Aphex Twin Awesome Aphex Twin moments

[IOS]

This one in its entirety, including the mp3 compression catastrophe (but without the Ae cover art).

 

[YO303]

Last Rushup 10 (4 min 01 seconds)

 

[marf]

 

 

Fenix Funk 5 - When the voice disappears and the synth sound takes the song into a totally new feel.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6npo39

 

Thx! Best musical moment in the history of things.

 

So interesting how he manipulates that voice. what is this from? what gig? was he doing all those tweaks on his laptop? . those pads are so wonderful, too. Like a crossfade of an 8 bit casio sk-1 vocal and a mellotron fulte. thanks for the link

Edited February 19, 2014 by marf

[Audioblysk]

 

3:13 onwards: that LUSH haunting synth/squelchy build up into the chimes around 4:08 nails it errrrrrvy time. As does the whole bloody track, of course

 

This.

 

This track is possibly the greatest piece of electronic music I've ever heard, and all I've heard is the shitty youtube version. The chunky squelchyness, lush pads and arrangement are on a different level. Takes me to places of pure beauty. The flutes and chimes with the wobbly pad makes me feel incredibly happy and at peace, then when the drums really start pounding back in it just makes you wanna dance like a mental-case.

 

Most of the 'unreleased' tracks Mr. James has up his sleeve are IMO blowing 99% of electronic musicians out of the water. That coupled with the fact that a dude who creates music that awesome and intensely crafted is sitting on it for himself and his mates shows that he really is about the music first and foremost. Doesn't mean I don't want a copy of his new works to hear, just sayin'.

[DerWaschbar]

 

 

 

Fenix Funk 5 - When the voice disappears and the synth sound takes the song into a totally new feel.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6npo39

 

Thx! Best musical moment in the history of things.

 

So interesting how he manipulates that voice. what is this from? what gig? was he doing all those tweaks on his laptop? . those pads are so wonderful, too. Like a crossfade of an 8 bit casio sk-1 vocal and a mellotron fulte. thanks for the link

 

Hrm, I always thought the voice bit was a synth patch with a really finely modulated set of filters bringing out vowel formants.

[elusive4]

The chunky squelchyness,

best run these 10seconds sick

http://www.sendspace.com/file/lqzrxr

[willochill]

I've got some that I don't believe anyone has mentioned yet.

-The part when the bass comes in at the beginning of SAW II Track 9, commonly known as "Weathered Stone." That bassline is something from another planet.

-That part in the drumline of Ageispolis that starts when the bass comes in, when the kick drum just cuts it short abruptly during the sequence.

-The vocal sample in Come On You Slags which I'm CONVINCED is "I WANT SEXXX," NOT "Come on you slags." Anyway it sounds more wicked the first way.

-When the full-on drums kick in on W32.Deadcode.A.

-When the melody first shows itself on Mt Saint Michel/Saint Michael's Mount.

-When those insane drums kick in on 54 Cymru Beats

-I think someone mentioned this already but that crazy feedback spike he does in Boxing Day. Dunno if that was an accident but I don't care. Also when the pads come in on that track.

-All of SAW II Track 2. So glad he removed the drums from that, it takes me places.

-Every time the melody repeats in Z Twig.

Right then

[Guest]

 

3:13 onwards: that LUSH haunting synth/squelchy build up into the chimes around 4:08 nails it errrrrrvy time. As does the whole bloody track, of course

 

 

Absolutely brilliant.

[willochill]

 

 

3:13 onwards: that LUSH haunting synth/squelchy build up into the chimes around 4:08 nails it errrrrrvy time. As does the whole bloody track, of course

 

Absolutely brilliant.

 

I agree, but my favorite part of that whole song was always the piano melody in the beginning. It's incredible how much beauty he can get out of such a simple melody...

[Chalybs]

At 4:03 when the bassline goes a little higher.

[youtubehd]R2F-GF3Hx7s[/youtubehd]

[elusive4]

bang

http://www.sendspace.com/file/qp7jtv

[elusive4]

bbbly

http://www.sendspace.com/file/z2vrr2

love the bubbles

[elusive4]

bbbbbbbbbles

http://www.sendspace.com/file/g36qxm

[hoggy]

It's incredible how much beauty he can get out of such a simple melody...

