Various - Artificial Intelligence: Electronic Listening Music From Warp, Vinyl LP

The sole album by Richard D James, aka Aphex Twin, under his Polygon Window alias, it was also the first in the Warp Artificial Intelligence series (‘92–‘94) after the sampler compilation, that introduced a then, new genre now defined as IDM.

Warp described the Sampler as a new, post-rave kind of ‘electronic listening music’ that aimed to ‘exhibit the capabilities and sounds of electronic music’. Surfing on Sine Waves ticks all the boxes there. It’s a combination of dance floor techno, mid-tempo, and melodic ambient tracks. The expanded 3x LP reissue contains a number of extra tracks, some of which featured on the Quoth 12”, which was the only other Polygon Window release.. these tracks are also good, and certainly add to the reissue!

Consistent as any Aphex Twin release (possibly an unpopular opinion), it’s an interesting one given the context of it being at the nexus of electronic music at the time, but also it’s just a really cool record. - Jon