Electronic Music Innovation - Aphex Twin

I remember the first time I heard Aphex Twin was on an MTV compilation called MTV’s AMP. It was the first time I heard an almost total classical song mixed with a techno, drum and bass percussion.

Richard David James, better known as Aphex Twin, is a DJ turned Producer from the UK, who gained success in the 1990’s. Aphex Twin was heavily influenced by Brian Eno, and ambient style of electronic music, and combined it with the more popular style of Drum and Bass, for his sound. 

James, unlike many other Electronic Artists of his time, preferred to record his music to tape. This set his sound apart from the rest of the Electronic artists with the unique sound he got from recording to tape. He was also is very specific and technical when it came to the recording process, and made sure that he employed the best companies to press his records out. Aphex Twin is not only innovative for the use of analog and digital equipment to create his music, but also technical on the end result of his product before it was released to the public.

With many aliases throughout the years, and a mixture of different sounds, Aphex Twin’s fans can still recognize a hint of “Aphex Twin” in the music. His sound is not just Electronic Ambient Techno Drum and Bass, it is music you can dance, or relax to. The most interesting thing that I learned about Aphex Twin was that his music has been arranged for the London Sinfonietta. He has also influenced the group Radiohead, even releasing songs with Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood in 2011. The name Aphex Twin derives from Aphex System’s Limited, an audio equipment company, and the Twin part comes from his brother who died at birth a few years before James was born, also named Richard James.

The impression Aphex Twin leaves on me as a Producer is that you can’t just focus on the music you are creating, but also how it is recorded, and the end result. You may have an amazing sounding piece of work, but if you don’t have a good company to duplicate your recording, your music might not be perceived as you would like, or even in its best quality. I also like that Aphex Twin composed music that mixed genres not thought to be mixed, such as Classical and Drum and Bass; the first time I heard “Girl/Boy Song”, I was blown away by the mixture. Aphex Twin is definitely a leader in the electronic scene, past and present.