Aphex Twin

Misc:. Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials and performed on tracks such as Free Nelson Mandela, an amalgam of The Specials and The Beat later formed in the early 90's to be renamed 'the special beat'. In the Universal Indicator series:. After the break-up of The Beat, Dave Wakeling (guitar, vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public, while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift. Q-Chastic:. One of the more popular and enduring groups of a short-lived trend, The Beat released three albums - I Just Can't Stop It (1980) (often regarded as an important early 1980s album), Wha'ppen (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982). Power Pill:. The Beat (known in the US as The English Beat) were an essential two-tone/ska revival and pop music group who formed in the Birmingham, UK in 1978 and disbanded in 1983.

Polygon Window:. Dave Wakeling. Gak:. David Steele. Caustic Window:. Saxa. Brad Strider:. Ranking Roger.

AFX:. Everett Morton. James has also released a large amount of material under various aliases:. Wesley Magoogan. Richard D. Andy Cox. Promos and Compilations. Dave Blockhead.

EPs and Singles. Albums. Aphex Twin continues to create records at the boundaries of the accepted norms of music. He is a talented photographer, having done his own artwork direction for many of his albums.

Several of these claims include him owning an 1950s armoured scout car (a Daimler Ferret Mark 3), a submarine, composing ambient techno music at age 13 (contradicting most music history), building all of his synthesizers from scratch, having "over 100 hours" of unreleased music, and living in a converted bank. He has made many wild claims in his interviews which have been speculated by some to be false. Aphex Twin interviews are generally entertaining, eccentric, and confusing. In late 2004, rumours of his return to a more Acid Techno based sound are being realized with the new Analord series.

The late '90s saw his music become more commercialized, and he retaliated with the IDM/Prepared Piano album drukqs. In 1996, he began releasing more material composed on computers, and embraced a more drum and bass and IDM sound. Early releases featured a more hardcore and acid based sound (Ventolin is often called one of the harshest or most abrasive songs ever recorded due to the screeching trebles and breaking beats.), and later progressing into his critically acclaimed ambient works, while his hardcore side remained active through his pseudonym of Caustic Window. The music of Aphex Twin ranges over many different genres within the encompasing genre of electronic music.

He also hid his face in another track (commonly referred to as "Equation") of the Windowlicker single, which can be seen in the spectral analysis of the track. His videos (and album covers) often exploit his unique facial features; for example, the video for "Windowlicker" uses special effects and make-up to place a grotesque image of his face onto the heads of a group of voluptuous bikini models. He was also responsible for a number of music videos in collaboration with acclaimed director Chris Cunningham. James relocated to London and released a slew of albums and EPs on the Warp Records label, and under a bewildering set of aliases (from AFX and Polygon Window to the lesser known Gak and Power Pill).

James was a founding partner in the Rephlex Records label, formed in 1991 and released his first records on this label, as well as Mighty Force and R&S Records of Belgium. James uses his middle initial to distinguish himself from his late brother. James joked in an interview that the origin of this name was a combination of a manufacturer of signal processing equipment with the word twin in reference to an older brother (also called Richard James) who died at a young age before his birth. He became a DJ and musician on the local rave scene, taking on the moniker "Aphex Twin".

He experimented with electronics from an early age, winning a competition to make a Sinclair ZX Spectrum play a tune by setting the connected television's volume to full and alternating the colours on the screen, producing different pitches of noise. Born to Welsh parents in 1971, James spent his childhood in Cornwall. Recent experimentation on his album drukqs included use of a prepared piano (specifically a Yamaha Disklavier) in the style of composer John Cage. Aphex Twin (born Richard David James, August 18, 1971, Ireland) is a UK-based electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, IDM, acid, drum and bass (specifically drill n bass).

As "Rich" of "Mike and Rich" on the album Expert Knob Twiddlers ("Mike" being Mike Paradinas, also known as µ-Ziq). With Squarepusher, contributed "Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid" to the Warp compilation WAP100. Melodies From Mars (1995, this is an unreleased RDJ album that was given to friends at Rephlex and Warp Records on C-90 cassettes). Appeared as "DJ Olive" together with Uri Caine, Tim Lefebvre and Zach Danziger in the concert "Bedrock" in the Philharmonie in Essen, Germany on 10 September 2004.

Universal Indicator: Green (1995). Universal Indicator: Red (1989). Q-Chastic EP (1992 unreleased). Pac-Man (1992).

(Quoth) (1993). (Surfing On Sine Waves) (1993, re-released 2001). GAK (1994). Caustic Window Compilation (1998).

CAT 023 (Unreleased, only 4 copies pressed). Joyrex J9 (1993). Joyrex J5 (1992). Joyrex J4 (1992).

Bradley's Robot (1996). Bradley's Beat (1995). Mix) (appears on Rephlexions compilation album - 2003). Mangle 11 (Circuit Bent V.I.P.

Smojphace EP (2003). 2 Remixes By AFX (2001). Hangable Auto Bulb 2 (1995). Hangable Auto Bulb (1995).

Analogue Bubblebath 5 (1995 unreleased). Analogue Bubblebath 4 (1994). Analogue Bubblebath 3.1 (1997). Analogue Bubblebath 3 (1993).

Analogue Bubblebath 2 (1992). Analogue Bubblebath (1991). 2 Mixes on a 12" for Cash (2003), a 26 Mixes promo. 26 Mixes for Cash (2003), Compilation of material "remixed" for other artists.

Cock 10/54 Cymru Beats (drukqs promo). 51/13 Singles Collection (1996)(Australia-only release). Classics (1994) (Compilation of early singles, rare and live tracks). Words & Music (1994) (Interview and tracks from Selected Ambient Works Volume II).

Windowlicker (1999). Come to Daddy (1997). Girl/Boy EP (1996). Donkey Rhubarb (1995).

Ventolin/Ventolin Remixes EP (1995). On/On Remixes (1993). Xylem Tube EP (1992). Digeridoo (1992).

The Analord series (2005). drukqs (2001). James Album (1996). Richard D.