For those of you who are not aware of Rainbow Arabia, they are a married duo called Danny and Tiffany Preston. A project fairly named for its filtration of Middle Eastern-rooted music through a prism of computerized sonic tics and tatters.

Their recent album Kabukimono was a really refreshing surprise for me as I wasn’t so keen on their debut EP Basta. It’s bright, colorful, multicultural and Tiffany’s voice really is a mighty brute of power to be reckoned with. Her screams and chants result in what can only really be described as a mixture of Karen O and MIA with a sprinkle of the industrial avant-garde sounds of Gang Gang Dance, just for kicks.

Anyway, the real reason that i wanted to write a little piece about this fabulously different two piece, is due to their single Omar K and its ridiculously genius video. The single is by far my favorite record of theirs with it’s African spiked electro guitar and Tiffany Prestons demonically spine tingling yelps and cries – it is an absolute must hear. As for the video, well take a look yourself, I defy you not to have a little snicker at it’s goofy “come to daddy” style annihilation of the local grocery store. Loves it!

Rainbow Arabia – Omar k (Ghosts on tape remix)

Rainbow Arabia - Kabukimono

Maxwinnipeg

MORE ON RAINBOW ARABIA

MYSPACE :: OFFICIAL SITE :: BUY TUNES

Fall is my favorite time of year for a few reasons: I love watching the leaves change colors, some of the best films make their debut in the fall, and there’s caramel apples everywhere. And, of course, there’s Halloween, the most fun and scary holiday of the year. In honor of this holiday, I have prepared a list of my favorite spooky music videos (sans any horror-core because that’s just  too obvious). Enjoy!

*These videos contain one or more of the following: disturbing visuals, nudity, sex, viruses, monsters, drug use, deformities, or killers. Do not watch if you are underage or scare easily. These videos are not for you.

10. Shame by Stabbing Westward

9. Wolf Like Me by TV on the Radio

8. Push It by Garbage

7. Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana

6. Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden

5. Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson

4. Rubber Johnny by Aphex Twin (short film)

3. Come to Daddy by Aphex Twin

2. White Pony by Deftones (short film)

1. Stinkfist by Tool

Honorable Mention: Happiness in Slavery by Nine Inch Nails for its grotesque take on authoritative fetishism. (You must log into YouTube to watch this video. No minors please.)

And now a New Band of the Week…AFI!

I have been listening to this talented band for a while now. I’ve seen them transform with every album from goth punk to glam rock and again with their latest release Crash Love, a simple, stripped down, rock album. The new album is the perfect cure for the dreary days of fall. I absolutely love the epic chorus on “Beautiful Thieves.”  You should also check out “Veronica Sawyer Smokes.” If you want some older AFI, I recommend “Summer Shudder,” “Celluloid Dream,” and  “Days of the Phoenix.” I’ve seen them live a couple times and they are so awesome. They are currently on tour. I’m sad to say there are no west coast dates posted yet, but I know these Nor-Cal guys will not skip over the West Coast. You can see them live on MTV Ulalume airing Friday, October 30.

 Until next time, “Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn, and caldron bubble,” Shakespeare. -K

Irgendwie ist mir das doch glatt bei den Disturbing Videos durchgerutscht. Deswegen gibt es zu Aphex Twin einen extra Artikel mit gleich zwei echt freakigen Videos. Aphex Twin ist einer der experimentellsten Electromusiker den ich kenne. Teilweise ist es wirklich nur Gefiepse und ein Ansammeln von Soundschnipseln, bei der eine Melodie nur schwer zu erkennen ist. Die beiden unten aufgeführten Lieder sind ein Beispiel für die melodischeren Werke. Vielleicht wurden sie deshalb auch als Single veröffentlicht.

Beide Videos sind von Chris Cunningham gemacht und passen auf jeden Fall auch in die Kategorie “Disturbing”.

Das erste Video ist Come To Daddy. Ich habe es irgendwann mal Nachts auf MTV gesehen und ich war danach wirklich verstört. Die ganzen Kinder mit den Fratzen und dazu diese Stimme.

