How Aphex Twin Makes Music in His Dreams

In the early 90s, Aphex Twin was on top of the world. After having released his highly acclaimed debut album, "Selected Ambient Works 85-92", he became a poster child for techno and toured with the likes of The Orb, Orbital and Moby.

But when the time came to release his sophomore album, Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) took a very different approach. Instead of leaning back on the techno that had made him a name, James took us on a nearly three-hour-long, introspective journey of mystery and imagination.

Obsessed with making tracks in his dreams, James, a trained lucid dreamer, would apparently write music in his dreams (in an imaginary studio and with imaginary instruments) and then recreate it, to the best of his ability, when awake. Thus, "Selected Ambient Works Volume II" was born.

Though the album divided both critics and fans at the time, in retrospect, Ambient Works II has garnered acclaim, and it’s today considered one of the greatest ambient albums of all time.

00:00 Intro
01:02 History of Aphex Twin
02:21 First EPs
02:45 Selected Ambient Works 85-92
04:08 Selected Ambient Works Volume II (SAW II)
05:28 Ambient Music & Brian Eno
07:00 SAW II: Length & Tracklist
08:09 SAW II: Lucid Dreaming
10:33 SAW II: Artwork
11:43 SAW II: Summary
13:22 Conclusion

For more album deep-dives:    • Screamadelica: The Epic Fusion of Rav...  

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