I listened to DrukQs and it did weird things to me

For song & album requests and to support my channel and musical projects, please consider joining my Patreon (I can't monetize my videos): / iximusic 🙌 You can also commission me to analyze your original music or do a piano cover. 🎹 And I teach private & group lessons, do film/video game scoring, and music transcriptions 🎶 TIPS: www.buymeacoffee.com/iximusic 💄
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🙏 SPECIAL THANKS to my Patrons, without whom these videos would not be possible, credited at the end of this video!
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Chapter markers:
0:00 - Intro
0:07 - Jynweythek
1:55 - Vordhosbn
4:55 - Kladfvgbung Micshk
7:35 - Omgyjya-Switch7
14:07 - Strotha Tynhe
18:18 - Gwety Mernans
22:41 - Bbydhyonchord
23:52 - Cock/Ver10
26:49 - Avril 14th
27:22 - Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount
33:39 - Gwarek2
36:26 - Orban Eq Trx4
38:16 - Aussois
39:14 - Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow
41:27 - Kesson Dalek
45:21 - Thoughts on Disc 1
46:05 - Halloween costume
46:15 - 54 Cymru Beats
49:07 - Btoum-Roumada
51:07 - Lornaderek
52:55 - QKThr
56:46 - Meltphace 6
59:46 - Bit 4
1:00:08 - Prep Gwarek 36
1:01:34 - Father
1:03:31 - Taking Control
1:05:07 - Petiatil Cx Htdui
1:07:34 - Ruglen Holon
1:09:56 - Afx237 V.7
1:12:25 - Ziggomatic 17
1:16:20 - Beskhu3epnm
1:18:47 - Nanou2
1:24:06 - Goodbye!

[@iximusic]

For song & album requests and to support my channel and musical projects, please consider joining my Patreon (I can't monetize my videos): www.patreon.com/iximusic 🙌 You can also commission me to analyze your original music or do a piano cover. 🎹 And I teach private & group lessons, do film/video game scoring, and music transcriptions 🎶 TIPS: www.buymeacoffee.com/iximusic 💄 Oh and if you're looking for the Avril 14th video here 'tis! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i32paKmma5xpoLc

[@whollenbeck8]

Re: the piano tracks - Richard (Aphex Twin) put cutlery between the piano strings to make that specific ting sound and his piano was midi-controlled. This album is such a treat showing extreme sides of the aural spectrum.

[@terrencebucker]

Someone might have mentioned-RD James is from Cornwall, a lot of the weird track names are Cornish.

[@Metathronos]

maybe watch "rubber johnny" the video for Afx237 V.7 if you get the time. FPr some reason the song makes a lot more sense in that context

[@gerryfearon7905]

Loved this break down of this classic album. Made me go back and listen again since I haven't listened to it in maybe 10 years. Now I notice a lot of what you described in this video. Im wondering, would you maybe think of doing the same for one if Boards of Canada's albums in the future? Maybe 'Music has the Right to Children' or 'Geogaddi' ? Love to get your thoughts on their work.

[@grunskm1]

Other RDJ releases that deserve a listen (if not a review): The Tuss - Rushup Edge AFX - Analord 1-11

[@joshbutts3143]

aphex twin's music is so varied that 2 fans could both like aphex twin but not have any liked songs in common. some ppl just like the ambient stuff, some ppl only like the piano, some only like the drum breaks.

[@KNURKonesur]

@@gartgreenside3657 what about Popcorn? ;)

[@tsumeristudio639]

And some like all of it!

[@djgray1200]

I actually really also like Power Pill

[@JiggyGnorrus]

Could be true like come to daddy and flim , total nutbag

[@Maravone]

What about the Milk Man?

[@WmRike]

This record sort of got panned by the critics when it came out, but I think it's his masterpiece. What makes it even better is that it wasn't even supposed to happen. He had supposedly quit making music as Aphex Twin, but then he lost a thumb drive full of these songs and decided to release them before someone else leaked them. And then after this, we didn't hear from him as Aphex Twin for another 12 years. But yeah, there is nothing else like this record, not even other Aphex Twin records, really. It's like someone put Erik Satie, John Cage, and a robot armageddon in a blender.

[@oliverrees9397]

I honestly couldn't have put a better comment in so I won't. I totally agree it's a fantastic album and is truly one of his underrated masterpieces

[@gertrude8883]

Yes ! Plus this album got a very powerfull identity, melting ancient and new sounds, it's like a journey in a distorded past time...

[@Mr13Ganache]

Totally agree. When I used to work in a record store, I was styling Aphex Twin as the Erik Satie of elecronic music to convince people to listen to his work.