Das zweite Video ist Windowlicker und wurde 1999 veröffentlicht. Im Video sieht man Aphex Twin zwei leichte Mädchen in seine Stretchlimo laden. Das ganze ist eine Parodierung auf die Pimp Style Gangster Rap Videos. Die “heißen” Mädchen verwandeln sich bald und tragen Aphex Gesicht. Das gleiche passiert mit all den anderen leicht bekleideten Tänzerinnen. Da wird der Traum schnell zum Alptraum…

Beide Videos lassen den Schluß zu, dass Aphex Twin sein Gesicht sehr mag. Es ist immer und überall zu sehen. Auf der Windowlicker EP soll sogar sein Bild als Frequenzspektrum enthalten sein.

Tolle Info am Rand. Es gibt von der Mathcore Band The Dillinger Escape Plan ein Cover von Come To Daddy. Einfach nur genial und mindestens so abgefahren wie das Orginal.

So guys and gals it’s that time of year again! You know the time where you give sweets to kids? Or you get some nicely cracked Tesco’s economy eggs in your face. (That’s if you’re lucky, I know someone who actually had some sort of excrement rubbed across their door, eww wrong wrong wrong!)

So, I thought who better to feature in on our Halloween run up than the masters of the dark, Chris Cunningham and David D James (otherwise known as Aphex Twin). And when I say masters I truly mean masters, when these two collaborate it’s like we little humans are treated to a little taster of what the burning ashes of Damien’s lare would look like.

Rubber Johnny had pretty much the same effect on me as Requiem for a Dream did when i first watched it, (it put my mind in one of the darkest places it’s ever been) and i will never ever be able to look at a chihuahua the same way again.

“The concept for Rubber Johnny came from Cunningham’s imagining a raver morphing as he danced. The idea evolved to the present film, in which Johnny (played by Cunningham) is an isolated deformed (possibly hydrocephalus) teenager kept on a wheelchair and locked in a dark basement with his chihuahua”. (Wikipedia)

And as for Come to Daddy, well little Aphex Twins in girls school uniforms, running around screaming at ladies so old they have boobs for knees, need i say more…?

Maxwinnipeg

Well its time I announced that big announcement I was going to make. I have been taken on by Irish music magazine Connected, WOOP! For the moment its only for the website but hopefully I will graduate onto the physical magazine at some point. Connected is a free music magazine that caters to the small end of the Irish music magazine. My first article will be up sometime next week, its another interview with music gentleman Robotnik.

In other news I’m going to be putting up more general stuff in the cool stuff section of my links. These will just be sites that I use and visit a lot and not people I know personally. Amongst them will be a few databases for films and music and videogames that I find very useful and such.

Thats it for today, just that quick announcement, for todays video I’ll be going with another classic with a great video in the form of Windowlicker by the amazing Aphex Twin. His videos are usually brilliant and most of his music is absolutely fantastic. He is also one of the most enigmatic and interesting people in music today. In fact I shall write on a little bit about him.

???

Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) is an Irish born DJ and musical artist who has been creating some of the best music in basically any genre of dance and electronic for the past decade. Most people know him from his surreal video collaborations with acclaimed video director Chris Cunnigham (Come to Daddy, Windowlicker, the two collaborated for the short film Rubber Johnny). Cunninghams surreal visual style is matched only by James’ ear for the bizarre and sometimes uncomfotable in his music.

He has many, many albums which cover a huge variety of different music from hardcore and techno to ambient chill out. Windowlicker is a classic tune with a hilarious video (as a side not if anyone can I.D the track the two guys are listening to in the car I would be very very happy) and here it is from youtube:

“Where’s the other twin? What do you mean there’s only one? What happened, the other one kill himself as he didn’t like the music?” Aaah, how the ignorant perceive Aphex Twin. Surprisngly, the Belgians lapped it up, it was my friend Dave who stood there with a sulk on, bottom lip poking out like an angry minnow scowling from beneath a rock in a fish tank full of piss.

Richard D. James’ entire set at this year’s Dour Festival was a chance for him to show the sheer vastness of his repertoire. Kicking off with some ambient synth which quickly lead in to some fairly grating acid house, the final half hour of the 90 minute set was an ear blasting crescendo of drill n bass that verged on white noise with a splattering of gabber.

This itself meant that if you weren’t there from the very opener – a version of 1997’s Funny Little Man, then good luck to you – it was an aural and mental demolition that you really had to be eased in to. In other words, not for the faint hearted or casual listener.  

Anyone that watched the whole set in the hope of a Come To Daddy encore was to be severely disappointed – this was a set for fans. And for people so mashed out of their minds after 4 days of Belgian raving that they could have been listening to a microwave and still got the glow sticks out.

