RDJ song names

[J3FF3R00]

I was just thinking how I have just about all of Richards releases and have been a rabid fan for nearly 16 years now. With the exception of a handfull of tracks (windowlicker, girl/boy, milkman, beetles, etc ), I hardly know or remember the names of the vast majority of his tracks.

I was also thinking that maybe it was his intention to name so many of his songs with unpronounceable words and the like as a way of having the music stand alone without having any additional context placed on the music.

I feel like I may be stating the obvious here but thought it might be worth talking about just in terms of what music actually is and/or means. I just think it's interesting that with Richard, the titles are basically arbitrary labels to distinguish the songs from one another. I also find this interesting, given that it is something that musicians rarely do.

Maybe there is a thread about this already, but I couldn't be fucked to bother to find it.

[Guest Masonic Boom]

Yeah, this completely makes sense to me.

 

But then again, I have a hard time remembering song titles to start with (unless it's a pop song where the title is repeated about 20,000 times in the course of the song - and even then, I pay so little attention to lyrics that it might escape me.)

 

It completely makes sense with his way of operating (naming tracks with pictures instead of words) - however it does make me wonder about the meaning (or lack thereof) of the songs that *have* titles. The geographical titles are the ones that intrigue me - is that just shorthand for saying that was where the song idea came to him (Pissed Up In SE1 seems self evident) - or a psychogeographical mood that he's trying to inspire? (Or just that Western Cornwall has a lot of funny placenames that would make great titles)

 

It is strange to identify an instrumental piece of music by a name or phrase (but then again, I feel it's strange to identify abstract art by a name, unless you're trying to explain the mood that created it - but if it *needs* a name to make sense, you've failed as an artist.) But as you say, I rarely know the names unless I make an effort to check, though the riffs or textures will almost always be instantly recognisable. And it's the riff or texture that's memorable.

[Guest Calx Sherbet]

i've always thought that it was just to make it easier to tell the different between songs, rather than calling them all [untitled]. i agree with jefferoo on that. but some of the tracks seem so curiously named that i want to believe that there is some significance to it. there may not be any 'meaning' behind it, like it has some connection on it's own, but maybe there is a connection in Richard's mind alone. like maybe he made the track "Carn Marth", and then for some reason it made him think of Carn Marth (the location). and that's why he gave it that title Or perhaps a place or thing had a synesthesia effect on him, and the tune (or a portion of it) came to mind. But that seems less likely.

 

i also can have trouble relating titles to electronic music. i can become familiar with it over time, but more traditional tracks with lyrics are easier to identify and remember. but other than the fact that the title might be said in a lyrical track, i still find it weird that these differences are true for most people. what if a lyrical track had a title that didn't make sense, or have any mentioning in the track at all? would it still be remembered just as easily as some oddly titled afx track? considering that would basically be the same titling method that Richard used for his music (or let's assume he did, for the sake of the theory).

 

or a psychogeographical mood that he's trying to inspire? (Or just that Western Cornwall has a lot of funny placenames that would make great titles)

 

lol, i guess that could be true. sound's like something he'd do

[Guest Masonic Boom]

As an aside, it is odd, though, how I don't usually have trouble remembering names of songs with lyrics if the title isn't in the lyrics. e.g. Blue Monday or Bizarre Love Triangle.

 

(however, this might just be true of New Order songs where the title is such an obvious description of the mood of the piece that it doesn't matter if the title is included in the lyric or not.)

[Guest Calx Sherbet]

could be something subconscious that can't be pinpointed

[J3FF3R00]

My guess is that afx even forgets the names of his own songs.

[Joyrex]

The Analord tracks were named after computer virus names so people pirating the tracks would have them caught by their anti-virus program. It actually worked in my case (I had made vinyl rips and as soon as I transferred them to my work PC, our antivirus software (Sophos) at the time flagged and quarantined them.

[Guest cyphersum]

Here's the Aphex Twin geographical track names map I put together in Google Maps.

 

MAP

[kaini]

wolfgang voigt has made shit of a little corner of last.fm, lol

[Guest tht tne]

i love the word "vordhosbn" but i'm probably pronouncing it incorrectly

[Cryptowen]

^I pronounce it *rhymes with sword*-*rhymes with moss*-"bin".

[Guest Rabid]

Me too, it's probably the wrong way to say it though!

[ilt17]

The Analord tracks were named after computer virus names so people pirating the tracks would have them caught by their anti-virus program. It actually worked in my case (I had made vinyl rips and as soon as I transferred them to my work PC, our antivirus software (Sophos) at the time flagged and quarantined them.

Hehe, I always thought he was a hacker and it was him writing viruses and spreading them on the internet, your version is even funnier

[Guest Masonic Boom]

^I pronounce it *rhymes with sword*-*rhymes with moss*-"bin".

