Aphex Twin | |
|---|---|
 James performing in March 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Richard David James (1971-08-18)18 August 1971 (age 54) Limerick, Ireland |
| Origin | Cornwall, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Works | |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Mike & Rich |
| Website | aphextwin |
Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), known professionally asAphex Twin,[1][2][a] is a British musician, composer and DJ active inelectronic music since 1988.[3][4][5] His idiosyncratic work has drawn on many styles, includingtechno,ambient,acid, andjungle,[11] and he has been described as a pioneering figure in theintelligent dance music (IDM) genre.[b] Journalists from publications includingMixmag,The New York Times,NME,Fact,Clash andThe Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.[26]
James was raised inCornwall and beganDJing atfree parties and clubs around theSouth West in the late 1980s.[27] His debut EPAnalogue Bubblebath, released in 1991 onMighty Force Records, brought James an early following; he began to perform across the UK andcontinental Europe.[28][29] James co-founded the independent labelRephlex Records the same year. His 1992 debut albumSelected Ambient Works 85–92, released by Belgian labelApollo, garnered wider critical and popular acclaim. James signed toWarp in late 1992 and subsequently released charting albums such as...I Care Because You Do (1995) andRichard D. James Album (1996), as well asTop 40 singles such as "Come to Daddy" (1997) and "Windowlicker" (1999); the latter two were accompanied bymusic videos directed byChris Cunningham and brought James wider international attention.
After releasingDrukqs in 2001 and completing his contract with Warp, James spent several years releasing music on his own Rephlex label, including the 2005Analord EP series under his AFX alias and a pair of 2007 releases as the Tuss. In 2014 he made available apreviously unreleased 1994 LP as Caustic Window. He returned later that year with the Aphex Twin albumSyro on Warp, winning theGrammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. He has since released charting EPs includingCheetah (2016) andCollapse (2018). His 2023 single "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording.[30][31]
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James was born on 18 August 1971[33] inLimerick, Ireland,[34] toWelsh parents.[35] According to James, he had a stillborn older brother also named Richardwhose name he inherited.[36][37] In a 1997 interview James stated that this death occurred while his family had moved to Canada in 1968 for his father's mining work; it led his mother to reuse the name because "she didn't want to accept the death of the child."[38] James grew up inCornwall,[32] where he lived inLanner while attendingRedruth School inRedruth.[32] James said he liked growing up there, "cut off from the city and the rest of the world".[32] He became interested in making sounds before writing music, and as a child he played with the strings inside his family piano and disassembled tape equipment.[39] In a 2001 interview James said that at age 11 he won £50 in a competition for producing sound on aSinclair ZX81, a home computer with no sound hardware: "I played around withmachine code and found some codes that retuned the TV signal so that it made this really weird noise when you turned the volume up."[40] However,Fact Magazine reported in 2017 that this contest story is dubious,[41] and likely based on a program published inYour Computer Magazine 1982, for which the author (G. N. Owen) was paid £6 (equivalent to £27 in 2023).[42][43] James states that he bought his first synthesizer at age 12 and after taking an interest inelectronics would modifyanalogue synthesisers "and junk" to make noise.[39]
James began making music aged 14,[32] partially as a refuge from the "bloody awful"Jesus and Mary Chain albums played by his sister.[44] Cornwall had few record shops, but a thriving nightlife in whichacid house was popular.[32] James claimed to have been making music with similarities toacid and techno for years before hearing the genres, leading him to purchase every record he could find in the styles.[45] In his late teens, James began DJing at clubs and raves, and included his own tracks in his sets.[32] He studied atCornwall College from 1988 to 1990 and graduated with aNational Diploma in engineering.[33] According to one lecturer, he often wore headphones during practical lessons and had a "kind of mystique about him ... I think some of the other students were a bit in awe of him."[33]
In the late 1980s, James became involved in the Cornishfree party scene, putting on raves at "secret coves along the coast and behind sand dunes".[46] The first party he DJed at was in a barn in 1988.[34] Parties were also known to take place atGwennap Pit.[47] They mainly attracted local youths andtravellers, with entrance donations taken incannabis. The community also held events at small clubs in towns around the county, includingSt. Ives,Porthtowan, andSt Austell. James later referred to this scene as the "best he's ever been involved in".[27][32]
