Aphex twin, Chosen Lords (original) (raw)

When the music experts of the far future look back at now, they're likely to pinpoint a few artists whose music will remain powerful even when the context in which it is listened to has changed in unimaginable ways. Björk, for example, or Radiohead. It's hard to imagine that Richard D James won't be there, too, long after he joins the dead twin brother he invented for a typically uncomfortable interview with one magazine.

No one else makes such insane clatter work so effortlessly, nor has any one of his peers unlocked the secret of making reconditioned synthesisers sound so drenched in emotion - although it's worth bearing in mind that it's the same kind of emotion that the comedian Chris Morris channels, so there's plenty of low-level darkness brushing up against the scorching, haunting melodies.

Over the course of 2005, James released the Analord series of 12"s on his Rephlex imprint. They were hoovered up by fans and now 10 have been cherry-picked for Chosen Lords, his first new album since 2001's Drukqs

It's soaked in late Eighties Chicago house and Detroit techno, although it doesn't sound retrogressive. The music is bent into directions that only he can anticipate. There is no standout like 'Windowlicker' just a brilliant collection of spanking, multi-layered tunes.

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'Fenix Funk'; 'Boxing Day'