 

Pedantic linguist would just like to point out that "dh" in celtic languages is almost always pronounced as an eð or soft "th" sound. So "vordh" would rhyme with forth. Not sword. Though with an O sound more like "pot" as it's followed by a double consonant.

[perunamuusi]

"Donkey Rhubarb" (animal husbandry/horticulture)

 

Japanese Knotweed

 

Polygonum japonicum, syn. P. cuspidatum, Fallopia japonica, Reynoutria japonica

Other names: Donkey rhubarb, Gypsy rhubarb, Japanese bamboo, Mexican bamboo, Sally rhubarb

Family: Polygonaceae

 

A herbaceous perennial of the family Polygonacae, the knotweeds ("Poly " - many, "gony " - knee or joint). It is dioecious which means there are male and female flowers on separate plants. In fact the majority if not all of the plants outside their native Japan are female. So all must have been reproduced vegetatively either intentionally, when it was introduced originally in the mid-19th century as an ornamental, or accidently when it was dumped in transported soil or washed away on storms. Long rhizomes up to 20m in length have a reddish hue when broken and are the main method by which it spreads. If chopped up, it can regenerate from as little as a 2 cm piece of rhizome in soil or in water. Small pieces of fresh stem are also able to take root so flailing and chipping can produce lots of new plants.

It prefers moist but well-drained, nutrient-rich soil, and tolerates semi-shade - but its ability to grow in a wide range of conditions, acid or alkaline and even with heavy metals present, adds to the problem. The native environment of the plant is on the slopes of volcanos and there are many species of insects and fungi which attack it there; away from these it is unhindered and the better conditions in our gardens must be paradise.

 

As a plant it is quite attractive with stems which are red-brown at the base and mottled green toward the tip, with bright green heart-shaped leaves. When introduced as a garden plant, it was granted awards for being an excellent specimen, but soon lost favour when its thuggish behaviour was realised. The stems become woody as they mature, growing at a rate of 100 to 120mm per day and reaching up to 3 metres in height. There are nodes at intervals up their length, leading to comparisons with bamboo.

Flowering occurs between July and September; small, greenish white flowers clustered along branching panicles (similar to Russian Vine flowers), arising from the upper leaf axils.

Recently a 'superweed' hybrid, Fallopia x bohemica, has become a possibility as it has been found that the female plants growing here can be pollinated by Sakhalin or Giant Knotweeed (Polygonum sachalinensis ). If the hybrid was to pollinate the female Japanese Knotweed plants the resultant plant could be capable of seeding as well as sending out long rhizomes, but fortunately P sachalinensis is not widely grown here.

 

It is very aggressive damaging paving and tarmac as it spreads - on one occasion it found its way into a livingroom, coming up through the floorboards. Large areas are very dense excluding all other plants. The extensive underground rhizome system can be to a depth of 3m, giving it great resistance to eradication. It is capable of spreading to an area the size of a tennis court in one year. Estimates put the cost of removal at about £9 per square metre, including herbicides and landscaping, this can cause a decrease in the value of infested land. It is estimated that about £1.6 billion is spent annually in the UK on removing it. The site of the 2012 Olympics in London has quite a large infestation which will have to be cleared along with many other contamination problems before any new construction can be done.

 

There are some redeeming qualities. The young, Spring shoots can be cooked and eaten, they have a mild rhubarb flavour, due to the presence of oxalic acid (hence some of the common names). Medicinally, is is a commercial source of the antioxidant resveratrol which has been shown to extend the lifespan of some non-mammalian experimental animals and is sold as a supplement. The roots contain emodin which has a mild laxative effect and it is part of traditional Chinese and Japanese herbal medicines for this effect. Other uses are as a diruetic, and it can be applied externally to sooth burns and skin lesions.

The roots will produce a yellow dye and there is a possibility that it could be used as a source of biomass for conversion to fuel, which would be carbon neutral.

 

Some progress has been made in isolating some of the natural controlling pests and diseases in its native environment where it is usual to find lots of damage to the foliage, stems and roots inflicted by invertebrates. There are over 180 species of plant-eating invertebrates which feed on it and about 40 fungi. Of these, two insects have been isolated which have so far shown no interest in other plants which grow here, a weevil which damages the stems and a 2mm psyllid or plant louse (Aphalara itadori), which sucks the sap, thus weakening the plant. A fungus (Mycosphaerella sp.) which causes leafspot is another possiblity. After thorough testing to ensure that they will attack only the Knotweed, they may be released here as a biological control. This will not kill it outright, but the damaged plants will not grow so big and spread so fast - native flora may have a better chance to compete and keep it in check or overwhelm it completely.

CABI (Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International), the organization carrying out the research, is now confident that the psyllid is safe enough and DEFRA (Department of the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs) granted approval for some of the psyllids, or "jumping plant lice, to be released in one area on 9th March 2010.