James started a regular DJ slot in 1989, playing alternate weeks at the Bowgie nightclub inCrantock. There he metTom Middleton and Grant Wilson-Claridge.[48] Impressed by James's music, Middleton played a tape James had given him to a free party organiser inExeter, Mark Darby, who eventually convinced James to release a record on his fledgling record labelMighty Force Records.[49] James was initially resistant, but while he wastripping onacid backstage at a DJ gig, Darby and Middleton convinced him to release the record. Darby later said: "I think if he had not done that trip that night there may have never been any Aphex Twin."[49] James has given a similar account: "...they made me sign the contract when I was off my face. I was tripping and they're waving this money and a pen at me. It's a bit clichéd but it's the way they got me to sign."[50] Similarly impressed by James's music, Wilson-Claridge suggested they use some money he inherited to create arecord label to release it. He and James foundedRephlex Records in 1991.[32]
James's first release was the 12"EPAnalogue Bubblebath, released on Mighty Force in September 1991.[51] The EP made the playlist ofKiss FM, an influential London radio station, giving it wide exposure in the dance music scene.[52] In 2015The Guardian called the release one of the key moments in the history of dance music.[53] The record caught the ear of Renaat Vandepapeliere, the head ofR&S Records, at that time one of the leading Europeanrave labels. James visited him in Belgium, bringing a box full of cassettes of his music. From these cassettes they picked out tracks for two records, including James's firstalbumSelected Ambient Works 85-92.[54][55]
In 1992, as word of his 12" records spread, James started performing at London techno events like the formative club Knowledge, held at the SW1 nightclub in London'sVictoria, and the influential night Lost.[56][57]
Through 1991 and 1992 James released threeAnalogue Bubblebath EPs, two EPs as Caustic Window, theRed EP as part of theUniversal Indicator collective, along with theDigeridoo andXylem Tube EPs on theR&S label. Although he moved to London to take anelectronics course atKingston Polytechnic, he admitted toDavid Toop that his electronics studies were slipping away as he pursued a career in electronic music.[58]
The first full-length Aphex Twin album,Selected Ambient Works 85–92, comprised material dating back to James's teen years. It was released in November 1992 byApollo Records,[59] a subsidiary of Belgian labelR&S.[60] John Bush ofAllmusic would later describe the release as a watershed moment in ambient music.[61] In a 2002Rolling Stone record review Pat Blashill noted that Aphex Twin had "expanded way beyond theambient music ofBrian Eno by fusing lush soundscapes with oceanic beats and bass lines," demonstrating that "techno could be more than druggy dance music".[62] Writing forPitchfork in 2002, David Pecoraro called it "among the most interesting music ever created with a keyboard and a computer".[63]DJ Mag's Ben Murphy named it "a seminal record in the IDM, ambient and experimental canon".[64]
In 1992 James also released the EPsDigeridoo andXylem Tube EP as Aphex Twin, thePac-Man EP (an album of remixes ofPac-Man music) as Power-Pill, two of his fourJoyrex EPs (Joyrex J4 EP andJoyrex J5 EP) as Caustic Window, andAnalogue Bubblebath 3. "Digeridoo" reached No. 55 on theUK Singles Chart, and was later described byRolling Stone as foreshadowingdrum and bass.[65][66] That year, he also appeared as the Dice Man on theWarp Records compilationArtificial Intelligence with the track "Polygon Window". The compilation helped create the genre later known as "intelligent dance music", and helped launch James's career alongsideAutechre andRichie Hawtin.[67] As Polygon Window, in 1993, James released his first records on Warp:Surfing on Sine Waves (the second in theArtificial Intelligence series)[68] and the EPQuoth. Later that year he released the EP "On", which entered the top 40 on the UK chart.[69] Rephlex also released an EP by James under the alias Bradley Strider,Bradley's Robot, and two more Caustic Window records.[citation needed]
James was part of several tours in 1993. He supportedthe Orb on several dates, and joined the "Midi Circus" tour at venues across the UK, co-headlining withOrbital, the Orb andDrum Club.[70][71] Later in the year, he was part of the NASA "See the Light" tour with Orbital,Moby, and Vapourspace at venues across the United States.[46]
Warp released the second Aphex Twin album,Selected Ambient Works Volume II, in March 1994. It explored a more ambient sound, inspired bylucid dreams and James's experience ofsynaesthesia. It reached number 11 in the UK chart,[72] but was not particularly well received critically; critic Simon Reynolds later noted that "many in the Aphex cult were thrown for a loop" and that "Aphex aficionados remain divided".[73] Other 1994 releases were a fourthAnalogue Bubblebath,GAK (derived from early demos sent to Warp), andClassics, a compilation album.
