Aphex Twin

"Richard D. James" redirects here. For the materials scientist, see Richard D. James (scientist).

Aphex Twin
James performing in March 2008
James performing in March 2008
Background information
Birth nameRichard David James
Also known as
  • AFX
  • Bradley Strider
  • Caustic Window
  • GAK
  • The Dice Man
  • Polygon Window
  • Power-Pill
  • The Tuss
  • Phonic Boy on Dope
Born (1971-08-18) 18 August 1971 (age 53)
Limerick, Ireland
OriginCornwall, South West England, United Kingdom
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • record producer
  • composer
  • DJ
Instruments
Discography
Years active1988–present
Labels
Websiteaphextwin.warp.net

Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), known professionally as Aphex Twin,[1][2][nb 1] is a British musician, record producer, composer and DJ.[3][4][5] He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient and jungle.[12] Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact, Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.[24]

James was raised in Cornwall and began DJing at free parties and clubs around the South West in the late 1980s.[25] His debut EP Analogue Bubblebath, released in 1991 on Mighty Force Records, brought James an early following; he began to perform across the UK and continental Europe.[26][27] James co-founded the independent label Rephlex Records the same year. His 1992 debut album Selected Ambient Works 85–92, released by Belgian label Apollo, garnered wider critical and popular acclaim. James signed to Warp in late 1992 and subsequently released charting albums such as ...I Care Because You Do (1995) and Richard D. James Album (1996), as well as Top 40 singles such as "Come to Daddy" (1997) and "Windowlicker" (1999); the latter two were accompanied by music videos directed by Chris Cunningham and brought James wider international attention.

After releasing Drukqs in 2001 and completing his contract with Warp, James spent several years releasing music on his own Rephlex label, including the 2005 Analord EP series under his AFX alias and a pair of 2007 releases as the Tuss. In 2014 he made available a previously unreleased 1994 LP as Caustic Window. He returned later that year with the Aphex Twin album Syro on Warp, winning the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. He has since released charting EPs including Cheetah (2016) and Collapse (2018). In 2023, he released the EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760. "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording.[28][29]

  1. ^ Byford, Sam (3 July 2015). "Aphex Twin returns again, this time as AFX". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020. Richard D. James goes by a lot of pseudonyms, most famously Aphex Twin and next most famously AFX
  2. ^ "AFX - Information". Warp. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021. Richard D. James is known most prominently as Aphex Twin. Second among his aliases, ahead of relatively less used tags like Polygon Window, Caustic Window, and the Tuss, is AFX.
  3. ^ Monroe, Jazz; Hussey, Allison; Ismael Ruiz, Matthew (21 June 2023). "Aphex Twin Announces EP, Shares New Song "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f": Listen". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 14 July 2024. Aphex Twin has shared 'Blackbox Life Recorder 21f,' the first official release from the producer born Richard D. James in five years.
  4. ^ Bemis, Alec (6 May 2003). "The Madman of Electronica". Slate. Slate Group. Retrieved 14 July 2024. Aphex Twin, aka Richard D. James, is a reclusive electronic musician and producer known for his legendary mischievousness...
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Brits was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Bush, John. "Aphex Twin | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference FACT50best was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Clay, Joe (20 September 2014). "Aphex Twin: Syro". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  9. ^ Brake, David (22 June 2021). "Down the Rabbit Hole: Entering the Universe of Aphex Twin". Passion of the Weiss. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference DummySep14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Sound Portraits: The Creativity Of Aphex Twin". Electronic Beats. 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  12. ^ [6][7][8][9][10][11]
  13. ^ Green, Thomas H. (12 December 2019). "Aphex Twin: Inside the Mythology of the MDMA Mozart". Mixmag. London: Wasted Talent Ltd. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2019. He's often called the most important electronic musician of his generation
  14. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (4 November 2001). "Old-Fashioned Sounds From Masters of Electronica". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  15. ^ Jones, Lucy (17 June 2014). "Aphex Twin's 'Caustic Window' album: Was It Worth £40K?". NME. London. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Fact or Fiction: 7 Stories About Aphex Twin". Four/Four Magazine. Dublin. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  17. ^ "It's Aphex Twin Day at FACT!". FACT. London: Vinyl Factory Publishing Ltd. 14 April 2017. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Aphex Twin Interview". Clash. London: Clash Media Group. 2 May 2006. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  19. ^ Lester, Paul (5 October 2001). "Tank boy". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  20. ^ Skala, Jemima (13 September 2018). "Reviews/Aphex Twin – Collapse EP". The Skinny. Edinburgh: Radge Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  21. ^ Baltin, Steve (28 August 2014). "Is Aphex Twin the Most Important Electronic Music Artist of All Time?". Insomniac. Los Angeles: Insomniac Holdings LLC. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  22. ^ Cohen, Ian (23 September 2014). "Everything You Wanted to Know About Aphex Twin But Were Afraid to Ask". Grantland. Los Angeles: ESPN Inc. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  23. ^ Sani, Niko (10 April 2020). "Aphex Twin Releases New Tracks Under Alleged Alias". edm.com. New York: Maven. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  24. ^ [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
  25. ^ Marcus, Tony (December 1992). "Deeply Dippy: Aphex Twin & Mixmaster Morris". Mixmag. London: Disco Mix Club Limited. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  26. ^ Barr, Tim (2000). Techno: the rough guide. London: Rough Guides Ltd. p. 13. ISBN 9781858284347.
  27. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2013). Energy Flash : a Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture (2nd ed.). London: Faber & Faber. p. 165. ISBN 9780571289141.
  28. ^ "2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.
  29. ^ LeJarde, Arielle Lana (11 November 2023). "Aphex Twin, James Blake, Flowdan nominated at 2024 Grammy Awards · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 12 August 2024.


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