4 out of 5

Label: R & S

Producer: Richard D. James

A nice one-stop for some early Aphex bits and pieces, ‘Classics’ is notable for gathering together some of the more house or acid-tinged work RDJ’s put out under the moniker, as most of this stuff type of stuff came out under AFX or Caustic Window.  Some of these tracks did, indeed, come from the first AFX release, but they line up sound-wise with tracks from Twin EPs Digeridoo or Xylem Tube.

We start out with the epic ‘Digeridoo,’ of the 100+ BPM that was designed to put rave kids in the hospital and doesn’t feature a digeridoo and that, along with the track shifting through and ditching elements left and right where most house tracks would be content to repeat – all without ever sacrificing its core groove – is a pretty good summary of the Aphex mentality, as well as the remainder of ‘Classics’ : A bit playful but with deceptive depth.  The next couple tracks are from the same source EP as ‘Digeridoo’.  From 1992, the production and combination of harsh metallic clanking with an evolving beat is reminiscent of ‘Analogue Bubblebath’, so guess where track 4 comes from.  The next four songs come from the same era’s ‘Xylem Tube EP’, which amp things up with a bit more speed…  Dig is obviously fast, but the reliance on the ‘softer’ beat of the digeridoo-like sound makes it easier on the ear, whereas the hard edge of ‘Dodeccaheedron’s’ driving force will bring to mind Caustic Window-esque speed blasts for seasoned James’ listeners, or perhaps the more outre stuff on the ‘…I Care Because You Do’ album for more casual Aphex listeners.  In any case, the artist’s recognizable humor rears it’s head for ‘Tamphex (Hedphuq Mix)’, which samples wonderfully obviously from a tampon commercial.

And now, for collectors, the bread and butter of any compilation – the exclusive tracks.  ‘Metapharstic’ and two ‘We Have Arrived’ mixes, which, as usual for Aphex remixes, are pretty distinct from one another.  ‘Classics’ closes out with a ‘Digeridoo’ live version, which, far from feeling tossed on, gives us insight into how skilled James’ production sensibilities are in catching the ‘organic’ sound of a live performance…  It’s also cool to recognize that music like this does have a place in a live environment, something those of us not apt to go to techno shows (ahem me) might forget.

I didn’t often listen to Classics because I always felt like it was an odds and sods sorta’ thing and it didn’t really grab me.  With a more patient review of James’ career and coming to see the separation of styles between his pseudonyms and eras of operation, I have a lot more appreciation for the hard house on display here, as well as digging how nice it is to have this stuff in one spot.  If you’ve liked the less explicitly experimental stuff from RDJ’s career, ‘Classics’ is an excellent album on which to catch up on some early – but still incredibly impressive – material.