[@AKAtAGG]

you nailed it here mate. I loved it immediately - I am a huge AFX fan - and as you say critically it was absolutely mauled. Those same critics now see it as one of his best works (his best, for me, I agree with you there 100%), and I am stumped how they didn't love it immediately.

[@MFKitten]

I think it was an ipod he lost?

[@user-io7kl7io6j]

Aphex Twin is from Cornwall and many of the titles are in the Cornish language or referencing Cornwall. St. Michael's Mount is an island in Cornwall. Jynweythek Ylow roughly translates to "Electronic Music Machine" Vordhosbn is "Noisy Boat" Strotha Tynhe is "Tight Squeeze" Gwely Mernans is "Death Bed" Avril 14th is referencing the Kernow (Cornish for Cornwall) festival which is on April 14th. Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow is something like "she's the one who spills the shit" or something Lornaderek are also his parents "Lorna & Derek" so this album can be seen as a homage to his childhood and formative years in Cornwall.

[@dorbid]

Album is 21 years old and still sounds like the future. Great channel btw just stumbled across it ❤

[@iximusic]

ha totally!

[@tsumeristudio639]

Thanks for making me feel old!

[@dorbid]

@@tsumeristudio639 join the club buddy lol

[@russianvoodoo]

Cheezus. I always thought it was release around 2011.

[@antonyedgar3453]

21! Just had to check when come to daddy came out. That was such an awesome vid. Remember watching it on mtv followed by windowlicker. He was so surreal with his face on all the people and the music was just so intense. Some good memories

[@WmRike]

I've always thought of Richard James as the trickster god of electronic music. He's simultaneously very serious and not the least bit serious. Also, if you do dive into his discography, he never really makes the same record twice. They're all different in their own ways.

[@sweetwheatsy]

Indeed. I like to think of it as a bit analogous to Earthbound aswell, especially the music. Some of it is extremely weird and silly, while other parts of it really serious, sad and impactful

[@redapplefour6223]

@@sweetwheatsy yeah, the start of cock/ver10 always sounded to me like the earthbound battle start. almost wonder if it's a sample. good comparison regardless

[@user-sj7bn3rs1x]

none of his main aphex twin albums are the same, but his 5 billion eps and soundcloud songs often just cover/expand upon sounds hes already done

[@sweetwheatsy]

@@redapplefour6223 Yo true it really does! Neat find

[@Del-Lebo]

Well said! I agree!!!

[@HoShIfox19]

Björk included this album in her top 10 albums of all time.

[@randomhunter8593]

I need to know the link of that!!!

[@azteciandrumset7140]

Thanks to you I discovered The Black Dog, whom were also on the list.

[@iamtheaudiophile]

cause its literally the best electronic album of all time

[@Djdjipe]

okay? or what you want as a reaction

[@PaulBenjaminJenkins]

High praise from one of the best popular avant garde artists of all time.

[@theblueoddity]

Vordhosbn Is my fav track, it does weird things to me emotionally and i love it.

[@TinWhisker]

A panic attack interpreted as music.

[@alanwheeldon2789]

slow version of Vordhosbn is right nice too, brings out all the detail kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnvLlXp6d52li5Y

[@molochz]

@@TinWhisker It's not though. It's pure relaxation. You're listening to it wrong.

[@TinWhisker]

@@molochzInterpretation of art is a personal view and probably a matter of taste too. Therefore I'm comfortable listening to it "wrong". (Plus there's hundreds of relaxing tracks of his to vibe to) :3

[@paranoidcomet]

Vordhosbn got me into Aphex Twin, such a great track.

[@jmdoe5822]

The comment about Nannou 2 - "two people saying goodbye" - is spot on. Nannou was his French / French Canadian girlfriend, who appeared on the Windowlicker EP as both a vocalist and a muse, but I think they must have split up around the DrukQs time period. It's interesting to compare this track to Aisatsana on Syro, which is named after his current Russian wife. That piece has a similar spacing to it. He has performed it live using a prep piano suspended on wires. As the instrument plays, it swings back and forth creating a Doppler effect, which I imagine is part of the reason for the gaps - to let the sound resonate between swings. It maybe that Nannou 2 was also intended to be performed this way.

[@iximusic]

that sounds so cool.

[@chopperdave3868]

Nannou 2 and Aisatsana are painfully beautiful tracks.

[@ugonnacryguy9571]

this channel is such a hidden gem

[@iximusic]

😊

[@ugonnacryguy9571]

​@@iximusic damn that was a year ago?! i enjoy coming back to this video every few months

[@jon1979roma]

When I went to Italy in the summer of 93 I bought Selected Ambient Works 85-92, from that moment on, my musical life changed. I brought it back home to Chicago, all of my friends freaked out. That album was on repeat for like the next 3 years.

[@FerryFalco]

"...and we are the dreamers of dreams"

[@chopperdave3868]

Richard D. James changed my life with music, too.