 

 

 

Removal takes much persistence, but if it is an isolated patch and not coming from adjoining property, then constant pulling or cutting of the stems should work by exhausting the rhizomes, but this may take several years. Any cut material should be gathered up and placed on plastic sheeting to dry out until all signs of life have gone. Digging out the rhizome is not recommended on a large scale as it produces too many fragments; also the depth and toughness of the root would make it very difficult.

It is resistant to most weedkillers, but Glyphosate or 2,4-D should work after repeated treatment over a 3 year period. Foliar spraying is the best method, but for large areas and where important plants are growing nearby, injecting Glyphosate into the hollow stems after cutting is a method being employed in conservation areas. The best time to inject is late summer when growth has finished and the plant is returning sap to the rhizomes for storage. The stems are cut just below the first node (at 8 to 10cm) and about 10mls of glyphosate made up 10 times stronger than if it were to be used for spraying, is injected into the remaining growth. Any regrowth is sprayed with Glyphosate as it tends to be distorted and unsuitable for injecting. There are injector systems designed to treat the stems without cutting so this would reduce the work and the risk of regrowth from the cuttings.

Care should be taken if using a herbicide close to waterways to prevent damage to aquatic life.

As a novelty I had a small plant growing in a container, but it has just been killed over the winter by an attack of Vine Weevils. Which is worst?

The National Trust have carried out a number of trials to find the best way to tackle the problem.

 

Under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, it is an offence in the UK to allow it to grow in the wild. Waste material when digging should be disposed of according to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Duty of Care) Regulations, and a license is required. It should not be placed in amenity skips.

This site gives information and guidance on disposal of Japanese Knotweed.

 

[J3FF3R00]

I bet Richard just found some botany/sciencejournals in the trash and has them in his studio to pull cool words from when he's naming his tracks.

[Joyrex]

This morning on my local Public Radio station, a show produced here, The Engines of Our Ingenuity, they were talking about the early American colonies demand for iron, and in describing the smelting process, they mentioned a rock called Gabbro. Sound familiar (the unreleased live track called 'Gabbro Rod Fix'

 

Here's the transcript of the episode in case anyone's interested on colonial iron needs:

 

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2624.htm

[Guest Rabid]

"Flim" permutation of phlegm (physiology)

Or, "milf" backwards

[beerwolf]

Richard says he doesn't take drugs when making music. I believe that (one of the few things he says that I do believe LoL). Though perhaps there are a couple of exceptions...

 

However I reckon he makes up for it when coming up with song titles!

[J3FF3R00]

Richard says he doesn't take drugs when making music. I believe that (one of the few things he says that I do believe LoL). Though perhaps there are a couple of exceptions...

 

However I reckon he makes up for it when coming up with song titles!

Didn't he say somewhere that he and Mike P were drunk and tripping for when they made EKT? That would make sense.

[Guest Masonic Boom]

If this one is for real, this has got to be his absolute worst and funniest pun yet.

 

OK, alright. I was randomly looking up dirty words for a giggle in my Kernewek Kemmyn dictionary. So I looked up penis, as you do.

 

It's Kalgh.

 

Which is not funny in and of itself, until you look up the pronunciation guide, because Cornish has lots of weird diphthongs. The dictionary says "gh" at the end of a word is pronounced "X."

 

I now have such a hard time believing that all those "Calx" songs = a coincidence. That just *so* sounds like his sense of humour, that they're all a ridiculous pun on the Cornish for penis. I want this to be true so badly. Has anyone ever heard anything to this effect before? It would just make me laugh so hard if it all turned out to be a giant dick joke.

[Bubba69]

That's fucking hilarious. You're probably right.

[manmower]

I hear Billy Calx played bass on Ageispolis.

[Guest Al5x]

Has anyone ever heard anything to this effect before?

 

The Tuss = also cornish slang for penis.

 

You're probably right.

[Guest Masonic Boom]

OK: extreme linguistics nerd alert here about revived languages: I am using a Kernewek Kemmyn dictionary, and it's very likely that Aphex may be using a different dialect. For instance, I have noticed that he has "Ylow" for music where Dr Ken George has "ilow" and he has "Gwarek" for playful where Dr George has "Gwariek." But then again, loads of stuff is spelled the same, and others you can work out from the root like "Strotha Tynhe" = "Tight Squeeze" and Bbydhyonchord = Foreverchord or something like it.

 

(Vordhosbn, mind you, is a complete mystery because the Cornish root for boat is "skath" making sailboat skath-woelya and ship is gorhel. Granted, the Cornish probably had as many words for "boat" as the Innuit have for snow, but the problem is that the Cornish root "fordh" actually means *road* so I'm really curious where that came from.)

 

As for "Tuss" erm, maybe that's modern slang or something because Dr George reckons it just means "people" or "human beings."

 

Omgyjyer which is what I'm guessing he misspelled as Omgyjya, however, means wanker. What an excellent word!

 

So given his propensity for cock jokes, I'm really going with Kalgh = Calx.