For his charting 1995 album...I Care Because You Do,[74] composed between 1990 and 1994 in a range of styles, James used aself-portrait of his face for the cover, which became amotif on his later releases. He commissionedWestern classical-music composerPhilip Glass to create an orchestral version of the...I Care Because You Do track "Icct Hedral", which appeared on theDonkey Rhubarb EP.[75] In the same year, James released hisHangable Auto Bulb EP under the name AFX, which spearheaded the short-liveddrill 'n' bass style.[76][45] This rapid, computer-based drum programming style would become the dominant approach of James's work through the end of the decade.[77] In 1996, James andMichael Paradinas (μ-Ziq) collaborated for the albumExpert Knob Twiddlers under the one-off side projectMike & Rich, which was released by James' Rephlex label.[78][79]
Richard D. James Album, James's fourth studio album as Aphex Twin, was released on Warp in 1996. It featuressoftware synthesisers and unconventional rhythms. Will Hermes ofSpin discussed James's use ofjungle elements, writing that "by applying junglist strategies to his own obsessive sound creation - his gorgeous weirdo palette of modernist strings, whirring crib toys, and agitated machines - he remakes drum'n'bass in his own image".[80] In aPitchfork list of the best albums of the 1990s, Eric Carr wrote thatRichard D. James Album demonstrated "aggressive combinations of disparate electronic forms", with an "almost-brutal contrast between its elements" that has ensured its relevance.[81] In 2003NME named it the 55th greatest album of all time,[82] and in 2009Pitchfork named it the 40th greatest album of the 1990s.[83]
James garnered attention the following year after the release of his chartingCome to Daddy EP.[84] Thetitle track was conceived as adeath metal parody. Accompanied with a successful music video directed byChris Cunningham, James became disenchanted by its success: "This little idea that I had, which was a joke, turned into something huge. It wasn't right at all."[85] It was followed by "Windowlicker", a charting single[86] promoted with another Cunningham music video, nominated for theBrit Award for Best British Video in 2000.[5][85]
In 2001 Aphex Twin releasedDrukqs, an experimental double album featuring abrasive, meticulous programming andcomputer-controlled piano influenced byErik Satie andJohn Cage. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th", which remains perhaps James' best known work.[87] The album polarised reviewers. James told interviewers he had accidentally left an MP3 player with new tracks on a plane, and had rushed the album release to preempt aninternet leak.[88]
In 2001 James also released a short EP,2 Remixes By AFX, with remixes of songs by808 State andDJ Pierre. It also had an untitled third track, consisting of aSSTV image with high-pitched sounds which can be decoded to a viewable image with appropriate software. In 2002 James was nominated for theBrit Award for Best British Male.[5] In 2003 Warp released26 Mixes for Cash, collecting many of James's remixes for other artists.
