Apparat - Multifunktionsebene (2001)

Translated as "Multi-level", this music is lavish in its sparseness; crystalline textures hanging like early mist under serrated rhythmic tessellations and electronic flotsam and jetsam. Apparat's thoughtfulness is evident in his music; nothing is out of place. There is an economy of expression in these cold, stark soundscapes that is gorgeously minimal and utterly enchanting.

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AFX - 2 Remixes by AFX (2001)

2 remixes by Aphex Twin. "Flow Coma" by 808 State is reported to be Richard's favorite track of all time, and he does the remix justice. Aphex takes you to a acid-drenched jungle trip (with an awesome slap scratch break, if I must say) with wigged-out vocal gurgles and bleeps. Classic RDJ. On the B-side, he takes a stab at DJ Pierre's "Box Energy", blowing it up with 303 lines, breaks, and beats only Mr. James could put together. You'd be hard pressed to find a couple of remixes better than these.

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Beefcake - Drei (2001)

"Drei" is one of those rare albums where harmonious versatility meets highest sound quality. This solid 78:30 recording represents itself a mixture of harsh IDM beats, melodic trip-hop pieces, complex drum-n-bass rhythms, grand orchestral fragments, cinematic sounds and what not! Listening to it at first time is like an adventure experience - you are involved and can never guess what happens next. Track 14 is probably the highlight of the album: "cheesy" female vocals sink in juicy distortions and then there goes some of the most breathtaking ambient/IDM/jungle pieces I've ever heard. An experienced listener will also recognize some familiar samples. For example, track 11 features an excerpt from Wojciech Kilar's Dracula OST ("Ascension") and track 13 uses the beginning of Namlook/Inoue's "Biotrip" from Shades of Orion 1. Too bad the album is so limited and takes the heck of a time to find.

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Aphex Twin - Drukqs (2 track promo) (2001)

Richard James puts on his remixer hat for this release, producing 2 awesome remixes of tracks from the incredible album Drukqs (2001). Not a release that everyone has, but not particularly hard to find either. At any rate, this is a great take on a couple of classic songs, essential for the diehard Aphex collector.

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