[@gapenisbruzas]

Hi Jon! I loved 2 mixes I had by Chicago DJs. Dj 3D and Snuggles. Did you listen to them back in Chicago in the 90s?

[@poiewhfopiewhf]

i'm sorry you went to italy

[@gapenisbruzas]

@@poiewhfopiewhf I'm sorry you went to Italy? What does that mean? What a bizarre response.

[@Widderic]

The ending to Saint Michaels Mount is insane, sends chills down my spine every listen. He cuts off gates in 16ths then 32nds, then 64ths. I like your analogy of the car window being open as cars drive pass when a synth pad with long decay is playing. He definitely takes you on a ride with that track, you have no choice but to keep up with the BPM and it is DRAINING.

[@gorgeousrantsofwrestling5158]

That's a God tier track, I love it so much.

[@7p7m7]

i love that window feeling so much

[@hawk2million]

Yup, it's absolutely nuts with a good pair of headphones. Enough to make you see double!

[@sanfordcurtis8242]

The ending sounds like when you open the windows driving on a motorway.

[@metalfacemartinez]

Sounds good slightly slowed too kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpTCaousp7-he9U

[@k.7214]

"If Jynweythek hasn't been in a film, I'd be surprised." It was used in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, along with the relatively ubiquitous Avril 14th. Great to spend time with that last track. The ending gives me goosebumps everytime.

[@danielfeatherstone674]

Goosebumps yes!. Those chords speak to me somehow. So visceral

[@XoeMancha]

Jynweythek was in my headphones while I walked through Versaille, and when I later saw the film Marie Antoinette had used the track in a similar way I was just terribly delighted

[@nemogfr7029]

My favorite album from Aphex Twin, those prepared piano pieces are so magical, he's such a great composer and artist

[@te9591]

Ikr

[@SlyHikari03]

Fr

[@kryptichands968]

They really are some of my favorite piano compositions

[@Demention94]

That weird dissociative nostalgic feeling you expressed is what he does so well with his music. Like walking though another lifetime...

[@damianroberts4330]

Yes, bits like Flim and Vordhosben and Xtal certainly have that nostalgia the first time I heard them.

[@retnuHDJ]

The best way I've heard that described is feeling homesick of a home you never had.

[@Dakcha]

Aphex Twin is my favorite artist for many reasons but mainly because he covers the widest scope of music and emotions of anyone I know. From the ambient to the chaotic, he’s the one artist I can come back to year after year and still fall in love with music all over again.

[@natalieshark]

Back around the time this album came out, I was delivering pizzas. This and Björk’s Vespertine became my wintery driving music. This album will forever remind me of the snow falling on my windscreen and dark evenings with streetlights above. It’s as close to a comfort album as you can get. One of the things I liked about your review is how you picked up on the way in which Aphex Twin will surprise you with his changes, and how often they come just as you start to desire them. I’ve noticed time and time again that there will be moments where I zone out on a more repetitive section and the moment I notice or my attention starts to drift, he does something different. It was really cool to watch someone else discover this album for the first time. It certainly left an impression on me. There are few albums that have challenged me or broadened my imagination more than this one.

[@1sheep23]

Yeah it kinda sounds wintery

[@AllCloudsAreBunnies]

Vespertine always reminds me of the cold, too. It’s such a melancholic beautiful album

[@michaelkayser4194]

Vordhosbn is I think an example of Aphex Twin attempting to make a "girl/boy song" -- of course he has one of those that's actually called that. The backstory as I understand it is that Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher) once told Aphex Twin that all songs are either "girl songs" or "boy songs," and Aphex Twin took it as a challenge to make songs that could count as both, featuring both tender beauty and... pummeling chaos? Anyways Vordhosbn here has some lovely glissandos and skittery percussion but it also builds up to this gorgeous, frightening, insane whirlwind of discordant sirens and granular beats, that then ducks away to leave a kind of moody coda in its wake. Both lovely and chaotic. Nice combination.

[@ozarkecologies]

St. Michaels Mount is the same way!

[@MM-vs2et]

@@ozarkecologies In fact all of them are. Ziggomatic, Cymru Beats, Taking Control. They're all just chaotic percussion, and melodic synths blended together.

[@NotIfICU1st_]

Love that someone dares to risk releasing music like this in the world. It gives me faith that there might be others that would appreciate my weirdest ideas that I thought I made only for myself.

[@bsbx]

richard didn't intend to release this music in the first place though.

[@KNURKonesur]

He was contractually obligated to release a set amout of albums I think?