In 2005 James released a series of vinyl EPs under the AFX name,Analord, created entirely with analogue equipment. These were followed in 2006 by a compilation album ofAnalord tracks,Chosen Lords.[89] In 2007 James released two records on Rephlex,Confederation Trough andRushup Edge, under the alias the Tuss, Cornish slang for "erection". Media sources speculated about James's involvement, but his identity was not confirmed until 2014.[90][91]
In 2009 Rephlex Records released digital versions (in the FLAC file format) of the 11 Analord EPs. Each of them (except for Analord 10) had bonus tracks, totalling 81 minutes of new music between them all.[citation needed] Richard later disbanded Rephlex Records and gave up on the website.[92][93][94]
This same year, James began working with the visual artist Weirdcore for graphics for his live shows, debuting atBloc Festival in Minehead.[95] Weirdcore has continued to work with James on live graphics and music videos.
In 2010 James said he had completed six new albums, including a new version of the unreleasedMelodies from Mars.[96] In September 2011 he performed a live tribute to the Polish composerKrzysztof Penderecki; he performed his remix of Penderecki's "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima" and a version of "Polymorphia".[97] The following month, he performed at the ParisPitchfork Music Festival.[98]
In 2014 atest pressing of a 1994 album recorded under James's pseudonymCaustic Window appeared for sale onDiscogs. The album was once intended for sale on James's label Rephlex, but went unreleased. With the consent of James and Rephlex, fans organised aKickstarter campaign to purchase the record and distribute copies.[99]
Syro, the first album released under the Aphex Twin name sinceDrukqs in 2001, was released through Warp on 23 September 2014. It was marketed by a teaser campaign including graffiti, a blimp flown over London, and an announcement made via a.onion address accessible through thedarknet browserTor.[100]
In November 2014 James released a set of 21 tracks,Modular Trax, on the audio platformSoundCloud. The tracks were later removed.[101] Over several months in 2015 Jamesanonymously uploaded 230 demo tracks, some dating to the 1980s, to SoundCloud.[102] He said he had released thedemos to relieve his family of the pressure to release his archives after he dies.[103] He has continued to occasionally release tracks on the account.[104]
On 23 January 2015 James releasedComputer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2,[105] created with robotic instruments including theDisklavier, a computer-controlledplayer piano.[106] On 8 July 2016 he released theCheetah EP, backed by a music video for "CIRKLON3 [Колхозная mix]", the first official music video for an Aphex Twin track in 17 years.[107] On 17 December, James performed inHouston, Texas at the Day for Night festival, his first American appearance in eight years. A 12-inch vinyl was sold exclusively at the festival, containing two 10-minute tracks, entitledHouston, TX 12.17.16 [Day For Night].[108][109] On 3 June 2017 James performed at the Field Day festival and released a limited edition EP,London 03.06.17.[110] The performance was livestreamed onNTS Radio's Youtube channel. On 19 June 2017 a Michigan record store sold an exclusive Aphex Twin record comprising two tracks released on SoundCloud in 2015, entitled3 Gerald Remix / 24 TSIM 2.[111] On 27 July, Aphex Twin opened an online store with expanded versions of previous albums and new tracks.[112] On 29 July, at theFuji Rock Festival, a tape limited to 500 copies was released.[113]
Aphex Twin released an EP,Collapse, on 14 September 2018.[114] The EP was announced on 5 August in a garbled press release written in broken English and visually distorted with the same Aphex Twin 3D graphic found in London, Turin and Hollywood.[115] A promotional video for theCollapse EP was to be broadcast onAdult Swim, but was cancelled after failing theHarding test. It was made available online instead, and the video for "T69 Collapse" was uploaded to YouTube.[116][117]
During James' September 2019 tour two 12-inch records were released at performances atPrintworks, London, andWarehouse Project, Manchester, entitled "London" and "Manchester" on James' warp.net site. Official recordings of the sets were released on 15 September and 26 December 2019 on Youtube.
