Exclusive listen to "54 Cymru Beats" Aphex Twin - any comments ?

I can nearly understand this!

Quite a brave guarantee you offer DJ Martian.

54 Welsh beats? And here I am listening to Gorky's too...

Aphex proves to be as imaginative as ever

Hey, David Bowie just needs to mix Reeves Gabrels in and he could sing 'Little Wonder' over the top of this!

You can never tell with Aphex Twin but if this is what I think it is, I've got the remixes, by one "AFX Men"...! Have I outmartianed the martian?????

I'm a bit underwhelmed. Maybe the news of a new double Aphex album pointed my expectations more into a ambient direction. This is a fine jungle track, bit retro, good bass and definitely better than anything on 'Richard Bloody D. James'. I just hope the album isn't only about clever programming and electronic fart jokes.

Omar, you don't like Richard D. James album??? for the first time, i think anyway, you really have shocked me.

Ambrose went to hear the new album being previewed somewhere in London, where is he when you need him?

Kidnapped by Aphex and being forced into unspeakable perversions, I shouldn't wonder.

Nah that was just to wind you up ;) I know how you love that album. I don't really rate it, it isn't bad but also not, you know...SAW85/92. Sounds like a collection of really angry and fucked-up videogames, really clever but a bit cold and empty. Should give it a spin again, because now that I think of it there were some amazing things on it. Ah well...a full report on that preview thingy should be interesting.

Richard D James is the best Beach Boys album they never made.

Actually Tom, i think Richard D James is the best Nick Drake album he never made.

Richard D. James alb one of the all-time classic SHORT discs. The thought of Nick Drake recording 'Milkman' from the 'Boy/Girl' ep makes me laugh...

You're all wrong. Nick Drake is the best Beach Boy Richard D. James never made.

No. Nick Drake is the best Cornish Acid Momus never made.

See the joke, see the joke DIE.

here i am when you need me ie well late.

the aphex album.

they only played half of it.

aout 5 of the tracks were like this one, ie fast, bogdan like but much harsher. theres a couyple of well funky electro ish track. an odd one with just loads of bass hum and well....this sounds a bit wanky but i saw a program where afx said he likes hanging out in power stations. maybe this is what he heard. that track is the best.

there a a few tracks where it is just afx playing the piano really hamfistedly. i think hes trying to do that plaid, modern composer thing eric satie isnt it?

theyre a bit rubbish.

my response to 54 cymru beats: alright bt hardly revolutionary. whats wrong with everybody? why is everyone make boring ol music?

album (what i heard). not a classic. all over the place. maybe it is. one of the tracks is wicked.

anyone seeing him at the v +a? gareth? get yr tickets now!

Alright, the one with bass hum sounds like a classic already! And those piano tracks sound interesting too I guess. It's supposed to be a double album right? So it could be an interesting mess.

I'd never thought about it before, but I suppose there's always been an Satie element to Mr Twin's stuff, particularly on SAW89-92. This piano stuff does sound like it might pretty cool though.

sporry that my 'report' wasnt very fullsome. heres some more thoughts, from what i can remember..sometimes i got a bit carried away looking at the stars in the planetarium....

some of the tracks are kinda disturbing. theres one with loads of screaming....i guess that sounds pretty cheesey, but it was genuinely a bit freaky. maybe it was the surroundings.

what else. the drill n bass stuff is sonically incredibly harsh. really horrid. bit like that 54 cymru beats thing, some of them are extreme.

but still a little boring ?!

there were three of those piano pieces. they were quite interesting, but it was just strange that they sounded *so* badly played. like, technically.

the order was cool thoguh. like: loads of drones, then a well harsh texchstep thing, then some piano, then some screaming.

'an interesting mess'. i thinlk thats what i heard.

not sure whether to buy it or not. it comes out in october so i guess i have time to decide.

oh i'll buy it. of that much i think we can be sure;)

so, has anyone downloaded it yet? it appears to be on audiogalaxy etc...

So I have heard the album and will predict every Aphex Twin fan will be very happy. All of his styles are present, so if the drill & bass isn't your thing (again most of d&B tracks have more bottom then before) you'll have some great gentle dream techno tracks, the ambient noise stuff that is excellent and...yep...the piano tracks which I love. Meeting the Satie of the 21th century tag head on as it were. The piano tracks work because his sometimes underrated sense of melody is pushed front stage. Must listen some more for a definitive judgement but for now i'll put it somewhere between SAWII and I Care Because You Do.

Omar's prediction is amusing. But in other news, anyone heard about the lurking hidden faces?
http://chaos.yerbox.org/face/
http://www.visualizationsoftware.com/gram/example15.html

lurking hidden faces?

Do you think he tipped someone off, or where they really found by chance?

Yeah, so I'm not the Oracle of Delphi. ;) I certainly overestimated the "will accept anything released" ability of Aphex Twin fans. Ah well.