[@bsbx]

​ @KNUR Konesur prior to the release of drukqs, he left his iPod containing a bunch of unreleased music, including those on the album. being afraid of it getting "leaked", he decided to get the quick move and release the album as soon as possible. at that time, richard was "done" with releasing new music, iirc

[@meowmyr]

@@bsbx im pretty sure that was one of richards interview trolls

[@SlyHikari03]

Same

[@RustinChole]

Mt Saint Michel is one of the best compositions of any artist over the last 23 years. It still sounds like the future today. That end sequence - sounds like sunshine breaking through a slated fence as you drive along side it Thanks for giving attention to this masterpiece. I don’t think it often gets the praise it deserves. Critics PANNED it when it came out, I remember reading mouth agape “if it had been cut back to a 6 song EP it could be great.”😳🤷🏻‍♂️

[@iximusic]

love that visual, albeit the most violent sunshine breaking through a slated fence you could ever experience 😆

[@emrebaskocak]

First time I heard that song I was walking. When it got to the end I had to find a place to sit down because I got lightheaded and I was about to throw up. Not saying I don't like it, I LOVE it, but I just can't listen to it without getting a claustrophobic "get me out of here" feeling. It's the first time music has done that to me. I can't listen to it a lot because of how I physically feel and it kinda makes me nervous about getting a seizure or something

[@RustinChole]

@@iximusic I don’t get the violent vibes. Not at the end, the synth pads may be my favorite ever, they’re lush, and resonate JUST right, and really that, his sped up voice singing “hello,” (incidentally the only track that features him singing unlike come to daddy and Windowlicker which featured vocals from James prominently) and what are pretty soft, bouncy drum pads are all you’re hearing, he’s just chopping them into snippets that get shorter and shorter. So, not violent. But fast. Bright. A speed you recognize as fast and intense but you accept without fear. Leaving out the production, which there could be a whole video done about, the composition is truly as great as any great track from any genre or era. It’s so depressing to me that he intentionally left this kind of composition and “future beat” work behind, because and I quote, “wrestling with the editing software it takes to make those fine details is just too long a process, and too frustrating.” I mean. I get it. But dude, suck it up you’re a genius. Burn a candle late into the night. His post Drukqs stuff is pretty elementary in song composition comparison. Tho I still enjoy it. But back in that era from the RDJ album through to Drukqs, he was like Mozart or Beethoven or something, every musician and music nerd was at once absolutely excited about each release, while only expecting not to have any idea what to expect. Miss that version of Aphex Twin. When every album it was like he invented a new genre of music.

[@FelixvonMontfort]

My favorite song on this album. It's like everything disolves at the end.

[@boterhammetpindakaashagelslag]

Have been an Aphex Twin fan for 25 years now. I love it when people are able to put the complexity of his music into words. Very well done and nice video overall. You got yourself a new subsciber. Keep it up.

[@Cyrax89721]

Calling aspects of his music a "Brain Scratch" is a new favorite of mine.

[@dittagecoeco2738]

Same here.

[@jamolotl]

I remember hearing this on good headphones when I was about 16 in the early 2000s. It utterly blew my mind and started an obsession with ambient and experimental electronica. I really think it's one of the most incredible albums ever made.

[@stefanpanea5236]

being obsessed with Aphex Twin for more than 2 decades, this video made me feel very good and i put on the vinyl once again for a deeper listening

[@educostanzo]

I once had a job where I was allowed to hear music all the time, it didn't interfere with the tasks. This was my go to album when I knew it would be a rough day (it helps that it's 1:40 hour long). The chilling out vs amping up aspect of this album is the perfect combination, the sense of organized chaos it's so effective and beautiful to me. The textures, the timbres, the hidden melodies, gosh, I might be crazy, but I really think the music in this album has an inherent, organic beauty to it. It tickles my brain in the best possible way.

[@Edward-cp5ri]

I personally don’t believe RDJ’s story about Druqks’ creation, lol. He never tells the truth and Druqks comes across as his most personal, purposeful album. The aesthetical shifts on the album may seem nonsensical back in the era of Kid A but in the age of A.G. Cook and Oneohtrix Point Never you can see the logic of the album: Dense, aggressive, and incredible pieces of drill and bass surrounded by oases of prepared piano, ambient pieces, and found sound. The feeling of listening to the album is like stepping into his personal space, and he’s showing you that “Yes, I may have made Windowlicker and Come to Daddy, but this is what I care about. This is what I’m proud of most. Now listen to Mt St Michel + St Micheals Mount and try not to die from it.”

[@user-io7kl7io6j]

Well if you dig into the titles of the tracks its obvious it's a a very personal album. The titles are mostly in Cornish and/or referencing things in Cornwall, where he was born and raised. Lornaderek are also his parents names Lorna & Derek so I see this album as being about his childhood and formative years in Cornwall and memories thereof and possibly about his identity as a Cornish man. Maybe he just did it for the sake of it, who knows. Avril 14th is the date of the Kernow festival in Cornwall though so something must of happened at the festival to inspire such a beautiful piece of music, maybe a first kiss?

