| Hangable Auto Bulb | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) CD release cover | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | EP1: 16 October 1995 (1995-10-16) EP2: 11 December 1995 (1995-12-11) | |||
| Recorded | August–October 1995 | |||
| Genre | Drill 'n' bass[1] | |||
| Length | EP1:25:05 EP2: 9:04 CD: 34:47 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | Richard D. James | |||
| Richard D. James chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Original covers | ||||
 EP1 | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 EP2 | ||||
Hangable Auto Bulb is a series of two 1995 EPs by electronic musicianRichard D. James, under his alias AFX. The two were re-released byWarp Records as a single album on 31 October 2005. They marked James's first foray into rapiddrill 'n' bass style beat programming.[1]
Split across two 12"EPs, the second released eight weeks after the first, and each were limited to 1000 pressings. The records marked a significant change in sound from previous AFX andAphex Twin releases.[2] Moving away from the analogue sounds of...I Care Because You Do (1995), the tracks show James experimenting with computer-arrangedbreakbeat programming and timestretched samples inspired bydrum and bass; this style would become known as "drill 'n' bass, and would become the dominant sound in his work up until theAnalord releases of 2005.[1]
The records were influenced by the early EPs of fellowCornish producer Plug (Luke Vibert), as well as otherdrum and bass movements of the day. The CD cover is byThe Designers Republic.[3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [5] |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 8.9/10[1] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[8] |
| Release Magazine | 8/10[9] |
In 2005The Guardian called the reissued EPs "pioneering sonically" and stated that "this music still sounds utterly alien as James morphs the fractured volatile beats with ambient melody."[7] Mark Richardson ofPitchfork stated that the reissue's "tension, between the otherworldly yet effortlessly tuneful melodies purring along beneath drums that constantly struggle to frame them, is what the ensuing era of James' music is all about, andHangable Auto Bulb is a hell of an intro."[1]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Children Talking" | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Hangable Auto Bulb" | 6:48 |
| 3. | "Laughable Butane Bob" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Bit" | 0:06 |
| 5. | "Custodian Discount" | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Wabby Legs" | 5:29 |
| Total length: | 25:05 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Every Day" | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Arched Maid Via RDJ" | 5:20 |
| Total length: | 9:04 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Children Talking" | 5:22 |
| 2. | "Hangable Auto Bulb" | 6:52 |
| 3. | "Laughable Butane Bob" | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Bit" | 0:11 |
| 5. | "Custodian Discount" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Wabby Legs" | 5:35 |
| 7. | "Every Day" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Arched Maid Via RDJ" | 5:25 |
| Total length: | 34:47 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "get a baby" | 2:27 |
| 10. | "choirDrilll" | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 41:26 | |
The CD lengths are slightly different from the original EPs. On some pressings, tracks 7 and 8 are erroneously reversed.
The tracks "Children Talking," "Every Day," and "get a baby" feature samples from the 1961BBC Radio series titled "Children Talking", in whichHarold Williamson traveled theUnited Kingdom asking children questions about aspects of their lives.
The album's title is ananagram of "Analogue Bublbath", a reference to James' previous AFX release series,Analogue Bubblebath.
Also, as on James' previous album…I Care Because You Do, a number of the track titles are anagrams or near-anagrams:
| As Aphex Twin |
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| AsAFX | |||||||||
| AsThe Tuss | |||||||||
| AsPolygon Window | |||||||||
| AsBradley Strider | |||||||||
| AsCaustic Window | |||||||||
| AsGAK | |||||||||
| Collaborations | |||||||||
| Unreleased | |||||||||
| Related articles | |||||||||
