Richard D. James

Aphex Twin/AFX Polygon Window Caustic Window

Bradley Strider Power-Pill Gak

Also known as:

Vital InformationBorn on August 18, 1971 in Limerick, Ireland.Raised in Cornwall, EnglandHas two older sisters and an older brother of the same name who died at birthEarned a National Diploma in Engineering from Cornwall CollegeHas released 41 albums, extended plays and singles to date, starting in 1991Currently resides in Stoke Newington, England

Richard on his early years:

"I used to play with the piano, and do things with the strings inside, rather than play tunes on the keyboard"

"A bit later, when I was nine or ten, I bought loads of tapes and tape recorders, anything I could get for next to nothing. I bought a

synth when I was 12, thought it was a load of shit, took it apart and starting pissing about with it. I got really into making things

with electronics. I learned about it in school until I was quite competent and could build my own circuits from scratch. I started

off modifying analogue synths and junk that I bought, and got addicted to making noises. That was the buzz for me.”

"I'm just some irritating, lying, ginger kid from Cornwall who should have been locked up in some youth detention centre.

I just managed to escape and blag it into music."

Gaining A FollowingIn his teens, Richard starts working as a DJ in the Cornwall area. He starts creating original music for the locally popular Acid House scene.

In 1989, Richard meets Grant Wilson-Claridge, whom with he co-founds Rephlex Records in 1991.

His first EP release, Analogue Bubblebath, gains attention in the UK music scene by getting airplay on the popular Kiss FM station.

Richard moves to London to start an electronics course at Kingston Polytechnic, but quit after a year to pursue his career interest in music.

While staying in London, he rents and lives in a disused bank, ideal for his habit of making loud music at all hours and angering his neighbors.

First Studio Releases

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Surfing on Sine Waves

Released in February 1992, this album was a self-selection of Richard's work from 1985 (when he was 13 or 14 years old) to present. The album receives high ratings and critical praise, and places #93 in NME's 100 Best Albums poll in 2003.

This album was released in 1993 on Warp Records, who offered Richard a contract after hearing his earlier works. It was released under the alias Polygon Window, and features many of Richard's home-made and modified synthesizers.

Analog to Digital Conversion

After recording further albums Selected Ambient Works II and ....I Care Because You Dousing his hardware-based production methods, Richard becomes more interested incomputer-based production methods. He was known to use Steinberg's Cubase

softwarearound the time of his 1995 release Hangable Auto Bulb.His music starts to include complex computer-arranged rhythm sequences, as well asdigitally manipulated samples. These techniques become a theme for his later releases.His next album, Richard D. James Album, was a more personal mixture of his newcomputer-based approach with his childhood experiments and love of analog sounds.

"Come To Daddy"Released in 1997, Come To Daddy (Pappy Mix) is one of Richards best-known songs, peaking at #36 on the UK Singles charts. The accompanying music video was directed by Chris Cunningham, and was not allowed to be shown on television during the daytime due its disturbing imagery.

Experimenting With drukqs

After taking a two-year break from releasing music, Richard came back to release his double-album drukqs in 2001. Many of the tracks were experiments in “prepared piano” techniques, influenced by avant-gard composers Eric Satie and John Cage. In contrast, other songs in the album were intricate digital works of furious break-beat rhythms and complex melody.

AnalordFrom January to July 2005, Richard released a series of 11 Extended Play vinyls titled Analord 1-11. They were a revisiting of the classic Acid House style and vintage analog synth sounds, and also feature his new computerized drum sequencing techniques. These are his most current recordings to date, though he has said in interviews he continues to work on music and planning upcoming releases.

DiscographyAnalogue Bubblebath Vol. 1, 1991 (as AFX)Analogue Bubblebath Vol. 2, 1991 (as AFX)Pac-Man, 1991 (as Power-Pill)Digeridoo, 1992Selected Ambient Works 85-92, 1992Xylem Tube, 1992Joyrex J4 EP, 1992 (as Caustic Window)Joyrex J5 EP, 1992 (as Caustic Window)Surfing on Sine Waves, 1993 (as Polygon

Window)On, 1993Analogue Bubblebath Vol. 3, 1993 (as AFX)Quoth, 1993 (as Polygon Window)Joyrex J9i, 1993 (as Caustic Window)Joyrex J9ii, 1993 (as Caustic Window)Gak, 1994 (as GAK)Analogue Bubblebath Vol. 4, 1994 (as AFX)Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II, 1994...I Care Because You Do, 1995