[@xbenci]

this is the most intricate, dense and unnecessarily complex album I've ever heard. and I love every single second of it. one of the best electronic albums of all time for sure

[@partsmob8663]

I really appreciate the way you've edited this, highlighting moments that caught your attention. It's super fun seeing what different people engage with in each track, as there's so much going on. And thank you for including Nanou2 in its entirety :)

[@iximusic]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@jermaineconcern1539]

“Very complex drum and bass but it had like a tonal element” - an accurate description of 2000s IDM

[@dillberrystew6205]

Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount is the most insane piece of electronic music ever produced in my opinion.

[@iximusic]

yes that one will require so many more listens but I loved it!

[@aiexhibit]

​@@iximusic You will want to check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGHQiKB-esuJeqs produced by Chris Cunningham. In fact check out all the videos Chris produced with Richard they are all amazing.

[@toximan2008]

and for 2001, no less... knowing aphex, he probably had that track done for years before it came out on drukqs.

[@tim_brooks]

what a great record. and an insanely huge catalog he has to dive into!

[@selwyn-lloydmcpherson2814]

I really appreciated the amount of care and consideration you put into this, it's one of my favorite albums and you did it absolute justice!

[@ronpudding9598]

This album was my introduction to the music of Richard D. James, and the first time I listened to it I didn’t even know what to think because I had never heard anything like it before. It sounded so surreal and otherworldly. It’s my favorite record of his. It’s a very divisive one, some critics really panned it. It will be interesting to hear your thoughts!

[@iximusic]

I read some criticism on it, but it was all in comparison to his earlier work which I haven't heard.

[@321gillespie]

@@iximusic Richard D. James Album next please! :⁠-⁠D

[@night_speed]

I love this album but it's definitely an intense one to start with. Most people start with either The Richard D James Album or Selected Ambient Works 85-92. I don't think I would have liked Drukqs as much if it was my introduction to Aphex Twin. It was the first album of his i had actually anticipated coming out. I'm definitely glad I was familiar with his body of work up until this came out. I also think that if it weren't for this album I would never have gotten into Venetian Snares. On a side note I've been a fan of Aphex Twin and RDJs music for about 25 years, in fact ever since I heard the track At the Heart of it All on Nine Inch Nails Further Down the Spiral in 1995. Somewhere in that time I developed a pretty serious heroin addiction and after 12 years finally got clean and sober. A few months after I got out of rehab for the second time I went to my first sober concert and it happened to be Aphex Twin in Brooklyn, NY. I never thought I'd ever have the opportunity to see him live and i never thought I'd be so happy to be clean and sober except for Nine Inch Nails on The Fragility 2.0 tour it's the best show I've ever been to hands down. I'd been to so many shows and literally couldn't tell you if they were any good or not because I was nodding off most of the time. I stood in the front row of Meat Beat Manifesto and missed 90% of the show because I was high and drooling on myself so it was a big deal for me to finally get to see Aphex Twin and actually experience it. And that show proved to me that I can still go out and have an amazing time without having to flood my brain with opiates and dopamine. I will be 5 years clean on the 28th of this month.

[@JiggyGnorrus]

What about the Richard d James album? My favorite, but I love em all

[@Bobbias]

@@night_speed damn man, congrats on getting and staying clean!

[@batatereluelimusic]

Love your energy and the introspection you bring to these tracks

[@Kaosad69]

Vorhosbn is still the best piece of electronic music ever made.

[@thomasdecorail8825]

That's not true. It's another track of his, "XMAS_EVET10" ;)

[@Hasuo2001]

Ziggomatic 17,Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount, Cock/ver 10 are better.

[@pyramidpusher3388]

@@Hasuo2001 TRUE

[@adamsmith307]

Er, no

[@malvitt]

What about Meltphace 6

[@the_trevoir]

Your level of musical knowledge combined with your childlike pure response to it is loveable.

[@n.b.lovespencer8589]

Thank you so much for reviewing this. I’ve been waiting so long for someone to find such appreciation in this album with such great insight. This has been my top album of all time since I heard it in 2004

[@youngwillstopher4113]

This video brought such a huge smile to my face. I love this album and it was so great to somehow re-experience that first time listening feeling again, through you. Thanks so much!

[@kdiggedydawg]

Now THIS I am interested to hear! Richard's music is always either or: you don't understand it or find it to just be noise, or it just clicks and is amazing, mind bending and beautiful. Very excited to hear your thoughts on it!

[@def0rm0]

Used to listen to this album all the time in highschool. During study hall, on the bus, lunch.. I have ADHD and his music oddly kept me calm. Like all my thoughts faded because my mind wanted to concentrate on all the sounds, tempos, changes, etc...

