Richard D. James

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Richard D. James · Richard David James is a British musician, composer and DJ, born in 1971 in Limerick, Ireland, to Welsh parents. He grew up in Cornwall and began making music at fourteen. In the late 1980s he DJed at free parties in the south-west of England. Under the name Aphex Twin he grew into one of the most idiosyncratic makers in electronic music.

Music and breakthrough

His first EP, Analogue Bubblebath, came out in 1991. That same year he founded the label Rephlex with a friend. The debut album Selected Ambient Works 85-92 followed in 1992. He then signed with Warp and released, among other things, Selected Ambient Works Volume II, the Richard D. James Album in 1996, and singles such as Come to Daddy and Windowlicker, with music videos by Chris Cunningham. Drukqs followed in 2001 and Syro in 2014. He also uses other names, such as AFX and Caustic Window.

Influence

His music takes in techno, ambient, acid and jungle and is often counted as intelligent dance music. One track is calm and dreamy, another fast and messy. Critics call him one of the most influential artists in electronic music. In School of Rock he appears with the track Xtal from 1992, a listening tip for the chapter on electronic music.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1996Expert Knob Twiddlers

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 8: Electronic Music^NL Reader