The entire set was also unsuitable for epileptics due to strobe lights and other fucked up visual shit you’d expect from a Welsh person who grew up in Cornwall*.   

“He didn’t even play Windowlicker!” I gasped as I uncrossed my eyes and dragged myself face first back to the bar. “Window-licker” snarled Dave. “Hardly fucking REM is it? Or Paul McCartney?”

No, Dave it weren’t.

Thank Christ.

* I am a bit Welsh so haterz don’t even try it.

Kara Simsek

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of one of my favorite artists, Richard D. James (most commonly known as Aphex Twin) and I’ve been kind of sorting through in my head which of his songs are my favorites. I haven’t numbered anything on this list because I think that would be both disrespectful and useless, as my favorite Aphex tracks are always changing anyway. There is a loose hierarchy here, but in general I’m taking this as an opportunity not to judge anything objectively but more to explore some of my favorite songs.

Once again, these just scrape the surface of my favorite RDJ tracks, so before you complain about stuff that is missing from the list, I promise you that I’m not trying to compile a timeline or history here. I’m just trying to aknowledge some good songs. I tried to get youtube links for as many songs as I could, and the official music videos for the songs that have them (“On,” “Windowlicker” and “Nannou”). Understand that the sound quality of videos on youtube are inferior to what you get from playing these songs out of a stereo or nice headphones, so the best way to hear them would be to dig in and explore Aphex Twin’s music for yourself, and in the process uncover some of your own favorites.

Hangable Auto Bulb

Laughable Butane Bob

Aphex Twin’s first foray into the “Drill ‘n Bass” style which would come to characterize his later work was the Hangable Auto Bulb EP series, which had more than a few gems of the genre. The full picture of the series comes when all eight songs in the series are put together in the Hangable Auto Bulb compilation, and when you put them all back to back, “Laughable Butane Bob” stands out most to me. The experimental rhythm plays out perfectly, and this is the perfect introduction to RDJ’s new, crazy style, and the methodology of listening to his breakbeat work is still the same as it is for his creation; let it simmer a while and it’s pure funk.

...I Care Because You Do

Acrid Avid Jam Shred

By the time fans of the Selected Ambient Works albums realized that the first song on Aphex Twin’s new album was an anagram for Richard David James, it had probably already occurred to them that the track was a scrambled incarnation of everything James had previously worked on. The song features the hard techno beats of his early AFX days slowed down to a creeping pace, playful electronic flourishes present on Selected Ambient Works 85-92, and elegant atmospherics that would have been at home on Selected Ambient Works Volume 2. The fact that all of these elements work together to great success and without seeming forced to make both this song and …I Care Because You Do indicates that James is not only talented as a musician, but also as an arranger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2CqWrNe884

Analord 10

Fenix Funk

The only EP in the Analord series, Aphex Twin’s extensive return to analog synthesizer programming, to be released under the name “Aphex Twin” as opposed to “AFX” was Analord 10, and it was released before any of the other EPs, which were thereafter released in numerical order. Also, Analord 10 was packaged with a full sized binder with spots for the rest of the Analords. This odd non sequitur is understandable when you listen to Analord 10, as the EP contains arguably the best two songs in the series, the most notable being “Fenix Funk.” The track contains not only the smoothest of James’ funky breakbeats but also some of his most distinctive atmospherics. The rest of the series is downhill from this track, which fuses styles of RDJ’s two most significant discographies, thus making his persona that much more decipherable.

Drukqs

Vordhosbn

Drukqs was the final frontier for Aphex Twin’s Drill ‘n Bass exploration, and “Vordhosbn” might be the highlight of the album’s more hard hitting half. It moves at a breakneck tempo with mile-a-minute development, hitting on more great new ideas in just under five minutes than most other Drill ‘n Bass artists can manage to pull off in entire albums. It’s got the intense thought provoking rhythms in God only knows what time signature as well as subtle a subtle atmospheric backdrop. Despite the complexity, this also manages to be one of the more exciting and listenable Drill ‘n Bass achievements Aphex Twin has yet put out, and hopefully not the last.

