Aphex Twin’s 1992 release remains a classic and the perfect entry point into both understanding the artist as well as understanding electronic listening music (or what is more widely known as Intelligent Dance Music).
The opening track, ‘Xtal,’ is the first Aphex Twin track I was ever exposed to with its loud bass and euphoric chords repeating over the top. The piece contains both depth through its shifting beats whilst simultaneously being very easy to listen to and catch the grove instantly. If you want to make anyone understand why IDM is brilliant, a few spins through the track should provide the answer.
From here, the album retains this high quality through its runtime. The follow up track to the opener is ‘Tha.’ A 9 minute track that slowly builds up over its course and comes to feel like the early morning as the commute gets underway. A soft melody plays over the same light bass as elements, such as recorded voices, enter and leave. A very interesting part of the track however stems from a paranoid sound that best be heard during the opening minute or so, which hides underneath the calmer aspects mentioned that appear most obvious to a first listen.
This attention to detail, and subsequent depth that can only be discovered after many listens, will be continued throughout. ‘Pulsewidth’ change the mood a little with a more bouncy and bright nature. ‘Ageispolis’ is a fine example of RJD’s skill as a songwriter as you hear a melody which fades and returns at just the right moments. ‘I’ is perhaps in line with a more traditional ambient sound: just over a minute of relaxed cords repeating over with similar sounds layered over/ under the main set of sound.
‘Green Calx’ instantly alters the focus, opening with a mechanical series of sounds before erupting into another set of whirrs and robotic effect with a slight repeating melody before shifting into an even more mechanical arrangement. The positioning of ‘Green Calx’ after ‘I’ wonderfully keeps the listening engaged and focused on the music. I
t is the next track, ‘Heliosphan,’ that is a standout on the album. Similar ambient chords to ‘I’ are overplayed here on a cycling series of beats that requires attention to fully hear the shifting nature of the music. Another perfect example of IDM and serves as a good introduction to the second half of the album.
The second half is equally as good as the first. ‘We are the music makers’ offers a strong cycling beat with the occasional voice parroting back the title. ‘Schottkey 7th Path’ is a hunting melody draped over a mechanical noise that echoes ‘Green Clax’ earlier in the album. ‘Ptolemy’ also can be compared to a previous track but in this case the comparison is to ‘Pulsewidth’ for ‘Ptolemy’ is a bouncy, light track which provided a much needed rest from the haunting nature of the tracks either side.
‘Hedphelym’ is the most intense track offered here. Another haunting melody is played over an echoing bass with many other layers that should be experienced and perhaps not put into words. The trick to why this track is so encapsulating is that despite its intensity, it is entirely listenable and very much fitting on an album that works as transition music from a chaotic situation.
The penultimate piece ‘Delphium’ is in some ways is like ‘Tha,’ a slowly building track that constantly adds in new elements with one significant difference: it’s vibrancy. ‘Delphium’ is a further example of the flawless songwriting in its subtlety is able to convey different moods across the album and this penultimate track almost serves as a summary for what the listener has just heard.
Finally, ‘Actium’ ends off the album with a bass that sounds as if it was first played in a large, empty tunnel. This space that is immediately felt stays throughout and so whilst the structure in building the track remains largely the same as previous entries on the album, the slightly different feel through the space of the track allows for SAW 85-92 to end in a different place to where it began.
As the final note fades out, Selected Ambient Words 85-92 can clearly be understood as a cornerstone of Aphex Twin’s large discography. An album that can be used to gently persuade people to perhaps consider listing to more IDM whilst also being an album that should be in the current rotation of most existing fans’ playlists.
10/10
Syrcled Music 