Speculations of James's return started after a mysterious website featuring the Aphex Twin logo inside of the word "London" was discovered by fans. Its title alluded to 19 August 2023, the same day that theField Day festival takes place on in London, teasing a possible performance.[118][119] His return was confirmed on 24 January 2023, when Aphex Twin was announced as a headliner for the festival.[120] Over the next few weeks, several other performances were announced for Europe.[121][122] At a performance atSónar on 16 June, an exclusive 12-inch vinyl was released entitledBarcelona 16.06.23.[123] During this festival, largeQR code displays with Aphex Twin branding were spotted. This, coupled with posters found in Los Angeles,[124] led to the discovery of anaugmented reality app named YXBoZXh0d2lu. It was created to tease James' upcoming EP. On 21 June James announced the EPBlackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760, which was released on 28 July.[125]
After the release of the EP, the app was updated again. Using the app to scan the front cover, inner sleeves, trifold insert and vinyl label ofBlackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760 reveals a variety of artwork and visuals, such as a 3D version of the cover, and makes the EP's songs playable in the app.[126] On 19 August, James performed atField Day and released another exclusive vinyl EP,London 19.08.2023.[127] NTS Radio released a360-degree video recording of the set on 27 August.[128] On 2 September, at a performance at Forwards Bristol, a cassette combining the Barcelona and London releases was released,Bristol 02.09.23.[citation needed]
On 18 June 2024, James announced anexpanded edition ofSelected Ambient Works Volume II would be released later in the year.[129] The re-issue was confirmed to be releasing on digital, triple CD, 4xLP standard and box set editions and double cassette formats.[130] This re-issue included two bonus tracks, "th1 [evnslower]" and "Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev", as well asthe 19th track being released on all formats. The tracks were gradually released onto streaming platforms, with "No. 19" releasing on the day of the announcement, "th1 [evnslower]" releasing on 4 September 2024[131] and "Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev" being released on 2 October 2024.[132]Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) officially released on 4 October 2024.
On 17 December 2024 a compilation album featuring a variety of music exclusively released during James' live performances wasreleased without announcement, titledMusic from the Merch Desk (2016–2023).[133][134]
Writing forAllMusic, John Bush describes James as a "pioneer ofexperimental techno" who has "constantly pushed the limits of what can be accomplished withelectronic equipment, resulting in forward-thinking and emotionally engaging work that ranges from sublime,pastoral ambience to manic head-rushacid techno".[61] In a 1996 review,The Independent's Angela Lewis called him a "maverick of1990selectronica [who] exemplifies the finest traditions ofBritish pop mischief".[135] According toFact magazine, James has "carved out his own space in the history ofelectronic music" across several genres, with his unique melodies being "the reason he's talked about as not just an electronic innovator but as the sphere's definitive artist".[6] In 2014 review in theFinancial Times, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney described James as a "musical maverick" noted for "yoking different elements together in unpredictable formulations" and blending "hard beats and uncanny tones; difficult abstraction and populist melodies".[136] Music publications have described James variously as "theMozart of" bothtechno andambient.[140] Writing inThe Guardian in 2001 Paul Lester identified James's lineage as "electronic greats" includingKarlheinz Stockhausen,John Cage,Kraftwerk,Brian Eno, andDerrick May.[21]
I could just lock myself away for days and get inspired by myself. That's my favorite way to do it. It's more like a pure form of motivation when it's all on your own. But you have to wait until you're really bored and you've got nothing to do. That's when it comes out. That's when I reckon it gets good.
