Veering down the traditional ambient music route while taking a walk on the hardcore sides of the drone and minimalism genres to create a divergent tapestry of striking moods and sensitive atmospheres, Aphex Twin ‘Selected Ambient Works Volume II’ is a beloved classic of electronic music that was distinct and conspicuous to lovers of IDM despite feeling vastly different to the psychedelic music that Richard D. James’ counterparts were releasing due to its mostly beatless production and more liquidus pacing, propelling it to hit a peak of #11 on the UK Album Charts in 1994.
“A product of the Cornish myth-making tradition”, according to music journalist Jon Doran, this new age-leaning and multifaceted ambient-oriented landmark of an album release has been a significant product of the fan-centric discussion and debate culture that has been developed throughout the internet age. This is because SAW Volume II was, according to Mark Richardson of Pitchfork, one of the earliest examples of an album being eagerly anticipated, expected and voluminously discussed in detail using online communication.
Due to marking a drastic shift in techno and ambient music leaning towards darker drones and environmental themes, Aphex Twin’s fanbase were compelled to create a mailing list known as IDM (Intelligent Dance Music). Moreover, in the typical sense of wit and enigma for James, he refused to release track titles for the album. Therefore, the fluid basslines and oceanic reverb of tracks now beloved as ‘Stone In Focus’ and ‘Rhubarb’ have essentially been constructed into existence by the fans themselves based on vague images representing each track on a brown piece of paper found in every copy.
Despite playing coy over his influences and insisting to Melody Maker in 1994 that “I haven’t made a conscious attempt to change direction with the new album. It was just something that I wanted to do at the time. As far as I’m concerned, it is 100 times more interesting than the first volume of Selected Ambient Works. I don’t know what other people are going to think about it, but I don’t actually care if people like it or not”, many fans and critics have likened the songwriting process to the purposeful ‘Music For Airports’ that Brian Eno championed in the 70’s and the prop-a-screw-or-a-bolt-on-top-of-a-piano sensibilities of experimental pianist John Cage as parallel innovators.
Later positioned on decade-end lists by publications such as SPIN and Rolling Stone, SAW Volume II has also been cited as a multi-prismatic exploration of lucid dreaming with James claiming he would re-create the sounds of his sleep in a studio during archived clips that resurfaced in light of The Cult Of Aphex Twin documentary produced for BBC Sounds. While the truth of it will be unclear forever, the dissection of James’ artistry has always been the elusive breadcrumb being dangled in front of electronic music lovers, building his captivating persona and endless charm.
Tranquil synths and child-like vocals permeate through ‘#1’ as the bubbling synth riffs of the two minute mark and gradually evolving chords set the stage for our child-like adventure through the cavernous depths of James’ imagination. ‘#2’ conjures a more contrasting tone by blending hazy synths and irregular melodies with gentle reverb to craft an energetic but not upbeat feel. ‘#3’ is a beloved IDM classic with sedate synths and soft rumbling bass. A meditative burst of renewal.
The more haunting abstraction of James’ beatless sounds is strong on ‘#4’. A cerebral and dark composition, it deliberately feels as if the instruments don’t fit together to generate an uneasy aura. Tribalistic drums and winding, reverberating bass retains this fascinating yet tense spirit on ‘#5’. However, ‘#6’ earns back some of your goodwill with a twee vocal sample, a plucky field recording-style backing and a luminous synth riff that will undoubtedly remind you of the illogical yet whimsical dreams which invaded your conscience while asleep in your childhood.
Twinkling keys and startling synths reminiscent of an otherworldly yet joyous dream continues the warm, adolescent vibes of the record on ‘#7’ while the sound of ‘#8’ almost mimics a heart beat by merging a metronomic drum sound with synth stabs skewing emotive yet soft in tension. ‘#9’ is the most uptempo track of the full-length so far, with rich drums mimicking a hip-hop instrumental breakbeat and synths straight out of a Sega Genesis title. However, ‘#10’ shows James’ inclination to balance illumination and shade to the maximum level. Dark, foreboding and strobing synth riffs gradually develop to present a grounded surface for his distant sounds.
