Surfing on Sine Waves

Surfing on Sine Waves
Studio album by Polygon Window
Released	11 January 1993 (1993-01-11)
Genre	Acid techno IDM
Length	56:58
Label	Warp Wax Trax! TVT SME Zomba
Producer	Richard D. James
Aphex Twin chronology
Xylem Tube EP (1992)Xylem Tube EP1992 Surfing on Sine Waves (1993) On (1993)On1993
Artificial Intelligence series chronology
Artificial Intelligence (1992) Artificial Intelligence1992 Surfing on Sine Waves (1993) Surfing on Sine Waves1993 Bytes (1993) Bytes1993

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	(8.1/10) [2]

Surfing on Sine Waves (stylized as (Surfing on Sine Waves) is an album by Polygon Window, a pseudonym for the English electronic music producer Richard D. James, (better known by his other alias of Aphex Twin), released on 11 January 1993 by Warp Records^[3] in the United Kingdom, Wax Trax! Records and TVT Records in the United States, SME Records in Japan and by Zomba Records in Germany. It is the second release in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series. Warp released "Quoth" as a single in March 1993.

Recording details

After hearing James' early material as Aphex Twin on Belgium's R&S Records, Warp contacted James and offered him a recording contract. Richard D. James is listed as the creator of the music; however, his name is printed over the brown cliff on the back of the album, so it is not easily seen without careful scrutiny. The full text reads, "Writing, programming, arranging, engineering, producing + location recording by Richard D. James at Llannerlog Studios, Cornwall." An image of him running down a flight of stairs can also be found inside the liner notes. This image was later used on the Quoth single.

The album is a collection of largely instrumental electronic music (a few vocal samples are included in places, including one from the Broadway musical "The Sound of Music"). It was most likely recorded by James onto cassettes in his bedroom studio (similar to the production of Selected Ambient Works 85-92), using a limited range of available drum machines, synthesizers, sequencers and samplers, some of which he may have modified himself. The equipment included staples such as the Roland TB-303 bass synth/sequencer and Roland TR-606 drum machine on the Untitled track, a Roland R-8 digital drum machine, and low-budget synths such as the Yamaha DX100. Digital piano sample sounds are also used. Most of the tracks feature insistent drum machine patterns (the ambient "Quino-phec" being an exception) and James' characteristic angular and modal melodies. James makes liberal use of lengthy digital reverberation, giving a spacious feel to the tracks.

The album was re-released in North America in 2001 by Warp^[4] to celebrate the opening of its American division (albums by Warp had been distributed in the United States through licensing deals with many labels—this one was originally released on Wax Trax!/TVT Records there). The re-release features two previously unreleased tracks that were recorded during the same time this album was created.

An edited version of the track "Polygon Window", credited to James as the Dice Man, was featured on the first album in the Artificial Intelligence series, the compilation Artificial Intelligence.

Track listing

All tracks by Richard D. James

1993 release

1. "Polygon Window" - 5:24
2. "Audax Powder" 4:36
3. "Quoth" - 5:34 ( sample )
4. "If It Really Is Me" - 7:01
5. "Supremacy II" - 4:04
6. "UT1 - dot" - 5:17
7. (untitled) - 6:24
8. "Quixote" - 6:00
9. "Quino - phec" - 4:42

2001 US re-release

1. "Polygon Window" - 5:24
2. "Audax Powder" - 4:36
3. "Quoth" - 5:34
4. "If It Really Is Me" - 7:01
5. "Supremacy II" - 4:04
6. "UT1 - dot" - 5:17
7. (untitled) - 6:24
8. "Quixote" - 6:00
9. "Portreath Harbour" - 4:44
10. "Redruth School" - 2:43
11. "Quino - phec" - 4:42

2017 re-release bonus track

1. "clissold 101[dat28 otari] 48k" - 5:43

References

External links

• More info, artwork and samples
• Complete Polygon Window discography
• Surfing on Sine Waves at the Warp Records website