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Aphex Twin
Selected Ambient Works, Vol II

Released in 1994

8.8/10

Styles
IDM
Ambient
Minimalist

Song Highlights
Disc 1, Track 1
Disc 1, Track 3
Disc 1, Track 6

Aphex Twin's followup to the critically acclaimed Selected Ambient Works 85-92, proved to be a difficult listen for many fans of the eccentric musician. Gone were the more easily accessible, often catchy tracks of that first album. For most of the content of Vol II, there's not an upbeat moment to be heard. Hell, there's rarely any percussion at all. It's all about texture and patience in listening - or to put it differently, it's about real ambience.

Spread across two discs and clocking in at around two and a half hours, the task of listening to this album can be downright arduous, but definitely rewarding. Each track starts with a basic, repeating premise, usually subdued and minimalist in approach, which subtly evolves and varies as the track progresses. The first disc is especially impressive, particularly the first, third and sixth tracks (they're all untitled), which make for some of the best progressvie, loops-based ambience ever recorded.

Unfortunately, the album seems to run out of steam somewhere in the second disc. This isn't a huge problem, but it can make listening to it in one sitting a bit tiresome, given its long running time and challenging style.

For the most part, the sounds Aphex Twin manages to create are evocative of certain environments, and the listener will probably find themselves unconsiously conjuring such mental imagery. Becoming immersed in the serenity of the unfolding audio-scenery can be quite an amazing experience.

With it's lengthy tracks and blatantly minimal approach, Selected Ambient Works, Vol II is an album so bold in concept, that at the time of it's initial release many had it pegged as some sort of elaborate joke. Creepy, beautiful and at times more than a little drug-hazed, this is absolutely one of the most ambitious and creative execises in surrealist soundscaping ever undertaken.