killabyte11 Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Today is the 25th anniversary of this absolute masterpiece. The album caps off my favorite era of Aphex Twin...along with the On EP, Ventolin singles, S.A.W II and other select tracks and remixes from roughly 92 - 95 that have a very unique and distinct sound unlike anything that came before or after... which could sort of be identified with other artists or genres. In my opinion, a perfect mix of organic and synthetic, more straight forward style beats and experimentalism, lush, hypnotic, dreamlike atmospheres and hard edged noise beats. I was turned on to the album shortly after it's release in the spring/summer of 95' and it became a sort of defining album of that time period for me. My first impressions at the time was that a lot of it sounded very otherworldly and alien. Before that I had only heard a few Aphex Twin tracks but this was the album really grabbed my attention and started me down the path of wanting to collect more his music. By the end of 95, I had all the releases mentioned above along with Surfing On Sine waves and Analogue Bubblebath 3. 25 years later and I can honestly say that I've never gotten sick of any of that material. I might go years without putting one of those albums on... but eventually I go on an Aphex Twin kick and when I do these albums sound as fresh as ever to me. Maybe I'm a bit partial as well because they also spark my memories of the early to mid 90's and what a cool time it was. I figure since there isn't a dedicated ICBYD appreciation thread, perhaps this could be a place for that. I don't see this album getting nearly as much praise here as other albums, people on this message board seem much more into in the softer side of RDJ, or the more mental IDM/squarepusher-esque side. I've even seen people here talking smack on the album. So if that's you refrain from posting at all. This is strictly APPRECIATION only! Don't want to here "it's OK"..."not one of my favorites" and other nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijexx Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 It was yesterday but yeah, great album. Prob my fave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qualitycontrol Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 I bought it used as my first aphex album in '96. It blew my mind. I'll never forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DucksOpinion Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 My first Aphex album. For some reason, at the age of 17, I bought it on CD and vinyl. Glad I did... I used to work in the original CEX store (Computer Exchange as it was called, back then) where it was introduced to me by Charlie Brooker (of Black Mirror/Nathan Barley fame) who I worked with there for about 4 years. Most of the staff were into the album but Ventolin would always get one or two people moaning. We'd be super busy on a Saturday afternoon where all the staff would be locked in working with customers and I'd always use that chance to press "Repeat" and see how long it would take for people to notice how long it had been on for. Sometimes you could get a full 20 minutes before someone would run the the CD player screaming at me. Great times. Alberto is on of the finest pieces of music ever written. Like the OP, whenever I revisit, it still sounds so fresh. Took me a few years to really notice the dates and realise it was written over several years. I remember making a MiniDisc version where the songs played chronologically... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chim Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 It was also the 25th anniversary of Mobb Deep's the Infamous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custom knob Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 First heard Alberto balsam listening to my Sony Walkman late at night illegally under the bed covers (I had school the next day) quan yeomans picked it in his top 5 tracks for some triple j segment i remember all this because of that tune apologies for the nostalgia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manmower Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 5 hours ago, killabyte11 said: This is strictly APPRECIATION only! Don't want to here "it's OK"..."not one of my favorites" and other nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDEM Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Wait, there is actually hate for this album? That blows my mind. Out of the 'proper' Aphex Twin albums, it's top two or at least top three for me. Syro ICBYD/SAW1 SAW2 Drukqs RDJ Album. Weird, innit? Had so many magic moments with this one. Shoulder of Orion, C-beams, moments, tears in rain, blabla. Kudos for this absolute milestone, Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerwolf Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 ICBYD seems to age just a little better than his other early albums. It's an amazing record. Love the front cover as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perunamuusi Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 My favourite Aphex album. ( Probably) My favourite Aphex track also (acrid avid jamshred) Definitely best album opener ever. Possibly the best album ever. I remember at the time people (i knew) thought it was a total pisstake after saw1 and polygon window etc. I was completely blown away on the 1st listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manmower Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Yeah it's a fucking amazing album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Ooze Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Some of his best tracks are on there, insta loved it and still do. Agree that the openingtrack is just amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aencre Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 59 minutes ago, perunamuussi said: My favourite Aphex album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diurn Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 I was more into selected ambient works but this is an outstanding record, purchased the vinyl recently. Really nice how he overdrives lpfing the rythm on that beautiful melodies, you only have to listen