Aphex Twin is Richard D. James (born 1971 in Limerick, Ireland, raised in Cornwall, England), a founding figure of IDM and ambient techno with releases dating back to the late 1980s. Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) is the classic first stop; Richard D. James Album (1996) and Syro (2014) are the beat-driven picks. Dig into Aphex Twin vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Richard David James was born in Limerick, Ireland on August 18, 1971 and raised in Cornwall, England. He began releasing music in the late 1980s and has used numerous aliases across his career including Polygon Window, Caustic Window, AFX, and others. The Aphex Twin name has been his most prominent project. He co-founded Rephlex Records with Grant Wilson-Claridge in 1991 and has been closely associated with Warp Records since the early 1990s.
Aphex Twin's work spans ambient, ambient techno, IDM, acid techno, drill 'n' bass, and experimental electronic music. His recordings range from beatless ambient pieces to highly complex, percussion-driven tracks built around custom-modified equipment and software.
Warp's deluxe editions of Aphex Twin material have been issued in multiple vinyl pressings, color variants, and box sets. Rephlex-era releases and Selected Ambient Works pressings have been extensively reissued, including expanded multi-LP editions.
Listeners new to Aphex Twin typically start with Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) for ambient material, or Richard D. James Album (1996) and Syro (2014) for beat-oriented work.
