Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Studio album by Aphex Twin
Publication (s)	February 12, 1992
Label (s)	Apollo Records
Format (s)	CD , LP
Genre (s)	Techno , ambient , IDM
Title (number)	13
running time	74:20
production	Richard D. James
chronology Didgeridoo (single) Selected Ambient Works 85-92 Selected Ambient Works Vol. II 1994

The Aphex Twin logo largely dominates the cover of the album.

Selected Ambient Works 85–92 (often abbreviated as SAW 85–92 or simply SAW 1 ) is the debut album by British electronica musician Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin . It was released in 1992 by the sub-label Apollo of the Belgian indie label R&S Records . An analog remaster edition was released in 2006, a digital remaster edition followed in 2008.

history

In the late 80's and early 90's, Richard D. James was a night club DJ in his native Cornwall , United Kingdom . There he learned a lot about new music technologies and rhythm patterns. With the club scene behind his back and a small fan base, James released SAW 85-92 , which was mostly recorded before his DJ days. It consisted of instrumental, radio-compatible songs, which were mainly beat-oriented. Richard D. James introduced his new material to friends using tapes that he played when they drove around in their car.

The songs were faster and with more percussion than many other ambient releases, such as Brian Eno . His follow-up album, Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), approaches this original ambient again.

If James really started producing music for this album in 1985 (he was born in 1971), he would have been 13 or 14 years old.

A remastered CD of SAW 85-92 was released on April 8, 2008 by Apollo / R & S Records. The remastered 12 ″ vinyl was released in 2006.

structure

Although the album is mostly instrumental, many of the tracks contain samples . In “Xtal” there are samples of a female voice as well as other ambient sounds. On "Tha" you can hear several people talking, including most likely James himself, while on "Actium" you can hear squeaky shoes in a large hallway. “We Are the Music Makers” contains a line from a dialogue from the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971). "Green Calx" includes samples from RoboCop (1987) as well as a short sample of the vocal part from "Fodderstompf" by Public Image Ltd. , as well as opening music for John Carpenter's film The Thing from Another World (1982).

James produced another version of We Are the Music Makers under his pseudonym Caustic Window. The song called “We Are the Music Makers (Hardcore Mix)” bears no resemblance to the original apart from the sample. It was probably produced with the same equipment. The track appeared on the rare Joyrex J9ii -EP.

reception

source	rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone
Pitchfork Media
Laut.de

Allmusic writes that the “sound quality is relatively poor”, but the album is a “turning point in ambient music”. David M. Pecoraro of Pitchfork Media says it is "the most interesting keyboard and computer produced music ever". The Rolling Stone called the album "majestic" and the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll claimed that the album will by critics as "ambient masterpiece, comparable with works by The Orb or Brian Eno seen." Warp Records declared it the "birthplace of modern electronic music " and stated that "every household should have a copy".

Pitchfork Media lists Selected Ambient Works 85-92 at number 1 of the 50 best IDM albums. The New Musical Express voted it 121st of the 500 best albums of all time. The album was included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .

In addition, the British noise musician V / Vm released a remix of the song "Ageispolis" as part of his helpaphextwin series.

Track list

All songs were composed and produced by Richard D. James .

1. Xtal - 4:54
2. Tha - 9:06
3. Pulsewidth - 3:46
4. Ageispolis - 5:23
5. i - 1:17
6. Green Calx - 6:05
7. Heliosphan - 4:51
8. We Are the Music Makers - 7:43
9. Schottkey 7th Path - 5:08
10. Ptolemy - 7:10
11. Hedphelym - 6:00
12. Delphium - 5:26
13. Actium - 7:32

literature

• Eric Weisbard, Craig Marks: Spin Alternative Record Guide , Vintage Books (1995), ISBN 0679755748

Web links

• Selected Ambient Works 85-92 at Discogs

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Review on Allmusic.com (accessed December 8, 2016)
2. ↑ Review by Pat Blashill on rollingstone.com (archived) (accessed June 14, 2018)
3. ↑ Review by David M. Pecoraro on Pitchfork.com (accessed December 8, 2016)
4. ↑ Review by Theresa Locker on Laut.de (accessed December 8, 2016)
5. ^ [1] Selected Ambient Works 85-92> Overview . In: Allmusic . All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
6. ^ David M. Pecoraro: Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92: Pitchfork Record Review . In: Pitchfork Media . February 20, 2002. Archived from the original on May 8, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
7. ↑ Pat Blashill: Selected Ambient Works 85-92: Aphex Twin: Review: Rolling Stone . In: Rolling Stone . RealNetworks, Inc. December 12, 2002. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
8. ↑ George-Warren, Holly and Patricia Romanowski: The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, 2005, Fireside (New York City), 2005, ISBN 978-0-7432-9201-6 , p. 24.
9. ↑ Pat Blashill: Selected Ambient Works 85-92: Aphex Twin: Review: Mahalo . In: Mahalo . Mahalo, Inc. December 12, 2005. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
10. ↑ The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time on pitchfork.com (accessed September 23, 2018)
11. ↑ The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time on nme.com (accessed June 14, 2018)