to icct hedral to notice that. It has awesome trip-hop/downtempo tracks and that ambient last cut Happy birthday ICBYD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killabyte11 Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Nice to see some ICBYD appreciation! Here's a list of Releases or tracks that are in the same vein of that era/sound for me are.... - Selected Ambient Works Vol. II ....I've always thought of ICBYD as SAW II with beats. - On ep + remixes - Ventolin ep + remixes - AFX - .942937 - AFX - (CAT 00897-AA1) - AFX - Sloth - Meat Beat Manifesto - Mindstream (Aphex Twin Remix) - Curve - Falling Free (Aphex Twin Remix) - Saint Etienne - Your Head My Voice (Voix Revirement) - Saint Etienne - Who Do You Think You Are (Quex-rd mix) - Nine Inch Nails - At The Heart Of It All [Aphex Twin] - Nine Inch Nails - The Beauty Of Being Numb (Section B) (Created By Aphex Twin) - Nav Katze - Ziggy (Aphex Twin Mix) - The Beatniks - Une Femme N'Est Pas Un Homme (Aphex Twin Mix) - Nav Katze - Change (Aphex Twin Mix #2) - Buck Tick - In The Glitter, Pt. 2 (Aphex Twin Remix) - Kinesthesia - Triachus (Mix By Aphex Twin) - Aphex Twin - Pancake Lizard - Aphex Twin - Donkey Rhubarb - AFX - p-string - Soft Ballet - Sand Lowe (Polygon Window Remix) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killabyte11 Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 8 hours ago, IDEM said: Wait, there is actually hate for this album? That blows my mind. Out of the 'proper' Aphex Twin albums, it's top two or at least top three for me. Yeah for sure, I can't tell you how many times I've see or heard people say stuff like "not his best material". I've come to realize though that most of my favorite music or artists are quite polarizing....not the type of stuff that everyone universally likes. A lot of my favorite stuff, people tend to either love or hate it. It's probably a good thing though because if people are indifferent to something it might mean that it's more mediocre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr_Nova Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Thanks for the head's up - I will make a point of listening again later tonight! To be fair, saying it's not his best is pretty far from hating on it. Could still be his second best ever in that case. I think it's more a case of some listener's being completely blown away by other albums he's done, and less so by this lil' nugget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killabyte11 Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 8 hours ago, perunamuusi said: My favourite Aphex album. ( Probably) My favourite Aphex track also (acrid avid jamshred) Definitely best album opener ever. Possibly the best album ever. I remember at the time people (i knew) thought it was a total pisstake after saw1 and polygon window etc. I was completely blown away on the 1st listen. It's an amazing album opener. I remember I had probably been listening to the album a couple months when one night while tripping with a few friends I put it on a boombox as we were chilling around a fire pit and that track just sounded perfect at that moment. The high pitched frequency in the beginning just sort of focuses your mind in like a laser while in that state. The people I was with had never heard anything like it and were like "whoa" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killabyte11 Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 As a producer, I've always been super intrigued by the equipment that he might have used to make this album. Anyone who might have any info on that, feel free to chime in. I've read somewhere that one of the things he used was a Sequential Circuits Studio 440... which is a sampler/sequencer similar to the Akai MPC-60, but it's 12 bit so a little grittier sounding. It can be seen in the video below. I'm guessing the other gear seen there might have been used as well, Korg MS-20, Alesis Quadraverb....as well as stuff that was used on Selected Ambient Works II such as the Yamaha CS-5. A lot of the more organic sounds, strings etc.. were likely samples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 An outstanding record. Combine it with the Ventolin EP and mixes and it may be his strongest suite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijexx Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Ventolin always low key been my fav aphex ep (habs really close) This track would have fit right into the ICBYD vibe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian trageskin Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 the waxen pith is top rpg background music not that i've ever played any rpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijexx Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aencre Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 What’s missing from this discussion is the indisputable fact that this is also his best album art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apriorion Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 On 4/25/2020 at 10:38 PM, qualitycontrol said: I bought it used as my first aphex album in '96. It blew my mind. I'll never forget it. Same here (in '95). I actually traded a really shitty old bass guitar for the CD, because I borrowed it from my best pal in high school and could not believe how excellent it was. Was into industrial music/dark rock stuff around that time (NIN, Coil, MLWTTKK, DM), but this was a huge turning point for me--took a head-first plunge into a world of music I completely neglected because I had a lot of false assumptions about it. I also went through a lot of personal changes at the time through self-imposed isolation, lots of reading and writing, etc. I doubt the album was a catalyst for all that, but it was right there with me the whole way through and beyond, and it will always be very special to me for those reasons and more. My 10th grade psych teacher asked me what I was listening to, and I'll never forget how shocked she was when I showed her the CD: "Oh, my goodness! That is a horrible, ugly man!" I asked her why she thought that, but she just laughed. Sweet old lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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