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Aphex - When you come to think about it...
 

offline Amether from Kiel (Germany) on 2003-06-12 08:49 [#00737751]
Points: 8 Status: Regular



Hey, sorry to just leap in like this, but here goes anyway.
And christ, this is long.

Recently I've been having a bit of a crisis of 7\
confidence, and have been thinking... what, actually has
Aphex ever done that is new? He is always heralded as one of
the most innovative musicians on the planet, but then...
everything I can think of that he's done has pretty much
been done before... His sound experiments, as he admits, owe
much to Xenakis and Stockhausen - his SAWII atmospheres to
Ligeti and Eno - his piano pieces to Satie and Cage - his
Inyourface money-making lovehatethesystem crassness - didn't
the KLF do that ages ago far more succesfully and
elaborately? True enough he has brought the 'avant-garde'
into the mainstream - but objectively, does he cut it?

I'm NOT Aphex bashing here, I'm just worrying (worrying's
the wrong word here, but hey) that maybe we've just been
taken in... Help me.


 

offline ecnadniarb on 2003-06-12 08:55 [#00737760]
Points: 24805 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



Providing he releases good music I don't care what other
people think about him, how innovative he is, or whether the
media like him or not.

The fact he releases quality sounds (usually) is all that
really matters.


 

offline JAroen from the pineal gland on 2003-06-12 08:58 [#00737763]
Points: 16065 Status: Regular



he just goes with the style thats currently succesfull, and
takes it over the top to produce something nice

so it might not be original, i still have lots of respect
for the man, how he makes great tunes in every genre (well
exept rap eh ;) and stuff

blabla

you get the idea


 

offline Amether from Kiel (Germany) on 2003-06-12 09:03 [#00737770]
Points: 8 Status: Regular



This place is good. I ask a question, I get instant answers.
Answers which satisfy. I guess journalists are the ones more
to blame than anyone for the Aphex myth- but then no-one
ever liked them anyway, no?


 

offline surrounded from it won't be hard anymore to li on 2003-06-12 09:04 [#00737772]
Points: 3787 Status: Regular



Surely the RDJ-album was very innovative and original when
it was originally released?

Other than that, i can see what you're saying. For some
reason he has become one of the more famous faces of
electronic music... but he's really not much of a pioneer.
Doesn't matter though :-p He's still a genius.


 

offline joakimlinden from Skövde (Sweden) on 2003-06-12 09:23 [#00737810]
Points: 462 Status: Regular



I think he's more interesting to listen to than Stockhausen
(I've not yet heard Xenakis so...) probably because
Stockhausens stuff feel so pointless in a way - they're
often just sounds that have been processed. No real sense of
rhythm or harmonies. Aphex masters all those areas,
especially harmonies, and can turn seemingly incompatible
stuff into a wonderful, groovy stew of sounds and melodies.

Eno has done some very nice stuff but not really comparable
to SAW2 - Apollo or Music for Airports and other ambient
albums sound much more "new age" in lack of a better term
right now than SAW2.
Well...something like that.


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 09:30 [#00737817]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



hey its normal thing that stockhausen created a music with
procesed sounds- he just maked what he can to create, and
Aphex is making the same , with only one differnce-he has
much better equipment for this...you must remember that
music is changing all the time , probably for some 20 years
someone will tell ya "aphex's stuff feel so pointless in a
way" ...this is normal.....and Aphex with his innormal
behaviour is just a part of bizness , do you think that
without that noise about him you would know his music ? i
think not....many people know's him only because those silly
events that he's creating


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 09:31 [#00737819]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



with all respect for Aphex , i think that there's many
people called as bedroom dj's are creating much better
sounds , but they cant release this out......


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 09:33 [#00737820]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



and by the way...what now Aphex is doing - for me it is no
creative at all nowadays, there is much more groups that are
making more innovative music...and Aohex is riding on his
famous events for me


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 09:33 [#00737823]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



but it's only my point of wiev


 

offline astrid-gil-botn from Londinium (United Kingdom) on 2003-06-12 10:31 [#00737926]
Points: 1649 Status: Regular | Followup to Amether: #00737751



i think you're a little off the mark -everything owes
something to another past form there aren't any eureka
moments where someone suddenly does something new.
what he does is apply previous ideas to new ways of making
music - ie drilland bass and the music box things - same as
the ambient works 2 stuff that was it seems a pretty
personal take on ambient music - it's also cut with
technology that ligeti or whoever never had .
as for the klf thing - i think your're reading into the
shock thing - i can't see any comparisons between the two at
all.

as fior stockhausens music being pointless - i think he'd be
very upset if you said that to him - hymnen - pointless ?
that's a deep piece of work there.
it's a bit silly to compare him to thee people cos obviously
they have very little in common and aphex has many faces -
like does stockhausen understand how todo dance tracks~?