Ventolin, 1995Donkey Rhubarb, 1995Hangable Auto Bulb I, 1995 (as AFX)Hangable Auto Bulb II, 1995 (as AFX)Bradley's Beat, 1995 (as Bradley Strider)Richard D. James Album, 1996Girl/Boy, 1996Bradley's Robot, 1996 (as Bradley Strider)Come To Daddy, 1997Analogue Bubblebath Vol. 3.1, 1997 (as AFX)Windowlicker, 1999Drukqs, 20012 Remixes By AFX, 2001 (as AFX)26 Mixes For Cash, 2003Smojphace EP, 2003 (as AFX)Analord Series 1-11, 2005 (as AFX)AFX/LFO, 2005 (as AFX)

Random FactsHe has recorded remixes for:Beck, Jesus Jones, Meat BeatManifesto, Nine Inch Nails, Seafeel,St. Etienne and many others.

The Lemonheads commissionedRichard to remix a song, which heforgot to do and quickly sent off anold original track of his instead. Noone noticed.

Madonna contacted Richard for aremix. He originally had a list ofanimal impressions for her torecord, but later turned downthe offer instead.

He owns a surplusFerret Mark 3 Armoured Scout Car,which he occasionally drives around the countryside near his parent'shouse in Cornwall.

When asked to DJ at a club calledDisobey, he dropped a record

needleon sandpaper, then put a

microphoneinto a food mixer. They paid him todo the stunt in the US, and

confusedNew Yorkers still danced to it.

Despite being very involved intechnology, Richard has no knownonline presence, and does notcommunicate with fans.

Song Selections:“Windowlicker”, 1999#16 UK Singles chartsNME's Single of the Year

“Bucephalus Bouncing Ball”, 1997Released on Come To Daddy EPUsed in the 1998 film Pi soundtrackHas been arranged for orchestra and performed by Bell Orchestre

“4”, 1996First track on the Richard D. James album.Used in the US for an anti-drug advertisementHas been arranged for orchestra and performed by “Alarm Will Sound”

“Windowlicker”(Disclaimer: The intro to this video has a record-setting amount of profanity and racial slurs, it is a parody on Rap videos of the time. Skip to 4:00 to get directly to the music. Sexual and disturbing imagery exist throughout the

whole video.)

This song features multilayered vocal samples, frantic breakbeat drums, and a driving funk movement that emulates thecurrent R&B and Rap, much like the video. The distortedoutro (4:57) is the best known section of the song, and hasbeen used in TV and movies. The end of the song contains a the“spiral mural”, an image converted into sound that is onlyvisible by visualizing the song on a spectrograph.

The Spiral Mural in “Windowlicker”

Bucephalus Bouncing Ball

0:00 – Ratchet-sounding samples,Jungle-style rhythm building.

1:36 – First melody section, addition of synth pads and harmonies in C Major.

3:07 - “Bouncing ball” section; Richard uses a sample of a ball bearing bouncing for the basis of the rhythm.

4:40 – The bouncing ball effect continuesas the main rhythm. More sounds are

added sporadically and everythingis broken-up and chaotic.

4This song is an example of “furniture music”, or music madeto be a persistent element of an environment, like a statue.It uses a pleasant strings and synthesizer combinationand it consists of three repeating parts with minor variations:

0:00 – First section: An upbeat string quartet and synth combination play an ascending major line, while drums play a rapid break-beat, a theme for the entire song.

0:23 – Second section: The drums back off a little while the strings get higher and play a pleasant descending melody. The synths are a bit more rhythmic and follow the descending pattern.

0:46 – Third section: This is a more driving section, where the synths play quicker notes around the ascending melody. The drums are stronger and dramatic, until cutting out at the last repetition to let the strings and synths resolve into each other.

Richard has said his influences to include:

Tangerine DreamKraftwerkJohn Cage

Tod DockstaderKarlheinz Stockhausen

CanIannis Xenakis

Erik Satie

Bibliography

“Aphex Twin” Biography by John Bushhttp://www.aphextwin.nu/learn/98129177063674.shtml

"Richard D. James Discography” Wikipedia pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_D._James_discography“Richard D. James” by Rene Passet and Joost de Lyserhttp://www.aphextwin.org/reading/bassicg.htm"An Introduction to the Music of Aphex Twin” by Brian Lackey, 2001http://www.aphextwin.nu/learn/98770881649888.shtml"The Official Unofficial Aphex Twin FAQ” collected by Screwtape

http://www.aphextwin.org/reading/afxfaq.txt“Aphex Twin: Mad Musician or Investment Banker?” by “spaceagebachelor”, 1997http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/archives/aphex-twin“Simon Reynolds Talks To Richard D. James”, Simon Reynolds, 1993http://thequietus.com/articles/04483-simon-reynolds-interview-with-aphex-twin-melody-maker-1993-warp