Analogue Bubblebath

Analogue Bubblebath

The song that gave RDJ’s first massive EP series it’s name, Analogue Bubblebath is almost too humble to be a namesake. It’s whimsical ascending and descending synths accompany soft rhythms to make a finished product that contrasts with the majority of the acid techno in the series. The song more closely resembles the work James would subsequently release on his first album under the Aphex Twin name, Selected Ambient Works 85-92. With that said, “Analogue Bubblebath” foreshadows great things to come while still holding its own as a fun, relaxed cut, and a classic of early IDM.

On

On

Aphex Twin’s early single “On” bridges two of his styles, the early IDM of  the Selected Ambient Works albums and the harsher rhythmic noise on …I Care Because You Do. The song and it’s accompanying music video directed by Jarvis Cocker are composed in similar ways, moving at a frenetic pace and progressively adding and subtracting different parts of the composition. The rhythm is too rough for the track to be danceable, and too eventful and funky to be ambient, thus moving away from any of James’ previously explored genres. In this sense it is one of the earliest examples of his avant garde single series, even more fun and stylish than “Digeridoo” and the beginning of his experimental modus operandi which would persist through the rest of his career.

Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2

Rhubarb

The best justice I can do to explain Rhubarb is that it’s one of the most beautiful things ever recorded. I say this with great conviction. Of course beauty is subjective, but hearing is also believing, and this song is one of the most believable that Aphex Twin has ever composed. It is Richard D. James submitting himself completely to the concept of beauty and contentment through Eno styled ambient music, and the end product even gives Eno a run for his money. Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 is an album filled with progressive ambient experimentation, but throughout the the album are a few tracks of simple clarity, this being the most poignant on merit of delicate songwriting alone. I can’t think of anything less pretentious that fully does this song justice than saying that it is not only music you can live to but is also music that you can die to.

Windowlicker

Nannou

The Windowlicker single may have rode on the strength of whimsical humor, the title track being Aphex Twin’s most fun single to date and “Equation” an indulgent experiment, but that makes the juxtaposition of the last song on the single, “Nannou,” that much more fascinating. The song was created with nothing but samples from music boxes: winding, clicking, clacking, chiming. The song is not only pleasing as a pretty, nostalgic gem, but also a piece of aural art crafted from things that have themselves already been crafted. Even in this musical sampling culture, it’s rare that we get something sampled that is so humble and quaint.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Tha

The longest piece on Selected Ambient Works 85-92 contrasts with the rest of the album rather heavily. While “Tha” shares the infectious beat and playful synthesizer melodies that the rest of the album possesses, the song is also easily the most forward thinking the album has to offer, less pop or dance and more ambient and experimental. Clocking in at nine minutes, the piece is a slowly shifting ambient composition which immediately brings to mind contrasting speeds involved with the visual aspect of a train ride. The song represents the best of what SAW 85-92 has to offer, both cutting edge as well as vintage. This is what the year 3000 will sound like in the year 4000.

Richard D. James Album

4

That Aphex Twin would ever be inspired by classical music was a head scratcher concept before 1997 when he released Richard D. James Album, which cemented him as a modern composer. The album’s opener, “4,” is one of its more poignant pieces, not only utilizing beautiful string parts but also structuring breakbeats in ways that imitate the structures of classical composition. But the breakbeats are hard and piercing in texture, making the resulting song both relaxing and riveting. When avant-garde classical ensemble Alarm Will Sound played the song on their 2005 Aphex Twin cover album Acoustica, it only further proved that compositions like these will be remembered for a long time as modern masterpieces.

Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2

Blue Calx

The songs that fans of Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2 would play for a non-ambient fan might be the more digestible tracks, particularly “Rhubarb,” “Lichen,” “Stone in Focus” or “Hexagon.” Although all of these tracks are great, they aren’t part of the more experimental three quarters of the brilliant double album, and “Blue Calx” might cover that essential experimental nature while still being accessible to new ears. It is ambient music at heart, both appropriate for background or forefront listening, and it encapsulates contrasting emotions, both safety and unease. The slow, unique beat mixes with the melancholy synthesizers and the sound of a clock ticking to make one of the most unique and memorable tracks on SAW2.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

We Are The Music Makers

“We Are The Music Makers” is typically noted as being the exception to the rule for Selected Ambient Works 85-92 as the only track to contain a vocal sample, but is usually only cited to differentiate the album from it’s house and dance music contemporaries as being more focused on texture and less hook oriented. But the song stands tall as one of the album’s finest moments, featuring an unstoppable groove and the signature ever-shifting dynamics that would come to be hallmarks of Intelligent Dance Music. And that single vocal sample from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, although originally utilized by 808 State, could be considered his original mission statement and will echo through the minds of chilled out early morning ravers for years to come.