 

offline mortsto-x from Trondheim/Bodø (Norway) on 2003-06-12 10:35 [#00737931]
Points: 8062 Status: Lurker | Followup to surrounded: #00737772



"For some
reason he has become one of the more famous faces of
electronic music... "

Yep. The music videos, the mystique, the tank, tha bank
velvet, and the strange bahavior has maybe contributed to
that? :)


 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2003-06-12 10:35 [#00737932]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker



well really, everyone "steals" from everyone else... nothing
is 100% new... artists just take their influences, and use
that to create something which might have a few new ideas
mixed in there... I guess the most influencial band or
artists I can think of are The Beatles... they just took
rock music and opened so many doors... but even they had
previous inspirations, and borrowed ideas from other places
and put them together to create something new...


 

offline nactron from philadelphia (United States) on 2003-06-12 10:39 [#00737939]
Points: 64 Status: Addict



all those groups and artists that you say are making newer
ideas and sounds were born out of afx's ass. afx is
inspirational to all of them. revamped old ideas are always
the best anyway!!


 

offline DJ Xammax from not America on 2003-06-12 10:43 [#00737948]
Points: 11512 Status: Lurker



Get it together. Who else has that Aphex magic?


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 10:47 [#00737957]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



well really, everyone "steals" from everyone else... nothing

is 100% new----wrong.....Ae doesn't , and at the start Aphex
wasn't tooo , just now his ideas are empty.....


 

offline nactron from philadelphia (United States) on 2003-06-12 10:56 [#00737968]
Points: 64 Status: Addict



empty?!!!? RDJ is the best. period. forever!!!!!


 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2003-06-12 10:56 [#00737969]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker | Followup to hyakusen: #00737957



yes, Ae and aphex did "steal" ideas when they started... but
they've taken those ideas and have done their own things
qwith them... I never meant that they literally stole ideas,
and blatantly copied other people, hence the quotations...
just kinda meant it sarcastically, meaning that some people
would probably call it stealing...


 

offline astrid-gil-botn from Londinium (United Kingdom) on 2003-06-12 11:00 [#00737977]
Points: 1649 Status: Regular | Followup to hyakusen: #00737957



yes ae are certainly influenced by other groups and artists
- their music doesn't come from no where - it's just you're
ignorant of it -
neither artists steal though - that's way too harsh a word


 

offline astrid-gil-botn from Londinium (United Kingdom) on 2003-06-12 11:02 [#00737979]
Points: 1649 Status: Regular | Followup to hyakusen: #00737957



i find aphex does in a song what a/e explore over a whole
album really - with emotion and often melody too - something
that a/e don't seem to have in large amounts


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 11:15 [#00737991]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular



i believe he is innovative. sure he is standing on the
shoulders of the experimental greats, but very few people
can honestly claim to be 100% un-influenced by something. I
think most of his innovations are in use and development of
techonology in music.
He is like the electronic Nirvana. Nirvana opened the doors
for a ton of seattle bands and the whole grunge scene. He
has done the same thing for IDM.
Shit, this message board is teaming with IDM fans and may
not have even existed without aphex twin.


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:32 [#00738006]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict | Followup to astrid-gil-botn: #00737979



i can tell you where emotions are in Aphex-they are in song
called On and m,aybe in Selected2 , but i'm not an ignorant
- i know that music is making circles , but there is much
more ideas in Ae albums then in AFX works....just get
together Ae albums and Afx albums and listen song by song
all of it....you will surely now that making noise without
idea isn't music..afx does make this kind of noise , Ae
doesn't , there is always a hidden patch in Ae songs , and
there is not in AFX songs.....when youre listening Ae you
suddenly now that beat is in background and melody is in
first place , even if you thinked that it is completely
different at start.......and in afx there is beat and melody
- but only beats and melody.....in right order of
course.....


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:35 [#00738011]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



didi you ever seen that there is changing rhytm in afx song
? or that there's melody changing from sad to happy , then
to sad and then to spooky sounds ?
no.....these are ideas of Ae - changing concept of
music.....and afx is only making a noise, just lkie "hey ,
lets make song with pneumatic drilll-there is nothing like
that " ,,,,,but it is no big thing to make thing that are
different....the idea is deeper than you think.


 

offline horsefactory from 💠 (United Kingdom) on 2003-06-12 11:37 [#00738015]
Points: 14867 Status: Regular



I often think similar thoughts about aphex - normally when i
go on autechre trip where i listen to nothing else apart
from ae for about 3 months. its easy to lose respect for him
during something like that, but afterwards you hear
something of his, might be a track or album or anything,
that will flick a switch somewhere and you'll realise again
that he is absolutely wicked


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:37 [#00738016]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



try in other way to understand it ....try to do song in afx
style and then try to do the same in Ae style....and you
will see what i'm talking about


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 11:39 [#00738023]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular



and he has put a face on IDM... quite literally. like many
other successful musicians, his marketing is brilliant. So
in that respect he is like the electronic Dr. Dre.
the windowlicker video is likely a parody of that and it
reveals his sense of humor which is refreshing.



