Surfing on Sine Waves

Last updated

Surfing on Sine Waves
Polygon Window - Surfing on Sine Waves.jpg
Studio album by
Polygon Window
Released11 January 1993 (1993-01-11)
StudioLlannerlog Studios, Cornwall
Genre
Length49:02
Label Warp
Producer Richard D. James
Richard D. James chronology
Analogue Bubblebath Vol 3
(1992)		Surfing on Sine Waves
(1993)		 Quoth
(1993)
Artificial Intelligence series chronology
Artificial Intelligence
(1992)		Surfing on Sine Waves
(1993)		 Bytes
(1993)

Surfing on Sine Waves is a studio album by the musician and producer Richard D. James under the alias Polygon Window. It is the only album released under this name; James is better known as Aphex Twin. The record was released on 11 January 1993 through Warp Records. [4] It entered the Dance Albums Chart at No. 2 on 23 January 1993. James' previous album, Selected Ambient Works 85‍–‍92 , was then at No. 9 on the chart, and James briefly had two records in the Dance Albums Top 10 under different pseudonyms. [5] The 2001 reissue edition includes the previously unreleased tracks "Portreath Harbour" and "Redruth School". [6]

Contents

Background

The cover of the album features a photograph of Chapel Porth beach in Cornwall, where James spent time with his sisters as a child; James thanks the seaside village in the liner notes. [7] The title Surfing on Sine Waves was chosen by Warp founder Rob Mitchell after James mentioned that "loads of people I knew growing up in Cornwall were poser surfers and I didn't wanna hang around with them." [8] The record is the second release in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series. [9]

Reissue track "Redruth School" references James's alma mater, Redruth School, while "Portreath Harbour" references Portreath. [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Pitchfork 8.1/10 [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Select 5/5 [12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 7/10 [13]

Ned Raggett of AllMusic praised Surfing on Sine Waves as "a great collection of abstract electronic/dance madness, caught somewhere between the driftiness of his more ambient works at the time and the rave-minded nuttiness of 'Digeridoo.'" [10] Mark Richard-San of Pitchfork wrote, "Catchy, melodic and memorable tracks are what made the Aphex Twin so wonderful at his best; Surfing on Sine Waves has a handful of these, albeit in rough, embryonic form." [6] By September 1993 the record had sold 50,000 copies. [14]

In 2012 Fact placed Surfing on Sine Waves at number 26 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the 1990s". [15] In 2017 Pitchfork placed it at number 26 on its list of the "50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". [3] Writing for Pitchfork, Andrew Nosnitsky said, "These days, Surfing doesn't get mentioned as often as the louder, more ambitious, 'proper' Aphex records that would follow, but it's easily as refined on a technical level—and maybe even more emotionally rewarding." [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Richard D. James

1993 original edition
No.TitleLength
1."Polygon Window"5:24
2."Audax Powder"4:36
3."Quoth" ( sample ⓘ )5:34
4."If It Really Is Me"7:01
5."Supremacy II"4:04
6."UT1 – dot"5:17
7.Untitled6:24
8."Quixote"6:00
9."Quino – phec"4:42
Total length:49:02
1994 Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Bike Pump Meets Bucket"5:58
11."Iketa"4:31
12."Quoth" (Wooden Thump Mix)7:57
Total length:68:05
2001 reissue edition
No.TitleLength
1."Polygon Window"5:24
2."Audax Powder"4:36
3."Quoth"5:34
4."If It Really Is Me"7:01
5."Supremacy II"4:04
6."UT1 – dot"5:17
7.Untitled6:24
8."Quixote"6:00
9."Portreath Harbour"4:44
10."Redruth School"2:43
11."Quino – phec"4:42
Total length:56:58
2017 reissue edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."clissold 101[dat28 otari] 48k"5:43
Total length:62:34

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Related Research Articles

Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints. It emerged from the culture and sound palette of electronic styles such as ambient techno, acid house, Detroit techno and breakbeat; it has been regarded as better suited to home listening than dancing. Prominent artists associated with it include Aphex Twin, Autechre, μ-Ziq, the Black Dog, the Future Sound of London and Orbital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warp (record label)</span> British record label

Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.

<i>...I Care Because You Do</i> 1995 studio album by Aphex Twin

...I Care Because You Do is a studio album by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 24 April 1995 through Warp Records. It contains material recorded between 1990 and 1994 and marked James's return to a beat-driven sound following the ambient work Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), and pairs abrasive rhythms with symphonic and ambient elements. The cover artwork is a self-portrait by James.

<i>Richard D. James Album</i> 1996 studio album by Aphex Twin

Richard D. James Album is a studio album by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on 4 November 1996 through Warp Records. It was composed by James on his Macintosh computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast breakbeats and intricate drum programming which draw from jungle and drum and bass. James' drum loops are paired with lush string arrangements, and ambient melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as modulated vocals from James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windowlicker</span> 1999 single by Aphex Twin

"Windowlicker" is a track by the British electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 22 March 1999 through Warp Records. The artwork for the single was created by Chris Cunningham, with additional work by The Designers Republic. Cunningham also directed the song's music video, which was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Video.