‘#11’ uses bustling yet warm keys, harmonic yet whistling synths and slightly more upbeat chords than contrary tracks to keep the tone wistful yet gloomy. Down to earth and acidic aren’t fairly descriptive terms to describe ‘#12’, on the other hand, which demonstrates James’ talents in simply attacking the listener with his penchant for insistence and flip the script again, keeping you morbidly curious to keep your ears glued to his nightmarish sounds. This is devilishly slick, bouncing off a haunting combination of garbled vocal samples and chiming, frightening chords.
Overall, the first disc of ‘Selected Ambient Works Volume II’ stands out as a masterclass of capturing the whimsical essence of majestic dreaming scenarios as James creates a gripping juxtaposition between soothing and settled soundscapes followed by tense, perplexing tracks. ‘#13’ is a more reflective and downtempo track pulled together by a moderate helping of sonic warmth to set a more lush scene for the second half of James’ titanic Electronic blockbuster, giving off a more submerged, underwater tone with dynamic drums and ethereal digital strings.
‘#14’ is a stronger representation of the most cavernous sounds vying for your attention, using lengthy melodies and textured synths to evoke an atmosphere of melancholia and darkness. A rattling, slinky groove of edgy, industrial synths and vast, voluminous drums characterise ‘#15’.
‘#16’ returns to the dreamy mantle of James’ volcano by interweaving a yearning, wind-esque tone with a harrowing and urgent, yet instinctive, energy. It feels unsullied by artifice, a theme that feels habitual for James’ individual vision on the overall album. You would be agreeable if you said that you interpret ‘#17’ as a bolder requiem for hope with its playful, innocent piano.
‘#18’ has a more funky liquid drum n’ bass vibe with a clear influence from dub music, which is a more experimental prelude for the explorational and globe-trotting results of ‘#19’ in its Taiko-like drum riffs. The most percussive, aromatic track of the album – ‘#19’ dips into world music, a subtle implication of James’ claimed ability to travel across the world by lucid dreaming at night.
‘#20’ kicks off the final third of the uncompromising but mesmerising 24-track setlist by using a mournful yet empathetic mood, juggling the ability to feel downbeat yet not depressing perfectly well. Sombre and intimate, ‘#20’ feels like a fitting lead-in for ‘#21’ because the latter piece has a more ambience-oriented sound relying on swishing synth flurries to evoke a new age element.
While ‘#22’ would not feel out of place on a techno record, it doesn’t feel accessible to dancing due to its substantial distortion and deliberate disorientation. It feels emblematic of the open to interpretation aim of James’ masterpiece, while ‘#23’ is a final burst of the child-like laughter we experienced prior in the first half of the LP. Faded childhood memories are recalled. Finally, ‘#24’ is a suitable finale for the dreamy yet variegated sounds of SAW Volume II. Blissful yet relatively downbeat. Dim but not lacking light, it feels reflective of the stunning project at large.
In conclusion ‘Selected Ambient Works Volume II’ is a multi-prismatic expedition into a diverse tapestry of idiosyncratic ambient production, textured synths, cavernous reverberation, fluid instrumentation and emotional resonance that some critics are righteously valid in calling an update of the minimalist and instrumental sounds of Phillip Glass or John Cage bought into the computer age, while other devoted followers of James are justifiable in citing it as an unearthly exploration of transforming imaginative of cognitive visuals experienced while dreaming into a vast pool of gloomy ambient experimentation.
The trick to James’ discography is that he’ll never reveal which of the above was the intended vision, leaving us to gaze into his enigmatic abyss of colourful ideas – forever destined to seek the answers that we will speculate over never receiving. Now with an expanded edition of the landmark album, there is no better time for younger fans of Aphex Twin who missed out on the thrill of the jigsaw puzzle the first time around or more mature followers of James looking for a comprehensive, vivid compilation to add to their libraries to experience his scintillating product of aggressive beauty and whimsical sketching.
Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) is out now via Warp Records. Buy the 4xLP from Inverted Audio Record Store.
📸 Photo by Sam Robinson
