drukqs

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drukqs
Studio album by Aphex Twin
Released 22 October 2001 (2001-10-22)
Genre Electronic music
Ambient techno
Length 100:48
Label Warp Records
WARP092 United Kingdom

Sire/WEA Records
31174 (rest of world)
Producer Richard D. James
Professional reviews
Aphex Twin chronology
"Windowlicker"
(1999)		 Drukqs
(2001)		 26 Mixes for Cash
(2003)

drukqs (stylised as drukQs) is a 2001 double album by electronic musician Richard D. James, released under his most frequently used pseudonym, Aphex Twin. It is his fifth studio album under this alias.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The title's pronunciation is debatable, due to the cover art capitalizing the Q, leading to some fans to pronounce it as druck-use (a possible pun on "drug use"). However, Drukqs is spelled in lower case everywhere else on the packaging, so most fans simply pronounce it drucks. James has stated that the title is not related to drugs, and is "just a word [he] made up."[1] The 5-track promotional CD of the album is spelled Drukqs.

After releasing the "Windowlicker" single in 1999, James took a long break from releasing music. During this time, he played DJ sets in his home county of Cornwall, re-released his first album on the Warp label, Surfing on Sine Waves, and spread disinformation that he was retiring from releasing music.[citation needed]

Drukqs is available in three formats for purchase. The first and most common is the CD release. The second is the regular 180-gram vinyl release. The third is a 250-gram limited edition audiophile version, pressed on heavy virgin (unrecycled) vinyl by Record Technology Incorporated and presented in a 12-inch × 17-inch box limited to 1,000 hand-numbered copies.

The CD itself features Aphex Twin spelled out with Sinclair ZX81 keys.[2]

[edit] Reception

Initial critical response to drukqs ranged from average to positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 66, based on 21 reviews.[3]

[edit] Track listing

Drukqs comprises 30 tracks, divided into two discs on the CD release (15 songs on each disc) and on eight sides on the quadruple-vinyl release. The vinyl editions of this album feature a slightly re-arranged track list. Several of the tracks have different spellings on the vinyl release. For example, "QKThr" is given the name "Penty Harmonium." The first four sides of vinyl are listed for play at 45 RPM, while the last four are listed as 33⅓ RPM.

All tracks by Richard D. James

[edit] CD track configuration

[edit] Disc one

  1. "Jynweythek" – 2:14
  2. "Vordhosbn" – 4:42
  3. "Kladfvgbung Micshk" – 2:00
  4. "Omgyjya-Switch7" – 4:46
  5. "Strotha Tynhe" – 2:03
  6. "Gwely Mernans" – 5:00
  7. "Bbydhyonchord" – 2:21
  8. "Cock/Ver10" – 5:17
  9. "Avril 14th" – 1:55
  10. "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount" – 8:02
  11. "Gwarek2" – 6:38
  12. "Orban Eq Trx 4" – 1:27
  13. "Aussois" – 0:07
  14. "Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow" – 2:09
  15. "Kesson Dalef" – 1:18

[edit] Disc two

  1. "54 Cymru Beats" – 5:59
  2. "Btoum-Roumada" – 1:56
  3. "Lornaderek" – 0:30
  4. "QKThr" – 1:20
  5. "Meltphace 6" – 6:14
  6. "Bit 4" – 0:18
  7. "Prep Gwarlek 3b" – 1:13
  8. "Father" – 0:51
  9. "Taking Control" – 7:08
  10. "Petiatil Cx Htdui" – 2:05
  11. "Ruglen Holon" – 1:45
  12. "Afx237 v.7" – 4:15
  13. "Ziggomatic 17" – 8:28
  14. "Beskhu3epnm" – 1:58
  15. "Nanou2" – 3:22

[edit] Vinyl track configuration

[edit] Side one

  1. "Jynweythek Ylow" – 2:14
  2. "Vordhosbn" – 4:42
  3. "Kladfvgbung Micshk" – 2:00
  4. "Strotha Tynhe" – 2:03

[edit] Side two

  1. "Omgyjya Switch7" – 4:46
  2. "Gwely Mernans" – 5:00

[edit] Side three

  1. "Cock/Ver10" – 5:17
  2. "Bbydhyonchord" – 2:21
  3. "Orban Eq Trx4" – 1:27

[edit] Side four

  1. "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount" – 8:02
  2. "Beskhu3epnm" – 1:58

[edit] Side five

  1. "Aussois" – 0:07
  2. "Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow" – 2:09
  3. "Kesson Daslef" – 1:18
  4. "Avril 14th" – 1:55
  5. "Gwarek2" – 6:38

[edit] Side six

  1. "54 Cymru Beats" – 5:59
  2. "Btoum-Roumada" – 1:56
  3. "Lornaderek" – 0:30
  4. "Penty Harmonium" – 1:20
  5. "Prep Gwarlek 3b" – 1:13
  6. "Father" – 0:51
  7. "Petiatil Cx Htdui" – 2:05

[edit] Side seven

  1. "Meltphace 6" – 6:14
  2. "Bit 4" – 0:18
  3. "Taking Control" – 7:08
  4. "Ruglen Holon" – 1:45

[edit] Side eight

  1. "Afx237 v.7" – 4:15
  2. "Ziggomatic v17" – 8:28
  3. "Nanou2" – 3:22

[edit] Song titles

Various titles are in Cornish, a Celtic language related to Welsh and Breton spoken in Cornwall, James's home. James said he "went back to his roots" in Cornwall,[citation needed] or Kernow as it is known in Cornish. Translations include Jynweythek [Ylow] for "Electronic Machine [Music]", Vordhosbn for "Sailboat", and Cymru for "Wales". Comically, hy a Scullyas lyf a dhagrow would roughly translate as "She wasted my pint" (colloquially, "She spilled my pint") or "She shed a flood of tears".[citation needed]) Various numbers found in words may actually represent archaic letters.

