Aphex Twin — Drukqs

Lack of 'innovation', not enough 'songs', too much 'filler' material, this is what I've been reading lately in various media. This record seems to puzzle many a critic because it might not live up to their expectations.

This attitude results in a negative buzz around Richard D. James unexpected return to the music-scene. I tried to put all expectations aside and consume these Druqks with an open mind.

The first thing you'll notice, in the artwork already, is the use of piano. Especially this enrichment of James' soundvocabulary shows a different yet familiar-sounding side of Aphex Twin. The pieces are more in the vein of contemporary classical composers. They're all for solo piano so there are no beats or other electronics involved (except for some processing sometimes). I suppose this leads to critics writing about 'fillers' and 'lack of real songs'. If you consider this pieces compositions you will hear there are some very beautiful moments among them. avril 14th and Kesson dalef are amazingly intense pieces of music with the simple means of just a piano. Works from Erik Satie spring to mind listening to these. Sometimes the piano is prepared and these sounds are reminiscent of contemporary gamelan-compositions. Most of these pieces are sad, atmospheric and desolate. In QKT he even grabs an accordian. I'd say this is the innovation people were waiting for but failed to notice.

The electronic tracks are pretty much what you'd expect from Aphex Twin (or Warp artists in general even): dissonant (sometimes even off-key) sounds and nervous, rhythmic constructs but also romantic, wistful melodic lines. Unmistakably Aphex Twin and well excecuted electronic music, although with a background in dancemusic, but with an undanceable result. The sounds are processed to give them an organic appeal, without the senseless and 'cold' loops of popular electronic music. It still stands pretty much on its own in depth and compexity.

Other oddities like gwely Mernans and gwarek2 are more ambient soundscapes and kind of scary. btouM-roumada even has a church-like appeal to it. He even throws in an occasional weird sample like his parents congratulating him with his birthday on the answering machine (lornaderek).

A broad range of emotions is displayed on Druqks and this is one of the few double CD's I play completely in one go. Shifting favourite tracks is a sign for me that I have something special at hand. Expectations just spoil a lot of good things in life and although they're very human, it's better to get rid of them as fast as you can. A good remedy is to give the record a few spins, it'll grow on you.