Aphex Twin Added to Coachella. Suck on That Bonnaroo!

As predicted, additions have been made to the lineup for the Coachella Music Festival. Analog synth God Richard D. James, more commonly referred to as Aphex Twin, has decided to come out of hibernation and join the fun in the Desert for his first US appearance in over 6 years.

Along with Goldfrapp (who was also added this week), Hot Chip, Simian Mobile Disco, Holy Fuck, Kraftwerk, Justice, Sasha & Digweed and Fatboy Slim, the addition of Aphex Twin makes this one of the strongest years in the festival's history for electronic acts. If you like your live music with tons of button pushing, knob twisting and laptops, then this edition of Coachella is a dream come true.

While Mr. James and Goldfrapp aren't enough a draw to cause a significant uptick in ticket sales, they do add an element of 'must see' appeal to the festival. Especially since James is notoriously so reclusive from live performances. Having him make a triumphant return to the US should go over well with the rabid message board users who request his presence on the lineup every year. Now, all Paul Tollett has to do is coax the even more reclusive Boards of Canada out of exile to cement his God-like status to the message board faithful.

I, for one, would be the first to organize a celebratory parade for Tollett if he could pull off such a feat, but I am realistic enough not to expect such fantasies. For now, Aphex Twin is more than enough to raise my level of excitement through the roof.

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The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - The Tuss: "Rushup Edge/Confederation Through"

15.  I am a sucker for someone who knows their way around a synthesizer and when it comes to synth mastery the rest of the world worships at the altar of Richard D. James, otherwise known as Aphex Twin. 

This year Mr. James tried to be coy by releasing two EP's through his Rephlex label under the moniker of The Tuss. Much like the Analord series, Rushup Edge and Confederation Through were released in limited quantities on white labels to little fanfare, which is probably the way James likes it. Had it been released under the Aphex Twin name then a whole different set of expectations would certainly come attached, perhaps making it impossible for the music to be judged objectively.

Even if this music wasn't created by the mad genius of Richard D. James I would still think it was brilliant simply because there's an attention to detail that is nothing short of impressive. Each EP weaves in and out of swirling atmospherics, psychedelic beats and good old fashioned electronic noise in a way that is absolutely seamless. I tend to place a high value on both the finished product and the tedious process that went into creating it in the first place. Like anything worth a shit, the journey is just as interesting as the final destination.

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Richard D. James is More Talented Than You or I Will Ever Be

After a prolonged absence (sorry, but the Sox are in the ALCS and lots of things in my life suffer when that happens), I have finally made some time in my life to share some wonderful musical nuggets with you people. First on the list, my 'discovery' (in that, it is new to me) of an electronic music "duo" named The Tuss.

Now, I put "duo" in quotes because it seems plainly obvious to me that The Tuss is in fact an alias for Richard D. James, otherwise known as Aphex Twin (or AFX, Analord, Power-Pill, Blue Calx, The Dice Man, Polygon Window or many other monikers), and not, as the story goes, comprised of Cornish brother-sister combo Brian and Karen Tregaskin. Even if there is no official confirmation of this, the breadcrumbs all lead to the same place. For one, both of their releases are on Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records label (not to mention, they share the same publisher), there's the heavy reliance on rare analog synthesizers (including the Yamaha GX-1, of which James owns one of the 50 ever made), and also the fact that "tuss" is a Cornish slang for an erect penis (James is Cornish). Of course, the most compelling piece of evidence to support this "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" theory is the music itself.

So far only two releases bear The Tuss moniker: the Confederation Trough EP and the Rushup Edge LP, but all of the music is unmistakably Aphex Twin. Or, at the very least (to entertain the idea that The Tuss is in fact not Richard D. James), a flawlessly executed imitation of Aphex Twin. Either way, each song features a careful craftsmanship of analog beats, loops and samples that are sequenced together with the kind of impeccable timing that only an electronic prodigy like Richard D. James could pull off. There's an attention to detail here that is hard to articulate with so many sounds pulsating and swirling throughout the nine tracks that comprise the entire recorded output of The Tuss. Much of it builds upon the exceptional work James did on the Analord series, with some elements of Acid, Ambient Techno and IDM mixed in to ensure that it can't be boxed into the confines of any one genre. Basically, if it were possible for something to 'tickle' your synapses, then I supposed it would sound like this.

"Alspacka" from The Confederation Trough EP


"Rushup I Bank 12" from the Rushup Edge LP
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