...I Care Because You Do

Alberto Basalm

In terms of sheer listenability, one would be hard pressed to find an RDJ track more addictive and pleasing than “Alberto Basalm.” By far the most popular track on …I Care Because You Do, the mysterious rhythmic groove is pure noir artistry, constructing its beat out of the sounds of cigarette lighters and clanging garbage cans. If I could think of a visual artist to paralell the song, Hopper would be the most appropriate comparison. It’s the Aphex Twin song that, were it tangible and visible, would be the modern masterpiece that the masses would oogle over in a prestigious art museum. His “Mystery and Melancholy of a Beat,” perhaps?

Windowlicker

Windowlicker

Of Aphex Twin’s experimental singles, “Windowlicker” may be the most outwardly commercial. It is, after all, clearly a shot at the porn industry, as exemplified by its electronic funk style and accompanying over-the-top music video directed by Chris Cunningham. But both of the aforementioned elements come together to make one of Aphex Twin’s most successful and memorable songs to date. The chorus is classic, funky ass sexual chocolate, and the free flowing rhythm is easily Aphex’s most compelling, varied and memorable. And again, I stress, the video. I am told that Aphex Twin once said that he wanted to put a face to his music, which existed in a genre of faceless artists. After hearing this song and seeing that video, you’ll never forget his face, sense of humor, and unique musicality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P3Wc-37pC4

Drukqs

Avril 14th

It is strange that Aphex Twin’s most well known track is also one of his most uncharacteristic. From the illegally used sample on a Lonely Island short on Saturday Night Live to being used in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, this song is the Aphex Twin track that any given person is most likely to have heard due to its wide exposure and undying popularity. 2001’s Drukqs contained a treasure trove of simple melodies played on piano and prepared piano, and “Avril 14th” is likely the most memorable. It’s the walking-to-Sunday-school melody that even the most naive of children probably wouldn’t believe in when their age had a single digit, and yet it seems to take every listener to a simple, happy place like no other track. That the song is flanked on the album by two of RDJ’s harshest breakbeat tracks is a testament to his versatility.

Richard D. James Album

Girl/Boy Song

While Richard D. James claims that he wrote “Girl/Boy Song” as a response to the fact that most songs are either “boy” songs or “girl” songs and thus wanted to make a song for both genders, you would guess at first listen that it was meant for asexual aliens. However, upon repeated listens the song opens up like a flower, and new perspectives become more salient. It is possible that “Girl/Boy Song” is actually a realistic love story of simple melodic beauty (fairy-tale pizzicato string arrangements) juxtaposed next to frenetic insanity (intense, disarming breakbeats). The end product is the epitome of what RDJ Album has to offer, and in some ineffable way beautiful and human, an aural representation of what real, yearning love might sound like.

Drukqs

Btoum-Roumada

Drukqs was an album of several principle ideas, one of which was the exploration of simple melodies which proved Richard D. James to be not only a master of electronics but also of classical composition. “Btoum-Roumada” may only be one of the album’s melodic triumphs, but it is the one that pops out the most, embossed with the use of a twinkling organ. While James may have emerged from the acid house underground, we can practically hear him playing from a quaint church on this track. The spirituality and finality of the song are enough to make it one of his most memorable and undeniably touching, and the ending brings the most satisfying epiphany – ah! This song isn’t alone. Is it possible that James has a heart under his mechanical exterior?

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Xtal

The first song on the first album released under the Aphex Twin name, “Xtal” is pure IDM bliss. It marks the beginning as well as the immediate perfection of one of the many styles that Richard D. James would pick up and quickly move on from in his heyday, and it is all the more significant because those albums released under the Aphex Twin moniker would reach a mass audience. For that reason, “Xtal” is often the first song anyone hears by RDJ, and not inappropriately. Other IDM artists would try to replicate the subtle beauty of this track for years. It’s not like James’ was the first person to incorporate breathy female vocals, subtle beats and glowing ambient textures into dance music, but I’ll be damned if anyone has done it quite so well since.