 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:42 [#00738029]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



but iis it the real face of IDM ? a marketing moves ? watch
on AE - they are non-,marketing at all , and you know them -
this is piece of art....and what would be with afx when we
put away all those marketing moves from him ? another crazy
musician with crazy ideas about music,,,but only this....


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 11:43 [#00738034]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to hyakusen: #00738011



i'm not sure that's totally accurate.
the st michaels mount song or whatever it's called is quite
epic; changing from an energy filled schizophrenic dnb track
to a chill out track with many other progressions
in-between..
but i see what you're saying, ae is deffinately more
abstract.


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 11:46 [#00738036]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to hyakusen: #00738029



well, i was just kinda re-iterating the point that Aphex
twin has brought the music to a larger audience. just like
Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains owe a lot to Nirvana, and
eminem owes a lot to Dr. Dre, i think ae owes a lot to aphex
twin in regard to exposure.


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:52 [#00738055]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



and i think NOT...ae owes nothing to aphex, they are were
known yet in 91 and earlier , remember Cavity Job ? where
was aphex at 91 ? he was just another boy with crazy ideas -
and Ae were creating patches , and aphex was walking
them.......i think that Afx owes Ae a lot


 

offline melack from barcielwave on 2003-06-12 11:56 [#00738056]
Points: 9099 Status: Regular



this is the kind of topic i would like to find in this
site...
thank you for the interesting discussion!


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:57 [#00738057]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



on one of parties there was afx pleased to make some little
concert for people...and do you know what he did ? he putted
microphone to coffe mixer , destry it and then he throw that
mixer into audience......welll he must feel like god if he
thinks that this is right thing to do ,,,,you know , someone
just was smached by that mixer ? this is the face of IDM by
AFX -thank you for that selfish creativity and that way of
creating music.....


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 11:59 [#00738060]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



but who cares ? lets pay afx for another mixes from shelf of
"neverending drills" , my god this is good ( and nobody
cares that it is still the same , but in diferent package
)...
was there any difference between last few albums of AFX ? i
wasn't able to see them


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 12:00 [#00738063]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



and what we have here is the only good thing that afx made -
he made emotions and he made discusiion....but thats all he
made


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 12:04 [#00738073]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



waiting for contr-arguments......


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 12:26 [#00738119]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to hyakusen: #00738073



well you sound like you have some anti-aphex twin issues.
all i'm saying is that Aphex twin brought IDM to a larger
audience. I realize that Ae had released a single in 91 but
that is irrelevant. Many people, including me, had not even
heard of Ae untill after first hearing aphex twin.

if you want to get techincal, analogue bubble bath came out
in 1987 and selected ambient works 1 covers material from
1985-1992 but i am not talking about release dates, i'm
just talking about Ae's exposure. I'm sure that they would
not have as many fans as they do had aphex twin not first
opened the door.

yes, he's a showman. I wish Ae would have done something
interesting at their show. i paid my 25 bucks and all they
did was a 1 dimensional hardcore show with absolutely
nothing to see but a little smoke and their glowing laptops.
sure the music was good but i paid for a SHOW. they could
at least engage their audience or recognize that sombody
came to SEE them. Ae doesn't do that, Aphex Twin does, hence
more exposure for the genre.


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 12:35 [#00738129]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



if you want show - go to cabaret , circus , or marylin
manson cons\cert .....my god i cant believe that you wanted
show on Ae concert...man it is no matter of show , and if
you wanted show and if you couldn get one , then probably
you just dont know what is the matter of Ae music....all
music , you know , going on parties like this one to see
shows is little strange to me ....i never was on Ae concert
, but i know that single seeing or even hearing Ae live
should get me on moon......


 

offline DeadEight from vancouver (Canada) on 2003-06-12 12:43 [#00738138]
Points: 5437 Status: Regular



aphex- did acid house long before it was in clubs (not that
it really matters, i suppose... cause i don't believe he
introduced it)
-did not invent, but revolutionized ambient, Saw2 will be an
ambient standard for the rest of existence
-fused classical, techno, and trip hop into the
revolutionary album that was icbyd (no predecessor sounds
remotely close)
-while vibert may be oft cited as inventor of DrillnBass,
the RDJ album and Hangable auto bulb eps took the genre to a
new level of frantic energy
-on drukqs, afx took drill further, fusing garage sounds,
creating unparalleled tracks such as vordhosbn
-nothing, NOTHING sounds like the first 2 tracks on
windowlicker... (although, i'm tempted to say that new
Gescom might be thematically linked)
-but really, more than anything, i think that APhex is in
large part responsible for the prevailing attitude of those
working in the experimental electronic field today... the
mischievious, free-wheeling attitude which permeates the
vast majority of his up-tempo works... he is often compared
to mozart, and i don't think that this comparison is off the
mark... Mozart didn't invent a new strand of classical, but
he revolutionized it all the same... both were/are
incredibly talented and prolific, and the mark they have
left on the works of their contemporaries, and successors,
is incalculable... in what has been a short lifespan for
electronic music, Richard D. James is easily one of the most
important figures that the genre has produced to date...
certainly the most important electronic composer in the
90's...


