Aphex Twin
Stone In Focus

Richard David James, it's useful to say right away, has changed me inside. He has influenced me in many ways, many of which go beyond music. This review of mine, as pretentious as it may seem in dedicating itself to a single piece, moreover of disarming simplicity, is thus also an humble personal reflection on this "character" to whom I "owe" so much and who has revolutionized my way of seeing and "living" music.

So much, too much has been said about the man Aphex Twin, so much so that it is currently almost impossible to separate the character from his music, his image from his production, which is an operation that no one has ever bothered to perform. Richard D. James "either you love him or you hate him" and if you love him, you will simply say that he is surely a genius, a mind light years ahead of common mortals. Often (too often) he is compared to Mozart or Beethoven, and equally often he is labeled as God (no, I'm not kidding) and this seems to me rather symptomatic of the absolutely extraordinary and probably unique scope, in the electronic field, of this (certainly very clever) "musical" talent. If, on the other hand, you hate him, you will simply say that he is extremely overrated (because we all know he is!) and the examination will end there. Richard D. James, clearly, is not just music: he is a symbol, an icon, a cult, almost a philosophy of life. Accepting Richard's "terrifying" music into one's life means penetrating an "elitist" world (belonging to the same creator!) that apparently cannot be shared by many people, and yet, through historically famous marketing operations such as the Richard/Cunningham partnership, forums, word of mouth, and stratospheric sales, it has reached such a vast audience that, considering the generally difficult nature of the sound matter, is incredible in the electronic scene and beyond. And when you think about it, there's nothing so incredibly revolutionary about the classic pop or rock icon. Generally, you adore them because you adore their music, adore the image they have built or their lifestyle: this happens, for example, with a Madonna or a David Bowie (two who certainly know Aphex Twin).

But the same doesn't happen for Our Own: he became famous (incredibly famous) the more he tried to hide rather than to show himself, idolized the more he mistreats his audience with sonic terrorisms (he even admitted to "making music solely for himself") not to mention the usual, inevitable tank outside his house, lucid dreams, and so forth. A "weird" aesthetic, sometimes "bedroom-like" and often horrific, as represented by the Warp universe (of which Aphex Twin once again becomes the symbol) up to the early '00s finally crowns the eccentric figure of this decidedly unlikely "modern hero" (even saying "eccentric" referring to Aphex Twin has now become cliché). It can well be said that it is at least strange that the whole world (from enthusiasts, often illustrious, to critics) has engineered so much to elevate an individual who represents in himself the essence of egocentrism to the status of Untouchable Myth, and that, in his sound creations, is a hymn to cacophony, isolationism, uncommunicability, not to mention drugs of various kinds... yet it happened, and if one does not want to give a purely commercial interpretation, of "dirty marketing," to the Aphex Twin phenomenon (something I wouldn't share in any case) in my opinion one must turn both to the music and to one's subconscious. In my opinion, Richard captivated us as much because as "simple boy" in which all can identify, who never wants to expose himself with masks (which aren’t real masks, those who know him will understand) and who cares so much about his private life, in reality, he has another side which is, on the contrary, extreme exaltation of his own ego, a being aware of his own flair and living everything like a game, thinking first to satisfy himself and only later his audience. That is why we can feel his heart and commitment in the vast majority of his production: where else do you put heart and commitment, if not in play?.

First of all admiration, then. The second point is the music. Aphex Twin, with his thousand pseudonyms, has created a lot of music, developing the most varied musical genres, and each one will find himself more akin to one genre rather than another: "Stone In Focus," a track omitted for space reasons from the digital version of the immense "Selected Ambient Works Vol.II" and therefore present only in the vinyl one, however, is not just music. Certainly, it is composed of notes (I believe three, supernatural and perfect) and to enjoy it, it must be listened to, even if it grants itself to different levels of apperception (say Ambient). But it is not simple music, it is a small span of eternity that is torn away and reproduced in a form perceivable by man. It is a fragment that virtually has no beginning nor end, but can last forever and resonate within us as if it has always been a part of our being. It is 10 minutes and 08 seconds of self-awareness: someone will be moved, someone else will relax or fall asleep, some others might even feel happy. "Stone In Focus" no longer belongs to its creator, but becomes part of all of us as it is true that in all of us, the same distilled music, stirs something different, distinct in as much as our inner self is unique, as much as our experiences differ. It is without beginning and without an end, I was saying: that's why it starts in "medias res" and that's the same reason why you'll feel that strange, almost irritating emptiness inside you, once the last sound has disappeared, plunging you again into a world that, incredible to say, is so silent! Art of hypnosis therefore, of the subconscious, pure and simple psychedelia crumpled on itself. To remind us, from time to time, how much potential there is in each of us.

ps: I am still waiting for the Twin at the gate, he seems not to want to hurry anymore! But a bit of trust, anyway, I believe he deserves it...