<i>Selected Ambient Works Volume II</i> 1994 studio album by Aphex Twin

Selected Ambient Works Volume II is a studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 7 March 1994 through Warp Records. Billed as a follow-up to James' debut Selected Ambient Works 85–92, the album differs in sound by being largely beatless ambient music. James said that it was inspired by lucid dreaming, and likened the music to "standing in a power station on acid."

<i>Drukqs</i> 2001 studio album by Aphex Twin

Drukqs is a studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under his moniker Aphex Twin. It was released in October 2001 through Warp Records. It is a double album alternating primarily between tracks of meticulously programmed beats inspired by jungle and drum and bass and computer-controlled classical piano pieces. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th", one of James's best known recordings.

<i>Incunabula</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Autechre

Incunabula is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Autechre, released by UK label Warp on 29 November 1993, and again by Wax Trax! on 25 January 1994 in the United States.

<i>Amber</i> (Autechre album) 1994 studio album by Autechre

Amber is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Autechre, released on 7 November 1994 by Warp. It was the first Autechre album to be composed entirely of new material, as their debut album Incunabula (1993) was a compilation of older tracks.

<i>26 Mixes for Cash</i> 2003 compilation album by Aphex Twin

26 Mixes for Cash is a compilation album of remixes produced by Aphex Twin. Most of the remixes were produced for other artists between 1990 and 2003. It was released on 24 March 2003 by Warp Records.

<i>Donkey Rhubarb</i> (EP) 1995 EP by Aphex Twin

Donkey Rhubarb is a 1995 extended play record by the electronic music artist Aphex Twin. It was released on 14 August 1995 by Warp. The EP contains a version of the song "Icct Hedral" from James' album ...I Care Because You Do by Philip Glass.

<i>Classics</i> (Aphex Twin album) 1995 compilation album by the Aphex Twin

Classics is a 1995 compilation album by the electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James, more commonly known by his pseudonym of Aphex Twin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard D. James discography</span>

The discography of Richard D. James, a British musician, consists of six studio albums, three compilation albums, 14 extended plays, seven singles, and 12 music videos, all released under his best known alias Aphex Twin. James has also released one studio album under the alias Polygon Window, one studio album under the alias Caustic Window, and one collaborative album with Mike Paradinas. Three compilation albums and 35 extended plays were released under other aliases.

<i>Quoth</i> (EP) 1993 EP by Polygon Window

Quoth is a 1993 EP by Richard D. James released under the Polygon Window alias. It was released through Warp on 22 March 1993. The title track is included on the album Surfing on Sine Waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aphex Twin</span> British electronic musician (born 1971)

Richard David James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, record producer, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient and jungle. Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact,Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.

<i>Selected Ambient Works 85–92</i> 1992 studio album by Aphex Twin

Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is the debut studio album by the British musician Richard D. James under the moniker Aphex Twin. It was released on 9 November 1992 through Apollo Records, a subsidiary of the Belgian label R&S Records. The album consists of ambient techno tracks recorded onto cassette reputedly dating as far back as 1985, when James was fourteen years old. On release it received widespread acclaim and entered the Dance Albums Chart at No. 6 on 26 December 1992.

minipops 67 (120.2) 2014 single by Aphex Twin

"minipops 67 [120.2]" is a track by the British electronic musician Richard D. James, credited under the pseudonym Aphex Twin. It is the opening track and lead single from Aphex Twin's sixth studio album, Syro (2014).

<i>Cheetah</i> (EP) 2016 EP by Aphex Twin

Cheetah is an extended play record by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 8 July 2016 on Warp. The name is a reference to Cheetah Marketing, a British manufacturer of microcomputer peripherals and electronic musical instruments in the 1980s.

<i>Collapse EP</i> 2018 EP by Aphex Twin

Collapse EP is an EP by the British electronic music artist Richard D. James under the pseudonym Aphex Twin. It was released on 14 September 2018 on Warp. The record received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised James for returning to his signature "Aphex Twin" sound.

References

  1. ↑ Keating, Daryl (13 October 2015). "An Essential Guide to Richard D. James". Exclaim! . Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (13 March 1994). "Pop View; Techno Wars: A House Divided Over Beats". The New York Times . Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Pitchfork . 24 January 2017. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Warp Records | Polygon Window | Surfing on Sine Waves | WARP7". Warp. Archived from the original on 8 November 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  5. ↑ Redmond, Steve, ed. (23 January 1993). "Top 10 Dance Albums" (PDF). Music Week . London: Spotlight Publications. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Richard-San, Mark (18 March 2002). "Polygon Window: Surfing on Sine Waves". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (13 September 2016). "The Wheal Thing: Aphex Twin's Alternative Cornish Language". The Quietus . Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  8. ↑ James, Richard D. "Aphex Twin – 2 Mixes Not For Cash". Warp . Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  9. ↑ O'Neil, Tegan (16 April 2015). "Warp's Artificial Intelligence compilation predicted the sounds of today, yesterday". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  10. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Surfing on Sine Waves – Polygon Window". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  11. ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "Aphex Twin". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  21–23. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Howe, Rupert (March 1993). "Polygon Window: Surfing on Sine Waves". Select (33): 73.
  13. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (1995). "Aphex Twin". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide . Vintage Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  14. ↑ White, Timothy, ed. (25 September 1993). "Dance: U.K. Fray" (PDF). Billboard . New York: BPI Communications. p. 34.
  15. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s". Fact . 3 September 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.