doctorvee

So, Richard D James has returned. Having come dangerously close to becoming a permanent mainstream fixture in the mid-to-late-1990s, Aphex Twin has seemingly been trying to become ever-more obscure in an attempt to avert this. Most notably, he upset a bunch of pants-wetting Björk fans by being a bit noisy.

So when it was announced by his label Rephlex that his new two track-long record could only (at first) be bought for £39.99, millions of Aphex fans around the world simultaneously cacked their pants. Would ‘Analord’ be a bunch of (prepared) piano tracks, like the ones littered around DrukQs (incidentally, I love the piano tracks and I think DrukQs is his best album)? Would he just record the sound coming out of a fax machine? And then sell it for £39.99 (the proceeds presumably going towards putting go faster strips on his tank)?

The answer is ‘no’. As the title suggests, Analord is a return to the analogue sound. Retro is very much in, you see. Artists are dumping their laptops for the warmer, less predictable, more rewarding analogue equipment. Think about all the biggest ‘IDM’ artists. Boards of Canada albums sound like hour-long 1980s Public Information Films. Luke Vibert has just spent the past couple of years releasing acid and disco records. Squarepusher’s last album was proggy. And my favourite artist to have emerged in recent years, Team Doyobi, are so 1980s in style that they actually use Amigas to make music.

My own personal theory is that Autechre have completely owned contemporary electronic music. They are simply so awesome, so far ahead of the field, that anybody who so much as breathes on a laptop inevitably gets (unfavourably) compared to Autechre. And they also run the risk of sounding like Venetian Snares. Ouch.

Anyway, what with this being a Richard D James release and all, the hype surrounding the ten-part Analord series was massive. Aphex Twin must be one of the most overhyped musicians in the history of music. He may be good, but I wouldn’t say he’s great. And the hype was all the worse when you consider that his last release, Smojphace EP, was a short foray into ‘noisecore’; his last release before that was a compilation of remixes he has done in the past; his last release before that was over three years ago. It was impossible to buy an Analord record without having some kind of preconception.

So having heard that the ten-part series was to be more analoguey, with a heavy dose of acid music, I was half expecting rather humourless tracks along the lines of Analogue Bubblebath 3 (not my favourite AFX record, it has to be said), without the jocularity of Aphex Twin’s more mainstream releases; the other half didn’t have a clue what to expect. The title – sounding more like the name of a haemorrhoids cream – and artwork did suggest that this was typical AFX. Costing £39.99, Analord 10 was out of bounds. It’s meant to be getting released on a “more regular format.” That had better not mean ‘CD’, because I’ve just bought parts 1 and 2 on vinyl.

Given all the hype, and not really knowing what to expect, when I put this on my turntable I was quite neutral towards it. When the first track of Analord 01, Steppingfilter 101 began, it sounded just like an Analogue Bubblebath outtake. But then the tune came in. And what a groovy little number it is! Dark and funky, this was an immensely pleasing start to the EP.

The second track, Canticle Drawl, didn’t disappoint either. It’s like a stomper without the heavy beats. A kind of brash, mischievous feel; slightly dissonant, but not enough to make it sound entirely wrong. I love that ending aswell; it sounds like a classic early-1990s AFX ending. The following track, MC-4 Acid, wasn’t so great. It just goes on without ever really getting anywhere. Not a bad track as such, but I simply don’t find it enjoyable.

The fourth track of side A, which I assume is untitled, is also interesting. That intimidating drone would fit perfectly on an early 1990s techno-ambient album like Autechre’s Incunabula, or the ′Twin’s own Surfing on Sine Waves; layered on top are delightful acid-style twiddles. So far, so good then, as far as side A was concerned. But I hadn’t heard anything yet.

Having turned over to side B, I was rewarded by the frankly amazing Where’s Your Girlfriend? This simply has to be one of Richard D James’ greatest tracks ever. I can’t stop listening to it; before long the vinyl will be worn down. I can’t explain this track. It’s still got that early 90s feel, but with a great melody; maybe a bit of a Squarepusher sound going on. The following track, Grumpy Acid, is explained well by its title. I don’t like it so much. Analord 158B is a fine ending to part one of the ten-part Analord series. I couldn’t believe it. I was hungry for more Aphex. Luckily, I bought part two at the same time.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as good. That’s not at all to say it’s bad though. This time, instead of seven tracks there are only four, so that means they’re longer. There seems to be dispute over which speed Analord 02 is supposed to be played at – particularly side B. I would say, the tracks are certainly long and slow enough for them to need to be played at 45rpm. This record does sound like Analogue Bubblebath 3. It is very dark and grey.

The first track, Phonatacid, very much annoyed me at first. It just goes on and on and on for over ten minutes, without ever revealing much more of itself. The first few minutes are fine, and then it just seems to repeat itself over and over again. However, this has definitely grown on me. Although it’s slow, it’s quite funky aswell as being pleasant. Track A2, Laricheard, was also okay, but nothing spectacular. Once again, though, I do love that ending. Stop-start-stop-start-stop… stop. Yeah.

Side B’s opener, Pissed up in SE1, seems to have got good reviews. It’s got an amusing title, but the track is deadly boring. Having listened to it at both speeds, I think 45 is too fast for such a serious sounding song. It would be okay if it were more like something on Richard D James Album, but it’s not. The finale, Bwoon Dub, is a cool downtempo track. To me this sounds cool at 33 – although it is deep and slow at 33, 45 once again sounds too fast, and I like the laid back style of this track. Although maybe it’s just because I’m used to hearing it at 33.

So overall, Analord is a pleasent surprise. I will definitely be buying all ten parts as they are released (and if they end up releasing the whole series on CD without giving Analord 10 a regular vinyl release, I will be a bit peeved). I still don’t think Aphex Twin is the genius he’s made out to be though.

Warpmart were excellent as always. They slipped in a CD version of the promo for Squarepusher’s Ultravisitor. So now I’ve got a CD version of Talk About You and Me. Cool!