4 out of 5

Label: Sire

Producer: Aphex Twin

This is a better singles collection than “Classics” as the vibe is a little bit more mixed – “Classics” leans heavily on a house vibe, of which Mr. James has made many a great track, but a whole album’s worth of pounding beats, regardless of the creativity with each track, soon overwhelms.  51/13, on the other hand, takes a page from his more ambient-influenced IDM, the track “On” being a pretty good touchpoint for most of what’s here.  It obviously can’t be as sprawling as the 2-disc “26 Mixes,” which would come later and incorporate almost the full spectrum of the Aphex sound, but ten years prior to that release you get a good straddling of harsh (the Ventolin mixes) and soothing (“On,” as mentioned) and the unexpected (“Icct Hedral”).  In that sense it perhaps lacks the cohesion of an album, as any collection will do, but by the same token, the “big” Aphex Twin albums can be so varied from track to track, 51/13 almost seems more mindful of an actual progression from start to finish – lulling you into the harsher stuff, then bringing you back down.

I suppose it misses the mark only because – a. you probably already have this stuff somewhere, but that’s not necessarily a fair demarcation, as sometimes a repackaging of tracks is what’s needed to bring out moments you didn’t hear before, so moreso it’s b., that these aren’t “singles” in the sense that it’s a best of, it’s just collecting some random EP bits.  While “On,” “Donkey Rhubarb” and “Ventolin” are all classic tracks, the prior two were quirky singles that were outshined by the albums that would come out around the same time, and “Ventolin” actually works best when paired with its remixes.  51/13 is a nice selection that honestly does make a good starting point for Aphex newbies who want to hear what other styles James worked with than “Come to Daddy,” whereas already converted fans will appreciate the collection but probably flip over to other EPs or albums to hear a track that one of the songs here reminds them of.