Come to Daddy

Flim

While the title track of the Come to Daddy EP might have been one of Aphex Twin’s most successful experimental pop jokes that resulted in as much approval as disgust, the track that proceeds it will turn whatever expression it elicited into a warm grin. Despite the fact that “Flim” is one of the most widely loved songs among Aphex Twin fans, many have a hard time expressing exactly why. After all, its not like this was the first RDJ track to mix delicate melody with an ever-changing ambient breakbeat, but this is certainly where he masters the art. The rhythm is, like his other breakbeat tracks, carefully planned and different for each measure, and thus stays engaging as well as structured throughout. Rhythmic flourishes echo into the back of the track while the simple synthesizer dances under a simplistic, soaring string part. It’s grace is so aurally embossed that it almost doesn’t even need to be explained once heard, forwards or backwards. A true gem.

And…

26 Mixes for Cash

Raising the Titanic (Big Drum Mix)

Found on the 2003 remix compilation 26 Mixes for Cash, Raising the Titanic might at first be of debatable authorship, either of Richard D. James or composer Gavin Bryars who wrote the original minimalist piece Sinking the Titanic in 1969. But Aphex Twin undoubtedly makes the piece his own with his electronic rendition. The track is worthy of its new name, and if we are judging it by the age old avant-garde standard of whether songs match their titles, it could be argued that Raising the Titanic is even more accomplished than the piece from which it finds its origin. Possibly the hugest sounding recording ever put to plastic, the song almost seems to be too big for its own environment; the thundering beat sputters while it lumbers and the strings and choral samples are often violently distorted, but not without singular beauty. It is the beautiful sound of decay, heaved upwards by the colossal rhythm and yearning melodies ad infinitum. The arrangement might as well be the most ambitious James has ever attempted, and he succeeds perfectly at combining an incredibly strong beat with beautiful atmospherics, and the result is a lucid masterpiece.

Hey just the right video to watch right before bed this sunday evening! Yeah Right! Aphex Twin’s “Come To Daddy” is sure to give you the heebie jeebies! This video is like watching a real live nightmare in the making. It always gave me the major creeps and watching it once again made me realize it’s still just as scary…

Pour une fois je ne vais pas vous mettre des clips de métal, hard, rock, lounge mais plutôt de l’electro.

Mais ce qui m’intéresse le plus dans ces clips, c’est non pas la musique d’Aphex Twin mais l’ambiance étrange et malsaine qu’arrive à filmer Chris Cunningham.

Je vous dit pas la premiére fois où j’ai vue le second clip ( qui est plutot une sorte de court métrage)c’etait en pleine nuit et je fesait pas trop le malin les deux premiére minutes.

Aphex Twin – Come To Daddy

A primeira vez que vi o vídeo abaixo também foi a primeira vez que ouvi a música. Tive muito medo e sonhei à noite com as cenas. Sim, eu sou impressionável demais!

Agora não sai mais da minha cabeça e hoje é a fuckmusic do dia, aproveitando que é véspera de halloween: Aphex Twin – “Come to Daddy”

Sim, eu treparia ao som de Come to Daddy. Oo!

Chris Cunnigham’s career started with Björk’s music video for All Is Full Of Love which won several awards, including the MTV music video award for Breakthrough Video and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. He also brought out Madonna’s darker side in Frozen. But the most remarkable collaboration is the Team of Terror, Chris Cunnigham and Aphex Twin.

Click the images below for Chris Cunningham’s witchraft of distorted images blended with the ominious sounds of Aphex Twin.

Come To Daddy

Windowlicker

Monkey Drummer

Rubber Johnny

A more soothing note to end: Flex, his video work that was first shown at the Royal Academy of Arts and later on in many more art galleries.

Tomorrow Phara and I will be seeing Sonic Youth and Supergrass live at the Lokerse Feesten. It’ll be a sweeter lullaby.

(click pic for a larger version – recommended )

Me topé con este video, el inicio me pareció un grandioso tributo a “Come to daddy” de Aphex Twin dirigida por el maestrazo Chris Cunningham; pero es mas que eso.. Realmente lo que vi me provocó esa sensación de STRESS.. Terrible! Ha sido recurrente en las pocas pesadillas o malos sueños de los que he sido presa; estar con mi familia, mi pareja y que lleguen algunos vándalos a hacer de las suyas, nervios, miedo, tensión al máximo..

