Aphex Twin - On EPs

Trying to explain Aphex Twin to people is useless. Yes, you can discuss the numerous oddball facts about Mr. Richard D. James, but that information won't give any idea of how wonderful his music really is. Recommending a starting point is almost as difficult as his styles vary so greatly. If I was pressed to do so, I would probably recommend the On EPs as they demonstrate his melodic tendencies, his noisier experiments and his beautifully disturbing ambient works.

Normally I wouldn't post something that is as easily available as the first On EP, but this isn't the standard release. Rather, this is a test pressing of the initial EP with slight but interesting differences between these and the released versions. Most notable is this version of D-Scape as it continues for about a minute longer than the released version. The other tracks all seem slightly longer as well, but not nearly as noticable as D-Scape.

The other release featured here is the On: Remixes EP. Alongside remixes of the title cut from the likes of Reload and µ-Ziq, Aphex provides a long and rather odd remix named after the D-Scape track from the first EP. The highlight is the 28 Mix of On, turning the beautiful original into an ominous ambient sound scape that sounds like a continuation of Aphex's Selected Ambient Works II. Unforgettable!

So, enjoy some Aphex goodness today. For the record, both the retail versions of the On and On: Remixes EPs are still available for purchase through most official outlets, so it never hurts to show some support if you like what you hear. If you really want to support Aphex though, visit Bleep, an online music site run by Warp Records, his home for most of his career. They have just about everything he's ever released available for purchase and you can sample bits of them too.


Aphex Twin - On: Test Pressing

01 On
02 73-Yips
03 D-Scape
04 Xepha


Aphex Twin - On: Remixes

01 On (D-Scape Mix)
02 On (Reload Mix)
03 On (µ-Ziq Mix)
04 On (28 Mix)