[@DrDeepstack]

Interesting

[@archaelia]

Yo I know this is a bit late to reply to but, I have ADHD and coveted this album growing up for the same reasons!! He helped me to discover the power of music on the mindbody+soul thing. Special place in my heart and brain for Richard's works here. Everyone seems to have such a storied past with this album. I love it

[@vagataria]

⁠same here! It helped me focus, emptied my head and relaxed me in someway

[@poiewhfopiewhf]

same

[@plunderclat221]

Who'd have thought that watching people listening to aphex twin would become one of my favourite things to do besides listening to aphex twin! I think that Richard's music regardless of what it sounds like, excites our pattern-loving regions of the brain. Its like he knows how to communicate to that exact part of our brain...

[@iwouldprefernotto4381]

Perfectly put. Amid all the experimentation and sonic jokes, there's some truly sublime melodies in Aphex Twin's work - but even the more chaotic or intense sequences make a very particularly part of your brain fizz and twinkle.

[@rickrukkus]

Fav album of all time. Glad to see you enjoying this classic. love these reaction vids going into depth about the music subbed!🤘🏻

[@alb_reuel]

great video. i was always overwhelmed by the density of this album and your video was an incredible overview of it. thank you.

[@iximusic]

overwhelming is a good word for it 😅

[@johnnytacos5529]

This is so great, but I gotta ask. What musical path takes you to Venetian Snares without ever driving past Aphex Twin's house? It's blowing my mind. It's like being really into tiki bar rock but not knowing Jimmy Buffet. I'm fascinated!

[@iximusic]

I was recommended Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works Vol II and I wasn't feeling it so I never explored further. glad I finally did!

[@xn4pl]

I was introduced to this type of music through Xanopticon and Igorrr, only looking for similar stuff later I found about Aphex Twin and Venetian Snares. So there's definitely a lot of ways to get into this stuff.

[@KNURKonesur]

Don't think we can talk about parking in Venetian Snares' and Aphex Twin's garages without stopping by for tea at Squarepusher's along the way?

[@kohhna]

@@xn4pl Hard Core! I like it.

[@josef2012]

Great question.

[@kelpkelp5252]

Thanks for spending the time with this album. Have loved it since release.

[@brianm22]

Hearing you speak, makes me realize how little I know about electronic music and just music in general. I’ve been listening to Aphex twin for 20 years, and never realized some of this music could be put to words. Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge.

[@tbablue]

Loved your intelligent reaction. Subbed.

[@q3dqopb]

This video is so entertaining! This is one of my favorite albums of Aphex Twin. Seeing a professional musician, a professional pianist react to it is so much fun, whether she likes a particular track or not. I like how sincere she is describing her perception of the tracks, and I like watching her facial expressions during the key moments that I remember by heart. Such a great idea, and such a great implementation!

[@pariah206]

Thank you for taking the time to go through this experience for us. Fantastic.

[@carlkellner1310]

I really love seeing your appreciation of this album. It's one of those desert island records for me - listening to this record for the first time 15 years ago unlocked something in me, some weird kind of freedom/fearlessness/melancholy/cruelty/tenderness that I still haven't quite recovered from.

[@tweeleaf]

it’s even crazier that RDJ made this entire album with tracker software, which is a type of DAW from the late 80’s, but somehow sounds like the future.

[@rzezniqq]

Funny how my friend and I were discussing how it was made thinking that no computer could run it as a session with a bunch of VST instruments. There was simply no processing power to run something this complex with stand alone instruments. It turned out to be a sound module for a tracker which in a nutshell is a sample triggering sequence. My mind was blown.

[@gapenisbruzas]

Venetian Snares aka Aaron Funk has been known to use Renoise which is a very sophisticated tracker. I started composing with a tracker in the early 90s on the Amiga ❤

[@bharatmehra206]

@@rzezniqq what is the module called? is the tracker PlayerPro?

[@valithrian]

yes aphex uses playerpro, there's an video of vordhosbn on it@@bharatmehra206

[@Agostoic]

The 80's are the future ;)

[@TinWhisker]

You probably had this mentioned a few dozen times, so apologies. But for anyone else who cares: the track naming is a mix between Welsh, Cornish and English. I.e. Gwely Mernans is "Death Bed" - Gwely being Welsh for 'bed' and Mernans being Cornish for 'death'. Kesson Dalef is "Hold it Consistent" - Kesson is Cornish for 'Consistent' and Dale'f is Welsh for 'Hold it'. Richard in my opinion, has a way of designing many tracks in a way that deliberately feels inaccessible/misplaced in the first part - yet once you get through, that same beginning suddenly makes sense.

