Analogue Bubblebath

Analogue Bubblebath
EP by
The Aphex Twin
ReleasedSeptember 1991 (1991-09)[1][2]
Genre
Length19:53
LabelMighty Force
ProducerRichard D. James
Richard D. James chronology
Analogue Bubblebath
(1991) 		Analog Bubblebath Vol 2
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]

Analogue Bubblebath, also released as Aphex Twin ep, is the first record by musician and producer Richard D. James. The EP was released under his alias The Aphex Twin through Mighty Force Records in September 1991. It was the inaugural release for the label, which at the time was a record shop in Exeter.[1][2] The record was hugely influential on the development of electronic music, particularly techno and ambient techno. Its release has been described as a key event in the history of dance music. It is the first release in what became the Analogue Bubblebath series.

James previously had little inclination to release his music, though it had long circulated on tapes amongst his friends, and he would include his tracks in his set when DJing. His reluctance was eventually overcome while he was tripping on acid at a rave where he was performing, where he finally agreed to release the record.[10][11]

The initial pressing of 1000 copies sold out in less than a week; it was followed by further pressings of several thousand each.[10][12] The title track was later described as "one of the most perfect tracks ever written" by the influential publication Mixmag,[13] and has often been called one of the best tracks in James' catalogue.[14][15]

On release it was frequently played by London pirate radio stations and by the then newly-legal station Kiss FM. The record quickly gained James a cult following in the techno underground, and one of the early white label copies was heard by the head of R&S Records, leading to James' releases on that label.

  1. ^ a b "The Aphex Effect". Future Music. Bath: Future Publishing. April 1993. pp. 22–23. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2019. Alt URL
  2. ^ a b Darby, Mark. "Mark Darby / DJ". Alpha Radio. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference RSGuide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harrison92 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fowle14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reynolds13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ [3][4][5][6]
  8. ^ DiGravina, Tim. "Analogue Bubblebath - Aphex Twin". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  9. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Aphex Twin". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 21. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ^ a b Darby, Mark (13 March 2018). "The Mighty Force from the Bubblebath to Fog City!". Record Collector (Interview). London: Diamond Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marcus95 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Darby, Mark (December 2002). "Mighty Force Records History" (Interview). WATMM.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mixmag18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference GuaAFXRanked was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference FactAFXRanked was invoked but never defined (see the help page).