James had no formalmusic training and is largely self-taught.[21] Prior to becoming aproducer, James spent his teens modifyinganalogue synthesisers and became "addicted to making noises," only later becoming "interested in listening to other people's stuff".[39] James states that he spent his initial years "ignorant of music, apart fromacid and techno, where I bought just about everything".[39] He claimed to have been independently making music similar to acid and techno before encountering the styles, and subsequently became enthusiastic about them.[45] He has cited808 State's 1988 debut albumNewbuild as a major early inspiration.[142] In a 1993 interview, James identified voluntarysleep deprivation as an influence on his productions at that time.[39] He also claimed to have recorded over one thousand unreleased tracks.[39] He later said he experiencedsynaesthesia and utilisedlucid dreaming as a means of developing compositional ideas.[143] Some of James's early work was compared toBrian Eno's ambient releases, but James claimed not to have heard Eno before he began recording.[144]
In a 1993 interview,Simon Reynolds noted that James had only recently exploredavant-classical and left-fieldrock artists including Cage, Stockhausen, Eno,Steve Reich,Terry Riley, andCan, and had spent a couple of years "catching up" on other genres outside techno andhouse.[39] In 1997 James described himself as a fan of "oldtape and avant-garde music" such as Stockhausen's "Song for the Youth" and the work of American composerTod Dockstader.[141] He also named works byErik Satie,Drexciya,Ween,Serge Gainsbourg, andLes Baxter among his favorite albums.[145] When James began programming faster,jungle-inspiredbreakbeats in the mid-1990s, he named friends and fellow musiciansLuke Vibert andTom Jenkinson as influences.[141] In a 2014 interview, James said of jungle that "I still think it's the ultimate genre, really, because the people making it weren't musicians," and noted that "for years, I could listen to jungle and nick things from them, but they didn't know I existed."[146] Along with Vibert and Jenkinson, James helped to spearhead the short-liveddrill 'n' bass style, which exaggerated elements ofdrum and bass, on hisHangable Auto Bulb EP (1995).[76][45] Acknowledging another influence, James's Rephlex label releasedMusic from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a compilation of music recorded by the pioneers of theBBC Radiophonic Workshop.[147] In 2019 he described Kraftwerk as a major influence.[148] Although he said he disliked "rock and roll", he appreciatesLed Zeppelin (as a source of "great breakbeats"),[149] andPink Floyd (for theirpsychedelic music).[149] Asked in 2011 about an artist he would like to work with, James namedKate Bush.[150]
Rephlex Records, which James co-owned with Grant Wilson-Claridge, coined the word "braindance" to describe Aphex Twin's music.[12] According to the label: "Braindance is the genre that encompasses the best elements of all genres, e.g. traditional,classical, electronic music, popular, modern,industrial, ambient,hip-hop,electro, house, techno, breakbeat,hardcore,ragga,garage, drum and bass, etc."[151] According toPitchfork's Paul Cooper braindance "escaped the mind/body binary opposition of electronic music" while retaining its club roots.[152]
James has been characterised as a figurehead ofintelligent dance music (IDM).[153] IDM is mentioned on the home page of the Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) mailing list atHyperreal.org about the music of Aphex Twin and theArtificial Intelligence Series released byWarp Records.[154] The series features James's recordings as Polygon Window and early productions from artists includingAutechre, Black Dog,Richie Hawtin's FUSE project andSpeedy J. The term spread to the United States and internetmessage boards. James responded to the IDM term in a 1997 interview:
I just think it's really funny to have terms like that. It's basically saying, "this is intelligent and everything else is stupid." It's really nasty to everyone else's music. (laughs) It makes me laugh, things like that. I don't use names. I just say that I like something or I don't.
James's face, grinning or distorted, is a theme of his album covers, music videos and songs. James said it began as a response to techno producers who concealed their identities:
I did it because the thing in techno you weren't supposed to do was to be recognised and stuff. The sort of unwritten rule was that you can't put your face on the sleeve. It has to be like a circuit board or something. Therefore I put my face on the sleeve. That's why I originally did it. But then I got carried away.