[@TinWhisker]

As a complete aside, Richard stated 'DrukQs' isn't related to 'drugs'. 'Druk' is Welsh for 'print' - given its computer controlled, maybe the albums 'English' title was 'Print Queues' all along!

[@mistakenot...4012]

And on that note ‘cymru’ is Welsh for wales and pronounced cumree.

[@mistakenot...4012]

But druk being Welsh for print? Not sure where you get that from when there’s no k in Welsh.

[@arasharfa]

I love your outlook on music and your way of describing his music is capturing everything i love to think about when i hear it.

[@BadSoviet]

Listening to you describe these songs is so insightful and beautiful. I really enjoyed this.

[@friendprices4511]

I got this album the day it came out, and still never get tired of it. It's a perfect album. Your reactions are priceless, keep em coming.

[@321gillespie]

As a long time Aphex fan, it's fascinating to get another's reactions to this one. Thanks, ixi. Great critique! :⁠-⁠) If it's helpful, RDJ often uses/samples audio from self made field recordings.

[@TonGolem]

Your video just made my day! Love how you enjoy and appreciate his art.

[@MrSharps02]

wonderful video! i feel like this album has been a part of my life for so long that i've heard it back to front, but you still showed me tons of new ways of listening

[@C-Llama]

I've watched a lot of other music reactions and it's really refreshing to see someone who's both a musician that can appreciate what they're listening to musically, and someone who actually has interesting things to say about the feeling of each track other than "woah that's crazy" or "hah I like this one."

[@explodingmonad4535]

Some songs is like going through a gallery and you meet an evolving sound sculpture. A premise and a developing punchline.

[@rektyrektingson4668]

well said!!

[@drcustomblades2984]

Such a great ear !! Great video!!

[@HominidInterneticus]

I haven't listened to aphex in a very long time. It's going to be fun rediscovering it through your ears. Looking forward to this

[@PowerStreak]

I bought this album on release when I was 17 and it was truly mindblowing. It's up there with Chu Ishikawa's scores for the Tetsuo movies in terms of redefining what music could be for me.

[@Fabian_drop02]

My very favorite album of all time. I bought it the day it was released. I listened to both disks back to back and on repeat that whole weekend while tripping face🤯.....it changed the way I understand music. 👍😎👍

[@grandaddy0807]

I really enjoyed this video. Been a massive Aphex fan for 20 years. Cool to see a professional reaction/breakdown. Cool channel

[@bobthepoppop]

1:19:08 You played it for me by request during one of your livestreams (right before you went to the NIN show). One of my all-time favs. I felt badly because in the stream I said it'd probably be too easy for you/boring, but then you said it was played in some kind of off-key or something, and it was more challenging than I realized. It was fun to watch you play with it though. Glad you got to experience this album because that's exactly what it is. I've always viewed it as a chaotic drug trip and then Nanou2 being the morning after when everything is said and done and life is peaceful again.

[@iximusic]

ah I think I remember now!

[@coasterking9536]

Wait, Bobs here!? Love your videos!

[@allanpage]

I love seeing people listen to aphex for the first time. Thank you for this. Just craziness. He's amazing.

[@iconoclast137]

you're awesome. i love your analysis of this album, it's one of my favorites of aphex

[@catlvr-kg9ol]

Love hearing a pianist analyze Richard’s work! ❤

[@fanculo619]

Richard is my lord and savior

[@r3p3ntiv3]

At the heart of it all from furthur down the spiral is so mesmerizing and moving. I'm sure you've heard it. I love the sound of Trent and Richard's style combined. Thanks for the awesome video! You have an instant subscribe from me. Your taste in music is gnarly. Rock on!

[@silaseaton8966]

Wonderful content! It is also worth noting that some of these tracks work together in an intricate and challenging DJ puzzle.

[@joseepp1712]

the best reaction/analysis ive seen for my fav album of all time, loved the video!

[@pariah206]

I am loving this reaction. It's so bittersweet that you've never heard this album before but I love seeing your initial reactions and totally vibing to how you digest it. Love love love it. Truly transcendental music though. Sounds like a literal trip though hahaha probably why it's titled drukQs

[@arasharfa]

I can't live without this album. it's the soundtrack of my life.

[@armorykittington]

I felt so many things. I've listened to so much Aphex it's hard to imagine hearing it for the first time, but your piano-brain made it feel fresh, again. I've laughed and cried so many times through this video. Thank you for making this. lol I'm legit still crying, but out of joy. I've been up all night, but you've just made my day. :::3

[@yutaka_too_much]

Last time my mom took me to Japan to see family, back in 2001, I listened to this album over and over and over again, everyday. My mom's family is in rural middle of nowhere with not much to do, so this album really kept me company. This album changed my entire view and approach on music and art in general. My entire perspective on reality. This is my first time tuning into your channel, and I'm already a huge fan!! Subscribed

[@lorenzosala9289]

I listened to this album for the first time when I was 16. It totally changed my views on electronic music.

