He is a pioneer in experimental techno music. His music includes intricate beat constructions and eerie ambient sounds. Aphex Twin’s Richard D. James is a well-known electronic musician. James has been pushing the boundaries of electronic music since 1991’s release of his first EPs. This resulted in avant-garde, emotionally engaging work that spans sublime, pastoral ambience (Selected Ambient Works 85 -92 and its 1994 sequel) to mad, acid techno (92’s DigeridooEP). James, unlike many artists from the ’90s, established himself as a real personality. He is known for his cheeky grin, which graced the covers to releases like 1996’s Richard D. James album and 1995’s I Care Because You Don’t. His nightmare-inducing music videos (especially 1997’s “Come to Daddy” and 1999’s “Windowlicker”) as well as his innovative albums and EPs. His audience grew from critics and ravers to become rock fans. Many non-electronic musicians also cited him as an inspiration. His piano composition, “Avril14th”, from the controversial 2001 album Drukqs, gradually gained a life and was his most popular. He had become so well-known that albums like Syro (2014) and Collapse (2018) were preceded by elaborate promotional campaigns featuring the Aphex Twin logo appearing on billboards and blimps in major cities. Growing up in Cornwall, England, James started disassembling electronics gear when he was a teenager. (Selected Ambient Works 85-92 contains recordings that were made around the age of 14 if the title is to be believed. James was inspired by acid house music in the late 1980s and began DJing at raves throughout Cornwall. The Analogue Bubblebath EP was his first release. It was recorded with Tom Middleton, who co-produced “En Trance to Exit”, and released on Mighty Force in September 1991. Later that year, Middleton moved to Global Communication. James then recorded the second volume of the Analogue Bubblebath series. This EP, which included “Digeridoo”), received airplay on Kiss FM in London and was subsequently reissued by James.