Cuando agregué el Cross a la librería del iTunes, este track duró solo unas cuantas horas en ella.. Generalmente tengo la música para trabajar y con esos estridentes acordes definitivamente no era fácil.. Pero indudablemente este esfuerzo del hasta ahora desconocido (para mí) Romain-Gavras, genial el momento de d.a.n.c.e dentro de este video..

I wanted to post something from Aphex Twin, whom my good friend Mike had introduced me to a few months ago. Now, I could have posted Come to Daddy, but that would have been an obvious Aphex Twin post (besides which, Aphex Twin apparently hates the song).

Then I stumbled across Rubber Johnny (directed by Chris Cunningham, who also did the video for Come to Daddy). Lord Yellow Dog was kind enough to show me this when it came out in 2005; I just didn’t realize that the soundtrack was from Aphex Twin.

As Rubber Johnny’s official site puts it:

Johnny is a hyperactive, shape-shifting mutant child, kept locked away in a basement. With only his feverish imagination and his terrified dog for company, he finds ways to amuse himself in the dark. 

Oh, and he has mad wheelchair laser-blocking kung fu skeelz.

Just watch. You’ll see what I mean.

Considero este uno de los videos mas enfermos que he visto en mi vida. Cuando lo vi por primera vez hace años en MTV me dejó impactado, nunca pensé que la música techno podía ser tan palta.

Aphex Twin is either one of the most important and talented electronic musicians ever, or a disposable gimmick. His work is either ingenious or obnoxious trash. Whatever Richard D. James is all about, something which no one can seem to figure out anyway, the Come To Daddy EP is distinctly more “Aphex Twin” than any work before it. That is to say, when it is brutal, it is more brutal. When it is mellow, it is more mellow. And when it is fun, it is more fun. This is not to say that the Come To Daddy EP is anywhere close to Aphex Twin’s best or most respectable work. But this work in particular does represent a lot of what Aphex Twin aims for.

The single Come to Daddy is one hell of a number. Although for Aphex Twin fans it may seem tame in comparison to James’ other more hardcore breakbeat work, it is still abrasive and rocking for how underhandedly atmospheric it is. To be sure, if you never liked or found any value in breakbeats in the first place, Come to Daddy is obnoxious and without any real value. But the breakbeats are utilized with a little more recognizable precision and beauty later on. The second track, Flim, is a pretty number with soft yet somehow driving breakbeats played over some of James’ most relaxing and pretty atmospheric tracks ever, later on decorated by humble strings to make for a very memorable final product. Bucephalus Bouncing Ball is often cited as one of Aphex Twin’s best breakbeat tracks. It starts off as a solid beat with a comprihensable direction, and then about halfway through it breaks into two minutes of impressive breakbeat experimentation and probably covers more ground than most other drill ‘n bass artists cover in entire albums. It’s one for fans and fans only, but it ends up being one of the most eclectic and consistantly interesting songs James has ever made, without being completely scary or obnoxious.

Funny Little Man represents it’s title with startling accuracy to say the least, but it isn’t a song you will play back as much as the rest of the EP. In any case, it still feels like it holds the disks uninterruptable personality, save maybe the very end where Richard has perhaps a bit too much fun with lude phrases played through a voicebox. Of the eight tracks that comprise the EP, three of them are alternate mixes of little to no value in comparison to their brethren.

Depending on what your specific taste in Aphex Twin is, and every fan certainly approaches his discography in unique ways with unique preferences, these mixes might be worthy of note, but for sure the albums best moments are it’s original vignettes which comprise the bulk of it. The last of these original pieces on the disk is IZ-US, possibly the most groovy track James has ever made. Simple rhythmic hand claps, snare hits, and cymbal rolls are played over some signature Aphex synthesizers. Considering it’s creator, IZ-US is a relaxing, comforting piece indeed.

Come to Daddy might not be Aphex Twin’s most worthwhile release, but it is easily the best EP. New listeners will most likely find this to be the best introductin to Aphex Twin’s expansive, varied career, and there are treats to be found here for both fans and new listeners alike. However, Aphex Twin’s quality is always scattered, and while there will most likely be something here to satisfy any individual, there are going to be as many songs that are initially worthless to a given person. Aphex Twin is an artist that you need to train yourself to like. This only obscures his agenda and scope of talent even more.

Un titre culte et une vidéo qui te scotche à ton siège : a real sunday classic…