Just like the On Remixes EP, this is basically a continuation of Ventolin that has very little reason to be a separate release. The original tracks by Aphex Twin are similarly terrible to meh just like the other EP with the exception of the Probus mix, which nicely balances lo-fi drums and SAW 85-92 like synths. The remixes by Luke Vibert and Cylob are pretty decent, with a lot of interesting things especially happening in Cylob's track. Still, while I'd say Ventolin Remixes is ... read more

A confusing EP named after Aphex Twin's most controversial song. Ventolin definitely has a unique dirty lo-fi aesthetic to it which can be interesting at times, but it never does anything special with it and is at times incredibly annoying. Ventolin (Salbutamol Mix) has always been one of my least favorite Aphex Twin tracks as a song based on tinnitus is as bad of an idea as is it sounds. The rest of the EP doesn't do much for me ether, especially the Praze-An-Beeble Mix with the ... read more

This may just be a compilation of Digeridoo, Xylem Tube, and partially Analogue Bubblebath that Aphex Twin himself never greenlit, but you can't deny it makes for an amazing album. I'll admit, the massive amount of nostalgia I have for Classics is effecting my rating as it was one of the 1st Aphex Twin albums I got into. However, these are truly classics. This album features the full breadth of Richard's early 90s techno without any misses. For a compilation, all of these songs ... read more

Analogue Bubblebath 4 is an all around good EP of pretty much everything you'd expect from the Analogue Bubblebath series at this point but with a few unique ideas. On the acid techno side of things, Elephant Song is the most popular track here and it's obvious why with its beat and screams that make me feel like I'm riding a rampaging elephant. It's cool but only for about 2 minutes. Gibbon meanwhile is typical, but not bad at all. On the ambient techno side of things, ... read more

GAK is a compilation of minimalistic techno demos Aphex Twin sent to Warp in 1990. Despite the simple and incomplete nature of these tracks, there are some bright spots. GAK 1 has some beautiful pianos that add a lot of color to an all around well made song while GAK 4 has a lot of charm with its video-game like sound. GAK 2 and 3 though are not it. GAK 2 is forgettable and as Mic The Snare said "You might wonder why the artist who would help make Warp a well known name wasn't ... read more

Selected Ambient Works Vol. II is a magical album. There is a prevailing sense of mystery in its every nook and cranny, from how a majority of this album was inspired by Richard's lucid dreams to how the song titles have to be interpreted from a picture puzzle in the album's packaging, to how the minimally crafted soundscapes never fail to pull me into another world. I could go on talking about highlights and what makes every track so special, but that might honestly take forever. ... read more

Bradley Strider was a pretty decent techno side project of Aphex Twin, with Bradley's Robot being the better of the 2 EPs released under it. The 1st 2 tracks are pretty nice, being named NgaiModu and Leaving Home in the soundcloud dump. The former sounds like it came out of some ancient Mesopotamian rave while the ladder makes for some chill background music. Track 3, actually titled Linmiri ≠ Bradley Strider, is the best song here though with its energetic beat and beautiful textures. ... read more

Surprisingly, this is a lot better than the original On EP! While that release's title track is one of Aphex Twin's best songs, the rest of the EP was not near the same level of quality. However here, we have 2 great remixes of On as well as 2 interesting original tracks by Richard. Starting with the ladder, On (D-Scape Mix) is so damn weird and long yet whenever I put it on, I can't stop listening. On (28 Mix) is a precursor to the type of ambient music Richard would serve up on ... read more

This EP is interesting to say the least. It's one of Aphex Twin's most "in your face" releases with hyper-aggressive percussion all over the place. Tracks like On and D-Scape balance it out with atmospheric instrumentation and they are my favorites here. D-Scape's large booming kicks and ominous strings make a nice combination, but On is one of Richard's best tracks ever. It perfectly balances the soft and the abrasive while being vaguely themed around rain (or at ... read more

Yet another weak Caustic Window EP. The only reason people should care about Joyrex J9ii is because of Garden of Linmiri. In the same vein as tracks like Quoth and Hedphelym, Garden of Linmiri's loud distorted kicks intermingled with alarm sound effects are impossible to sit still to. It's a really fun track. The rest of the EP though is mediocre at best. Fantasia is one of Richard's worst tracks ever, Clayhill Dub is way too minimalistic to find much enjoyment in it, and WATMM ... read more