[@tannermilliken1370]

This has always been one of my favorite albums of his! And it is truly unique even for Aphex Twin!❤

[@bluebell2334]

very nice video, I quite enjoyed it having listened to this album a lot in the background before.

[@Dripht]

I love this album and the way you explained how the different elements of the songs kind of relate to our psyche was so cool. Lots of the songs that I considered “filler” or just didn’t enjoy before now have so much more meaning to them. Keep up the great work!

[@ronaldfarber589]

So refreshing to see someone unpretentiously breakdown why the aphex twin is so good, great to see a music lover discover and enjoy this for the first time! 😊 P.S. you might enjoy "Squarepusher -Hello Everything" if you loved this!

[@erroristic]

I love seeing people hearing druqs for the first time, that album was and is mindblowing. And yes, he does a lot of thinking about tonalities, especialy those of micro variety. He is a master of musical dissonace reaching far beyond western harmonies.

[@trBass]

I stumbled across your video and DrukQs is one of my favorite albums. I love how you managed to make one of the most interesting "reviews" or reactions to this LP I've seen so far. Thanks for this!

[@xndormedx]

This may be my favorite reaction to Aphex Twin EVER!! what a good video! love u!

[@shakimbush8827]

This was an awesome review/reaction. A lot of people will listen to the music of electronic artists and go on and on about how far afoul it falls of standard musical conventions and composition. You’re a friend from far away as far as I’m concerned if you can enjoy stuff like this with such an open heart.

[@icywhiterocks]

I've been listening to this album for 15 years, the roller coaster ride he takes you on is what keeps it so entertaining. His very fast pace songs are my favorite, just glad he brings you back down with some soft calming sounds before dropping you off a cliff again. Great review, good take on Richard D James.

[@intangerines]

Was really cool to see your first experience with an album that I've heard many times over the years. Very fun to vicariously experience your first time listening.

[@marcosovejero1581]

I love this video so much and I also love how you analize and say something pretty interesting about any track. You really have to repeat this video with Syro

[@majormajormajortom]

YES. Aphex Twin content is surprisingly lacking on this website, and it's about time that is rectified.

[@pedromonkeypedro]

Great overview as always. I recommend doing Squarepusher next. =)

[@estebantascon-rada4664]

Estoy agradecido por encontrar este canal, y ver que haces un review sobre un álbum que amo. Gracias.

[@ham164cs]

Fantastic video! I find it cool how when I listened to this album, I had a lot of the same experiences as you did and so I relate to many of your thoughts on it. It’s also cool to hear all the things that I never heard or realised before!

[@vincentrose9114]

Some of the piano pieces on this record make me tear up. The answering machine message from his parents also gets me feeling misty. This is a wonderfully strange and beautiful album.

[@ianchandler2359]

I think you nailed Aphex twins entire catalogue in one phrase “organised chaos"

[@williambryan8341]

Wow....this was a treat! Your musical mind is open in the best of ways. I've been an Aphex Twin fan for so long that I've fallen in and out of love with many of his pieces over the years. I do consistently come back to his style because I find something reassuring inside of his controlled chaos style of artistry. He's known for his reclusiveness but I got to see him headline the 'Day for Night' festival in 2017 on my 40th birthday and that was a memory I'll never forget.

[@clemensbecker1708]

hi there! many thanks for this video, been looking forward to something like this, somebody listening to an aphextwin album for the first time. its nice to see someone be so positive about their experience! regarding aphex twin "covers": you should most definetly check out "alarm will sound performs aphex twin". many songs from dukqs are on it. it's a blast! all the best and keep it up!

[@darkalman]

Been listing to this album all evening now... THANKS! >.>

[@tomelliott73]

Masterpiece and it was really fun watching you experience it for the first time

[@christopherkennedy314]

Very well delivered break down of a very complex album. Enjoyed 👏👏👏

[@dillipphunbar7924]

Strotha Tynhe - To Squeeze To Tighten. Gwely Mernans - Deathbed. Gwarek - Arch. Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow - She Shed A Flood Of Tears. Kesson Dalef - Harmonious Voice (lef means voice but dalef has no meaning, so this is only a rough translation)

[@multiz0rak]

i was sure tynhe is tiny 🤭

[@te9591]

Is it Scottish?

[@Floam27]

@@te9591 cornish

[@te9591]

@@Floam27 yeah, i can hear the gaelic breath wotk when i try to pronounce the words.

[@simonjenkins2744]

@@te9591 No Gaelic in Cornish. Cornish is a Brythonic language.

[@zombockerman]

lmao ur face during Gwarek