Several tracks do not relate to Cornish but have their own individual meanings: Lornaderek combines the names of James's mother and father, respectively, whereas "Father" is named so because his father enjoyed the piece. "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michael's mount" is named after two actual places, Mont Saint-Michel and St Michael's Mount, which are related to each other; the latter is a notable tourist attraction in Cornwall. "Nanou 2" appears to have been named after "Nannou," on Windowlicker.

[edit] Style

James took full advantage of the advances in computing between 1996 and 2001, which allowed greater detail and frenetic complexity in his music. New equipment that developed his sound included the Concussor analogue drum modules from British-based company Analogue Solutions—for instance, the track "Taking Control" appears to feature this heavily.

At least 13 of the 30 tracks are piano compositions, both prepared piano (a style made notable by John Cage) and normal piano. The instrument used was a MIDI-controlled Yamaha Disklavier that James programmed to play by sequencers rather than from the piano's keyboard. The Disklavier is a modern descendant of the player pianos of the late 19th and early 20th century, which were controlled by rolls of punched paper tape. For some pieces, James placed microphones inside the piano body, so that the workings of the Disklavier's mechanisms are heard in conjunction with the sounding of the notes, as a rhythmic counterpoint.

A few tracks feature short samples (synthesizer experiments, voices, etc.) under 20 seconds in length. "54 Cymru Beats" features sounds sampled from the Windowlicker single, a computer speaking in Welsh, and a short version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. "Lornaderek" is a telephone message of James's parents Lorna and Derek singing "Happy Birthday" to their "little 28-year-old son"; it's likely that this message have been recorded on James's 28th birthday, which was 18 August 1999.

[edit] Media references

  • The short film Rubber Johnny utilized an extended version of "Afx237 v.7" and "Gwarek2" as its background score.
  • "Jynweythek Ylow" and "Avril 14th" were featured in Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette.
  • A slightly remixed version of "Omgyjya-Switch7", adding screams, is featured in the 2006 film Children of Men as an example of future "zen" music.
  • "Nanou2" plays towards the end of the Shane Meadows film Dead Man's Shoes.
  • "Avril 14th" was sampled in the digital short "Iran So Far" on a Saturday Night Live episode that aired on 2007-09-29. There were complications of this—NBC didn't get the rights to use the song. However, rights were eventually garnered by Chrysalis Music, Aphex Twin’s publishing company, for television and DVD usage, but The Lonely Island was not allowed to include the track on its album Incredibad.[4]
  • "Btoum-Roumada" is featured in the 2007 Harmony Korine film Mister Lonely.
  • A poster of the album can be seen in the titular character's apartment in the 2005 film Shaun of the Dead.
  • The short film Monkey Drummer uses the track "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michael's Mount."
  • The track Kesson Daslef can be heard on the BBC Documentary "Cannabis: The Evil Weed?".
  • Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters (2006) contains live recordings of the prepared piano pieces "Jynweythek" and "Hy A Scullyas Lyf Adhagrow" as performed by Clive Williamson; the London Sinfonetta also performs "Afx237 v.7".
  • On a Recent Sky HD Advert, "Avril 14th" was use to be played as the background music.
  • The 2009 compilation Warp20 (Recreated) features a cover of "Vordhosbn" by Leila.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 22[5]
U.S. Top Heatseekers 2
U.S. Top Electronic Albums 6
U.S. Billboard 200 154

[edit] Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Japan 11 October 2001 Warner Music Japan 2×CD WPCR-11093/4
United Kingdom 22 October 2001 Warp Records 2×CD WARPCD92
4×LP WARPLP92
United States 23 October 2001 Sire Records 2×CD 31174-2
United Kingdom 9 September 2002 Warp Records 4×LP WARPLP92X

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Friday interview: Aphex Twin | Culture | The Guardian
  2. ^ Images for Aphex Twin - Drukqs
  3. ^ "Aphex Twin:Drukqs (2001): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/aphextwin/drukqs. Retrieved 2009-03-19. 
  4. ^ The Daily Swarm—Aphex Twin in SNL "Iran So Far" [rhyme] with Andy Samberg and Adam Levine
  5. ^ "Chart Stats - The Aphex Twin - Drukqs". ChartStats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=14226. Retrieved 30 August 2009. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Richard D. James
As Aphex Twin
Studio albums
EPs/singles
Compilations
As AFX
As Polygon Window
As Power-Pill
As Bradley Strider
As Caustic Window
As GAK
Unreleased
With Mike Paradinas
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