Talk about a tough listen. These 2 tracks are genuinely terrible. Humanoid Must Not Escape starts out promising enough with a catchy acid groove, but it does not change at all throughout its 5 minute runtime except for the addition of increasingly annoying samples. Fantasia is an even longer hyper-aggressive and overstimulating track. Its use of samples from porn make is especially cringeworthy. Unlike literally every other Aphex Twin release, there isn't a single song on here that I ... read more

Solid early Aphex Twin outing. Taken from Surfing On Sine Waves, the title track has always had a special place in my heart for its simplicity and aggression. The remixes of Quoth are basically the same song but with barely enough new ideas to make them different. I don't prefer either one. The best parts of this EP though are the original tracks. Iketa is engrossing atmospheric slice of braindance while Bike Pump Meets Bucket is a wonderful hip hop jam. This EP is far from essential but ... read more

Analogue Bubblebath 3 is equally genius and awesome as it is stupid and terrible. I don't think I've ever seen an album that varies this much in quality. If this is a bubblebath, it's a very dirty one. The highlights on this album do what Richard did best on the early 90s, combining catchy synths with creative percussion and endearing atmospheres. However, the frequent lowlights also fall into his usual pitfalls around this time of overindulging in the hyper aggressive and ... read more

The 2nd part of the Artificial Intelligence series and an album I have a deep sense of nostalgia for, Surfing on Sine Waves is the best album Richard ever put out on his non-Aphex twin aliases. Each track brings something new to the early 90s braindance soundscape of the album. Every track is hypnotic and easy to get lost in. The whole album has a down-to-earth vibe that is absolutely lovely and Quino-Phec is the perfect closer. Just a great and very consistent album where even the weakest ... read more

This album is what started it all for me. I liked electronic music before this, but listening to Xtal for the 1st time started my obsession with this type of music that continues to this day. That isn't to say my love of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is just nostalgia. Every single tack here is creative, rich in atmosphere, perfectly paced, and sounds amazing. There is no significant dip in quality and its staying power as well as its influence on music as a whole is truly unique. I'm ... read more

My favorite of the Caustic Window releases which isn't saying much. Joyrex J5 actually starts out pretty good with the beautifully atmospheric On the Romance Tip as well as Astroblaster and the title track which are repetitive but have fun moments. R2D2 is what really brings this EP down as it's at best an annoyingly childish shitpost. I only ever come back to this one for On the Romance Tip honestly. It's not all that special.

Aphex Twin had a great streak going in the early 90s, but this is the 1st significant weakpoint to me. AFX 114 and Pop Corn are ear-bleedingly annoying, the ladder of which being especially disappointing as a low effort cover of a historically important song. The title track, Italic Eyeball, and Pigeon Street at least help by being decent bits of early Aphex. They're fine for what they are. What saves this EP from being a complete skip though is Cordialatron, a lush and pristine track that ... read more

This is the kinda-sorta sequel to the Digeridoo EP and an improvement with another set of bangers. Polynomial-C is an obvious classic with it's perfectly epic spacey sound and breakbeats but Tamphex should credit too. For a joke song that samples a tampon ad, Richard does his absolute best to make it as headbangingly awesome as possible. The other 2 tracks are just fine. I like them and they have some great percussion, but they are about as standard as an early Aphex Twin track can get. ... read more

Well this is weird. No clue what made Richard wanna do a novelty dance single but I can't deny that it is very fun! The 1st track is far more well made then it had any right to be with classic arcade samples seamlessly integrated into the track alongside awesome breakbeats. Choci's remix fully embraces the goofiness of the concept and I can't help but love it as a result. However, Mickey Finn's remix and the Ghost mix take themselves way too seriously for what this project ... read more

Richard's 3rd EP and 1st under R&S continues to show off his knack for creative beats and interesting soundscapes, even if half of these tracks are from other records. These tracks are very repetitive but have so many details and go so hard that I never get tired of them.

Also sorry Isoprophlex but the version of this that has Analogue Bubblebath instead in goated.