDJ took what was already a fairly dark piece of early 90s warehouse techno and twisted and mangled it to make something even harder. The result was two shrill slices of pure mechanical mayhem.
We Have Arrived (Aphex Twin QQT Mix) is a 4/4 banger that sounds like a forgeful of burly blacksmiths all coming up on E at the same time.
We Have Arrived (Aphex Twin TTQ Mix) is the flip. I prefer this version as it has more of a breakbeat aesthetic, albiet in a way that sounds completely different to anyone else at the time.
These industrial clangs are most indicative of that shrill industrial aesthetic we tended to associate with early 90s Aphex from this period right through to the On EP and subsequent I Care Because You Do album.
(Later came the Hangable Auto Bulb EP and Richard D James album where frenzied jungalist-adjacent breaks took precedence.)
In fact, you can compare this to later tracks like Come On You Slags and see how certain rhythmic patterns would keep cropping up throughout these phase 1 releases.
Like I said, it’s fair to say a large amount of the tracks are showing their age now but this one still sounds pretty fucking intense.
The album ends as it begins, with a reprise of Digeridoo, this time live in Cornwall, taking us back to where it all began.
And of course, let’s not forget why this track was created in the first place, to clear the place out – so yeah, that’s the hint gwan, get, and you too you damn scruffy hippies gwan, shoo! Clear awf!
Classic Sounds
This is not a “proper” Aphex Twin album and as releases go, it’s far from his finest, but that’s not to say there’s not some pure gold here too.
For fans looking to trace back the origins of the early Aphex sound this is mandatory listening, as well for completionists looking to get those early tunes on a budget.
The proper die-hard fans either have the original releases already, or they have most of them and are willing to pay silly money on Discogs to complete their collection.
As mentioned, some of this stuff is showing its age, but then why wouldn’t it? As with Ambient Works 1, it’s quite possible that some of this stuff dates back to the late 80s, the result of a teenager jamming in his bedroom.
What you also get, however, is some of the most important pieces of Aphex history.
Digeridoo is essential, Analogue Bubblebath is still a profound sensory indulgence more than three decades on, plus there’s the rousing cinematic majesty of Polynomical-C, the seminal caustic blasts of Isopropophlex and the cheeky hardcore hilarity of Tamphex.
And you’ll no doubt find a few of your own favourites on here too. There’s something for all Aphex fans to enjoy while we eagerly await some new releases. An album would be nice eh? Only been a decade… </hint>