On (EP)

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On
On cover
EP by Aphex Twin
Released November 15, 1993
Recorded 1993
Genre Ambient techno
Length 23:54 (On)
33:24 (On Remixes)
57:18 (TOTAL)
Label Warp Records
WAP039 (Europe)
Sire/Warner Bros. Records
41217 (rest of world)
Producer Richard D. James
Professional reviews
Aphex Twin chronology
Surfing on Sine Waves
(1993)
On
(1993)
Selected Ambient Works Volume II
(1994)

On is the title of a 1993 EP by the British electronic music artist Richard D. James, more commonly known by his recording alias of Aphex Twin. It was released November 15, 1993 by Warp Records.

Released after his album Selected Ambient Works 85-92, and just before his follow-up, Selected Ambient Works Volume II, On is often described as ambient techno despite the presence of harsh, abrasive beats in the title track. The title "On" is only mentioned once: in the tracklist of the On EP.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "On" – 7:03
  2. "73-Yips" – 4:14
  3. "D-Scape" – 6:54
  4. "Xepha" – 5:42

The Sire Records (US) version of On contains only "On", "73-Yips" and "Xepha" in edited forms, followed by the Reload Mix of "On", and is housed in an Ecopak case instead of the standard slimline jewel case given to the Warp (UK) release.

The music video, directed by Jarvis Cocker and Martin Wallace, features drips of water synchronized with the song, a stop motion sequence filmed on a beach involving numerous props (including an old fashioned diving suit and a cardboard cutout of James), and images of the tide. It is available on the Come to Viddy and WarpVision: The Videos 1989-2004) compilations.

On also produced a companion disc of remixes, known as On Remixes. It features 4 "remixes" of the song, one by fellow Rephlex artist µ-Ziq, one by Reload, and the remaining two by James (although it is widely speculated that these are not remixes at all, and are original material).

[edit] On Remixes track listing

  1. "On (D-Scape Mix)" – 10:40
  2. "On (Reload Mix)" – 7:06
  3. "On (µ-Ziq Mix)" – 8:43
  4. "On (28 Mix)" – 6:47

As noted above, the two mixes by James are of questionable origin. The "D-Scape Mix", in actuality a remix of "D-Scape" from On, features mostly harsh sucking noises, making it unpleasant for many listeners. The "28 Mix", also nothing like the original, is rumoured to be the unreleased 28th track of Selected Ambient Works Volume II.

[edit] Madreporic Plate

The text "Madreporic Plate" appears on the cover of the album just below the Aphex Twin logo. Although it is not the name of the album, there were mp3s circulating on the Internet that simply had the name "Aphex Twin - Madreporic Plate", which turned out to be the "On (Reload Mix)" version. But the naming caused some people to search for a non existent track by Aphex Twin called Madreporic Plate without luck.

According to a definition at biology-online.org, a Madreporic Plate (also called a madreporite) is "a perforated plate in echinoderms, through which water is admitted to the ambulacral tubes". This may have been the inspiration for the design of the cover where there are triangles pointing outwards from the logo, representing the shape of many echinoderms.

[edit] External links

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