| Selected Ambient Works 85–92 | ||||
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| Studio album by Aphex Twin | ||||
| Released | 12 February 1992 | |||
| Genre | Ambient techno IDM |
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| Length | 1:14:21 | |||
| Label | Apollo (AMB 3922) | |||
| Producer | Richard D. James | |||
| Aphex Twin chronology | ||||
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Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is an ambient techno album by Richard D. James under the pseudonym of Aphex Twin. This is his third release and debut studio album under this alias. It was released in 1992 on the Belgian techno label Apollo. An analogue remaster was released in 2006, and a digital remaster was released in 2008. Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is considered by many to be the threshold album in modern ambient music as well as one of the pioneering works in IDM and Electronic Dance Music.[1]
Contents |
Having been a club DJ in the late 1980s and early 1990s in his home of Cornwall, James had learned about new music techniques and rhythm patterns. With the club scene under his belt, and with a small underground following, James went on to release SAW 85-92, which was mostly recorded before he started DJing and consisted of instrumental songs that were mostly beat-oriented.[2]
A remastered SAW 85–92 Compact Disc was released by Apollo/R&S Records on 8 April 2008. The remastered 12" vinyl record was released in 2006.
Although Selected Ambient Works is primarily instrumental, many of the songs feature vocal samples. "Xtal" has samples of female vocalizing as well as alternating ambient sounds, both repeated intermittently throughout the song. "Tha" has clips of several people talking, while "Actium" has samples of what sound like squeaking shoes in a hallway. "We Are the Music Makers" features a line of dialogue from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. "Green Calx" contains samples from RoboCop: the dinosaur's popping eyes during the 6000 SUX TV ad, the ED-209 robot trying to go downstairs without success, and the sound of RoboCop browsing faces of criminals in the police archives computer. "Green Calx" also contains a faint sample of the vocal from "Fodderstompf" by Public Image Ltd, as well as from the opening titles of John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
| Blender | [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.4/10)[4] |
| Q Magazine | |
| Record Collector | [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| Sputnikmusic | [7] |
| Slant Magazine | [8] |
| Spin | [9] |
Allmusic claims that while "the sound quality is relatively poor," the album is "a watershed of ambient music."[3] David M. Pecoraro of Pitchfork Media calls it "among the most interesting music ever created with a keyboard and a computer."[4] Rolling Stone called the album "majestic,"[6] and the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll claims the album was received by critics as "an ambient masterpiece comparable to work by The Orb and Brian Eno."[10] Warp Records has billed this as "the birthplace and the benchmark of modern electronic music" and has stated that "every home should have a copy."[11] In 2003, the album was placed #92 in "NME's 100 Best Albums" poll (link). The album was also featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
All tracks composed and arranged by Richard D. James.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Aphex Twin - synthesizer, keyboards, percussion, sampler, hoover
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