The cover of...I Care Because You Do features a self-portrait painted by James, and that ofRichard D. James Album has a close-up photograph. His face is superimposed on the bodies of other people in the music videos for "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker". Near the end of the second track of the "Windowlicker" single (known as "Formula"), a photo of James's face is asteganogram which is revealed as aspectrogram.[156] Another image of James and collaboratorTom Jenkinson is embedded (inSSTV format) with text in the third track of2 Remixes by AFX, "Bonus High Frequency Sounds".[citation needed]
James has recorded as AFX, Blue Calx, Bradley Strider,Universal Indicator, Caustic Window,GAK, PBoD (Phonic Boy on Dope), Polygon Window, Power-Pill, Q-Chastic, Dice Man, the Tuss, Soit-P.P anduser18081971.[157][158][159][160] In a 1997 interview, he said: "There's really no big theory. It's just things that I feel right in doing at the time and I really don't know why. I select songs for certain [names] and I just do it. I don't know what it means."[14] In 2001 he commented on the speculation connected to many anonymous electronic artists: "A lot of people think everything electronic is mine. I get credited for so many things, it's incredible. I'm practically everyone, I reckon—everyone and nobody."[85]
Writing inThe Guardian in 2001 journalistPaul Lester described James as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music".[138]Rolling Stone described James as a "hugely influential electronic musician whose ambient washes of sound and freakishly twisted beats have gone on to inform artists of all genres."[161]AllMusic's John Bush wrote that "unlike most artists who emerged from the '90s techno scene, James established himself as a genuine personality, known for his cheeky grin and nightmare-inducing music videos as much as his groundbreaking albums and EPs," which helped to "expand his audience from ravers and critics to rock fans, with numerous non-electronic musicians citing him as an inspiration".[61]
In 2001Thomas Bangalter ofDaft Punk cited Aphex Twin (particularly "Windowlicker") as an influence on their 2001 albumDiscovery. Bangalter said he liked it because "it wasn't a big club beat, but it also wasn't a laid back, quiet one".[162] Other artists to have expressed admiration or cited Aphex Twin as an influence includeSteve Reich,[163]Wes Borland ofLimp Bizkit,[164]Skrillex,[165]Mike Shinoda ofLinkin Park,[166]Red Hot Chili Peppers guitaristJohn Frusciante,[167]Matty Healy ofthe 1975,[168]Kevin Parker ofTame Impala,[169]C418,Nick Zammuto ofthe Books,[170]Grimes[171] andCharli XCX.[172]
James influencedRadiohead's transition to electronic music for their 2000 albumKid A.[173] In 2013, the Radiohead singer,Thom Yorke, said Aphex Twin was his biggest influence: "He burns a heavy shadow ... Aphex opened up another world that didn't involve my fucking electric guitar ... I hated theBritpop thing and what was happening in America, but Aphex was totally beautiful, and he's kind of my age too."[174] In 2002, asked if he would tour with Radiohead, James said "I wouldn't play with them since I don't like them".[149] However, he said in 2011 that his dislike of Radiohead had been exaggerated by the press and that he had contacted Yorke to explain this.[175]
In 2005Alarm Will Sound releasedAcoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin, featuring acoustic arrangements of James's electronic tracks.[176] TheLondon Sinfonietta performed arrangements of Aphex Twin songs in 2006.[177] The animatorDavid Firth sampled Aphex Twin in his animated seriesSalad Fingers.[178] In 2012Fact namedSelected Ambient Works 85–92 the best album of the 1990s.[179]
James has made "wild and essentially unverifiable claims" about his personal life in interviews.[146] He has described himself as "just some irritating, lying, ginger kid from Cornwall who should have been locked up in some youth detention centre. I just managed to escape and blag it into music."[21] In a 1993 interview, he claimed to only sleep two to three hours per night.[39] In the mid-1990s, James bought a disused bank in theElephant & Castle area of London, where he claimed to live in a convertedbank vault.[36] He falsely claimed in a 2001 interview to have bought the steel structure in the centre of theElephant Square roundabout, though this is in fact theMichael Faraday Memorial which houses an electricity substation for theLondon Underground.[180] In the 1990s, James bought a 1950sarmoured car, complete with a workingmachine gun, which he claimed to drive around Cornwall in lieu of a car.[181][36]