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 12:48 [#00738142]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to hyakusen: #00738129



whats so hard to believe about wanting a show at a
show?

plaid has a good live show,
funkstorung has a good live show,
squarepusher (so i've heard from friends) has a great live
show.

Ae's live show was crap. 1hr of non stop hardcore beats
divided into what sounded like 4 unrecognizable tracks.
they could have at least mixed it up a little bit. 5
minutes of something melodic, is all i ask. but rather they
sat on stage in the dark staring at their laptops. they
could have at least faked it, made it look like they were
doing something. what's the point of touring if you just
look like you are checking your e-mail for an hour. it was
great for the 1st 15 mintues and then it got boring.

don't get me wrong, i think Ae's music is great but, for
example, if i had never heard Ae untill that show, i
probably never would have bought any of their music for fear
of it being boring. in fact, the only reason i stayed for
the whole show was because of my respect for them but it was
easily the worst electronic show i have ever seen, except
for maybe four tet last week. now that was a bad show.


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 12:49 [#00738146]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to DeadEight: #00738138



that's what i'm saying.
finally a voice of reason.


 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2003-06-12 12:52 [#00738155]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker



you all know that Aphex Twin sucks right?


 

offline X-tomatic from ze war room on 2003-06-12 13:06 [#00738182]
Points: 2901 Status: Lurker



Just don't sucker yourself into thinking it only takes some
random asshole with a stupid grin on his face who got
lucky
.
I'm easily capable (and you are too I'm sure) to pick the
aphex sound from out of the pack, which indicates he has
created a unique sound. Combine that with his spot-on
insight on proper artistical music, the brilliant name and
logo, and you have an artist of rare quality, definitely
untouchable for most homebrewing musicmakers out
there.


 

offline DeadEight from vancouver (Canada) on 2003-06-12 13:09 [#00738188]
Points: 5437 Status: Regular



if there are bedroom musicians doing better out there...
they sure haven't tried to get picked up by a label because
anyone who is better than afx will get snapped up faster
than you can say "come on you cunts let's have some afx
acid!"


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 13:11 [#00738190]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to X-tomatic: #00738182



of course. i agree that not just anybody could have done it,
good marketing or not. but you also can't discount the
importance of good marketing.

marketing brought fans who in turn brings money to the
labels. labels with money can sign more artists which bring
in more money to sign more artists which creates more
exposure for the genre.


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 13:15 [#00738196]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to Amether: #00737751



and again, great topic. especially for a "n00b"
;)


 

offline X-tomatic from ze war room on 2003-06-12 13:17 [#00738200]
Points: 2901 Status: Lurker



that first reply was actually meant as a followup to
hyakusen btw.

evolume:
...and don't discount the importance of the artist's name
and logo ;) , combined with his special eerie sound it
elevated his status further.


 

offline evolume from seattle (United States) on 2003-06-12 13:31 [#00738214]
Points: 10965 Status: Regular | Followup to X-tomatic: #00738200



true true.
how many people have aphex twin tatoos and how many have
autechre tatoos.



 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 13:37 [#00738226]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



fuck tatoos , theyr'e not a symbol of good music , how many
people has scooter tatoo's ? much more than afx tatoo's , i
think that ae will be very sad when they read this - this is
last thimg i expected here - judging music by shows ,
marketing , tatoos and logos...for christ sake !!!!! people
!!!!


 

offline hyakusen from 8=============> on 2003-06-12 13:42 [#00738232]
Points: 7021 Status: Addict



i will tell ya 1 thg more : Ae probably will not come to my
country , probably i will not be on any concert of them and
i am very sad with that... i'm jelaous of this ae concert -
i admit it with no harm....but because of this i can see
this : i will never judge any music by shows. Once they are
good , once they are bad. do you can assure me that afx
shows are always great ? do you ? NONONO
and please dont tell me that afx is still innovator - listem
to druqgs ? and what about 26 mixes for cash ? is it good ?
really ? and what about title ? wel , if this is the way of
IDM i dont want to look at this at all -


 

offline Nexus 6 from Netherlands, The on 2003-06-12 13:47 [#00738237]
Points: 3221 Status: Lurker | Followup to Amether: #00737751



all those names you said... those people prolly got them own
inspiration from other musicians too. That's the way things
go in music.


 


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