Good point! I was listening to the old Caustic Window stuff and noticed there's often a 4 note simple slowly repeating pattern, I think it's carried on throughout his work - he often has simple melodies with quite subtly brilliant timing or layering that brings another dimension to the simplicity

[elusive4]

bbbbbbbbbles

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ck0ywi

[Guest]

The build up and snarerush finale in Laughable Butane Bob (2:20ish)

the one from the Blech comp too is very nice with the vocal scream over it works really well but this obviousley wasnt afx

[Chris Toffer]

yeee. Metz is fucking legit. So is manchester track. New album 2014 with trax like these come onnn!!!!!!!!!!@@@@@@~~~~~~#######$$$$$$$%%%%%%%%%

[JS20]

I've only had two opportunities to see Aphex live. One never happened (Coachella 2001, DJ set) but the other did - the Denver 1997 show which was friggin awesome - Inkey$ blew out one or two of the house subwoofers, the neon dancing bears were there, and at one point tons of people (myself included) spontaneously jumped up on stage and started dancing with the bears. That didn't go over too well with stage security, didn't last long... My favorite track that night was a nice rendition of Heliosphan!

Edited May 26, 2015 by jsmcpn

[Chalybs]

I really want that live version of Ptolemy that he first played back in '93.

[youtubehd]38S2u_Lwe4E[/youtubehd]

It starts one minute in.

[elusive4]

probably even after all the fancy stuff still say this is one of the highlight moments of all the http://www.sendspace.com/file/lfsinf

[m0rb1d]

probably even after all the fancy stuff still say this is one of the highlight moments of all the http://www.sendspace.com/file/lfsinf

that was such a cocktease, the best part is right after that when the song explodes into massive lush beauty! 2:38 specifically feels like ecstasy,

[LemanRuss]

It's, "Alright!", not, "Aye!".

 

 

-"AYE!!! *doorslam*"

[GarbledMix]

W32.mydoom.AU@mm that melody change at 6:49- 6:50 is possibly the greatest musical moment ever.

[Ivan Ooze]

these days are awesome afx moments for me

[BaggerMcGuirk]

Ok, I hope this is the right thread, since I'm chemically inclined to share, so let's do this.

 

I'm going to share my experience with SAWII. Specifically disc one track 3(rhubarb). On one of my first listens, at the age of 16, I was in the middle of a pretty intense flu. Enough of a fever at a young age to produce a "trip". Largely before I had the internets,I didn't know who or what Aphex Twin was at the time, other than it was who had created some "remixes" of nine inch nails that were on Further Down the Spiral, which sounded so 'apart' from the rest of that CD that I had to investigate further.

 

I used gift money to buy SAWII on CD for my 16th birthday, and after a few listens, copied about 3 quarters of the tracks to a d-90 cassette, which was on my walkman for almost the entire year of 1996 in high school. This particular tape was in my deck when I was in the midst of that fever, and to this day I can't hear it without a brief 'contact high'.

 

It's playing right now, and while nostalgia is absolutely playing it's part, I still feel like it's the most beautiful piece of music I've ever experienced.

 

Starting with those NIN remixes and then with ICBYD, one of my first impressions of Aphex was how alien it all sounded. My only frame of reference at the time that seemed to resonate was Super Metroid. (funny anecdote. back in the day, I had a lengthy conversation with Marumari on AIM about this connection)

 

It felt like an alien world, and with my cheap headphones, I wanted to explore it forever. Many replacement headphones later,I still haven't discovered everything, and am happy to report that I think I never will.

 

This track in particular appears to be comprised of flutes that...shouldn't exist Like the resonance of air though ancient walls, or a lullaby communicated by an alien intelligence. Every once in awhile I have to remind myself that this was made by an actual person. I've been listening to all kinds of music for 20 years since, and have never come close to the feeling I get every time I hear the opening moments of this track.

 

And there's so many others.

 

I'm older now, and make my own music as a hobby. I was a little worried that learning the ropes would somehow de-mystify experiences like these, but to be honest, it's only enhanced it. I read an interview with Squarepusher where he mentioned that his personal proof of the supernatural was in music, and it's tracks like these that make me agree with that sentiment.

 

Thanks for reading. Y'all are wonderful.