Release Title: Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Label: Apollo
Cat No: AMBLP3922
Format: 2x12“
Style: Ambient, Breaks, Techno, IDM
A1. Xtal
Originally released in 1992 on R&S Records offshoot Apollo, 'Selected Ambient Works 85-92' marks the first full length studio album by Richard D. James under his Aphex Twin name. Considered a landmark release in ambient techno, it's easy to see why it has endured. Feathery keys, dreamy production and trickling rhythms are drenched over distant samples from sources as diverse as Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory ('We Are The Music Makers'), Robocop ('Green Calx') and ethereal female vocals on opener 'Xtal'. Arguably some the most beautifully realised and majestic sounds of the revered musician's career. The album provided the blueprint for every electronica, downbeat and chill-out record for years after. This is just one of those classic electronica releases that every home should have; melodic, semi-ambient and musical, this is AFX at his most accessible. Essential.