(Surfing on Sine Waves)
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(Surfing on Sine Waves) is an electronic music and early IDM album by Polygon Window, a pseudonym for recording artist Richard D. James, better known by his other alias of Aphex Twin. The album was released January 11, 1993 on Warp Records, and is the second in their Artificial Intelligence series.
After hearing James's early material as Aphex Twin on Belgium's R&S Records, Warp contacted James and offered him a recording contract and a chance to "show off" his collection of homemade and modified synthesizers. He would later continue to release material on Warp, but under his other alias of Aphex Twin. Interestingly, nowhere on the package does it list Richard D. James as the artist, though it may be obscured by the image of a cliff on the back. An image of him running down a flight of stairs can be found inside the liner notes.
The album is a collection of largely instrumental electronic music (a few vocal samples are included in places). It appears to have been recorded by James (possibly in the late 80s) onto cassettes in his bedroom studio, using a limited range of cheaply available drum machines, synthesizers, sequencers and samplers, some of which he had modified himself. The equipment included staples such as the Roland TB-303 bass synth/sequencer on "UT1-dot," TR-808 & TR-909 drum machines, and low-budget synths such as the Yamaha DX100. Digital piano sample sounds are also used. Most of the tracks feature insistent drum machine patterns (the ambient Quinophec being an exception) and James' characteristic angular, modal, melodies. James makes liberal use of lengthy digital reverberation, giving a spacious feel to the tracks. "Quoth," released as a single, supposedly is created out of sounds sampled by James at his job at the time, digging tunnels.
The first track, "Polygon Window", was also featured in a rougher form as the first track on the first album in the Artificial Intelligence series, although Richard had been billed as "The Dice Man."
There is a story circulating on the Internet that this album was created and deleted on the same day. Apparently, after the album was mixed and sent out for mastering, James accidentally spilled a glass of orange juice on the master tapes, ruining them forever. In another version of this story, James explains that the album is compiled from bedroom recordings made on cassette tapes, some of which had orange juice spilt on them.
The album was re-released in 2000 by Warp to celebrate the opening of Warp's American division (albums by Warp had previously been distributed in America through Sire Records and Nothing Records). The re-release features two previously unreleased tracks that were recorded during the same time this album was created.
Track listing
1993 Release
- "Polygon Window" (5:24)
- "Audax Powder" (4:36)
- "Quoth" (5:34)
- "If It Really Is Me" (7:01)
- "Supremacy II" (4:04)
- "UT1-dot" (5:17)
- [untitled] (6:24)
- "Quixote" (6:00)
- "Quino-phec" (4:42)
2000 US re-release
- 01. Polygon Window (5:24)
- 02. Audax Powder (4:36)
- 03. Quoth (5:34)
- 04. If It Really Is Me (7:01)
- 05. Supremacy II (4:04)
- 06. UT1-dot (5:17)
- 07. [untitled] (6:24)
- 08. Quixote (6:00)
- 09. Portreath Harbour (4:44)
- 10. Redruth School (2:43)
- 11. Quino-phec (4:42)
Singles
The album version of "Quoth" was released as a single on transparent vinyl and CD, accompanied with two remixes of title track, and two exclusive non-album tracks.
- "Quoth" (5:34)
- "Iketa" (4:27)
- "Quoth (Wooden Thump Mix)" (7:52)
- "Bike Pump Meets Bucket" (5:48)
- "Quoth (Hidden Mix)" (6:46), not available on the vinyl release.
External links
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