In a 2010 interview withFact, James said he was living in Scotland after relocating from London.[182] As of 2014[update], he lived in a village near Glasgow in Scotland with his two sons from his first marriage[161] and his second wife, Anastasia,[146] a Russian art student.[183] His sisterJulie James is aWelsh Labour politician who was appointed the WelshMinister for Climate Change in 2021.[184][185]In a 2014 interview, James mentioned that he finds it challenging to live in a small village: "You have to speak to everybody, and everybody knows your business. For someone like me, who's a little bitautistic or something, it can be quite intense." He also mentioned he does not own a smartphone.[186]
| Year | Awards | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Special Effects | "Come to Daddy" | Nominated |
| D&AD Awards | Pop Promo Video with a budget over £40,000 | Yellow Pencil | ||
| Direction | Yellow Pencil | |||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Video | Nominated | ||
| 1999 | "Windowlicker" | Nominated | ||
| Prix Ars Electronica | Digital Music | Himself | Won | |
| Online Music Awards | Best Electronic Fansite[187] | Nominated | ||
| 2000 | Brit Awards | Best British Video | "Windowlicker" | Nominated |
| D&AD Awards | Direction | Yellow Pencil | ||
| Editing | Yellow Pencil | |||
| NME Awards | Single of the Year | Won | ||
| Best Dance Act | Himself | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Nominated | |||
| Brit Awards | British Male Solo Artist | Nominated | ||
| Shortlist Music Prize | Album of the Year | Drukqs | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Antville Music Video Awards | Best Video | "Rubber Johnny" | Nominated |
| 2010 | DJ Mag Best of British Awards | Best Live Act[188] | Himself | Nominated |
| 2014 | DJ Mag Best of British Awards | Outstanding Contribution[189] | Won | |
| Rober Awards Music Poll | Best Male Artist | Nominated | ||
| Comeback of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Electronica | Won | |||
| 2015 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance/Electronica Album | Syro | Won |
| International Dance Music Awards | Best Full Length Studio Recording | Nominated | ||
| IMPALA Awards | Album of the Year[190] | Nominated | ||
| Mercury Prize | Album of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Libera Awards | Nominated | |||
| Creative Packaging Award | Won | |||
| Marketing Genius | Syro album release campaign | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Brit Awards | British Male Solo Artist | Himself | Nominated |
| 2018 | Rober Awards Music Poll | Best EP | Collapse | Nominated |
| Best Art Vinyl | Best Art Vinyl[191] | Nominated | ||
| UK Video Music Awards | Best Dance Video | "T69 Collapse" | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects in a Video | Nominated | |||
| Best Animation in a Video | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Classic Pop Reader Awards | Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| Brit Awards | British Male Solo Artist | Himself | Nominated | |
| Libera Awards[192] | Marketing Genius | Collapse | Won | |
| Video of the Year | "T69 Collapse" | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance/Electronic Recording[193] | "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" | Nominated |
| AIM Independent Music Awards | Best Creative Campaign[194] | Himself | Won |
Studio albums as Aphex Twin
Richard D. James goes by a lot of pseudonyms, most famously Aphex Twin and next most famously AFX
Richard D. James is known most prominently as Aphex Twin. Second among his aliases, ahead of relatively less used tags like Polygon Window, Caustic Window, and the Tuss, is AFX.
Aphex Twin has shared 'Blackbox Life Recorder 21f,' the first official release from the producer born Richard D. James in five years.
Aphex Twin, aka Richard D. James, is a reclusive electronic musician and producer known for his legendary mischievousness...
He's often called the most important electronic musician of his generation
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| AsPolygon Window | |||||||||
| AsBradley Strider | |||||||||
| AsCaustic Window | |||||||||
| AsGAK | |||||||||
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