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Amazon.co.uk Review
Drukqs is the 2001 release from Cornish Techno wizard Richard D James aka the Aphex Twin. Deified in the sphere of experimental dance--partly for his indisputable sporadic genius, but partly, it must be said, for his bullish refusal to play the whole "releasing records" game, and the subsequent mythology that such contrariness invariably prompts--every new release is greeted like it's the future of music on plastic. Drukqs is not that album, at least not quite: a 30-track double CD set that runs to over 100 minutes in length, it reads like a hastily-compiled joy-ride through the old Aphex countryside, full-on acid junglist scorchers like "Vord Hosbn" barrelling madly past serene, oddly beautiful ambient piano curiosities like "Avril 14th" and sometimes the two disparate disciplines blending, as in the truly surreal wreckage of "Mt Saint Michel + St Michaels Mount". It's a minor disappointment when you realise there's nothing here as epochal as "Come To Daddy" or "Windowlicker", two late-period Aphex singles so startlingly revolutionary that, on their release, they sounded like nothing else on God's good earth. But once that's out the way, and you're free to immerse yourself in the tangled depths of Drukqs, it's simply a relief to know that Aphex is still making music: fiendishly complex, lovably dumb, and still aeons ahead of the legion of imitators. --Louis Pattison
Review
Disappointment.
I didnt want to say it but there it is. After waiting what seems like ages after Richards previous work of Miami-bass meets Depeche Mode on acid genius, Windowlicker, we have finally been able to get our greedy hands on some new Aphex Twin material.
So whats it like? Well, Druqks sounds exactly like a mix tape made from various unreleased Caustic Window, Richard D. James and Ambient Works 2 sessions with a few new John Cage-esque pieces of minimal piano thrown in for good measure. Therein lies the problem, you see, as there is very little new and or overly exciting on this record. True, there are some amazing moments - Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount is inspired, but then again, the first two minutes could easily just have been released on the last Squarepusher CD. 56 Cymru Beats again, is technically impressive - but again could have easily been released in 1994. Being nostalgic is one thing but was that Stakker Humanoid sample really necessary...again?
Druqks simply copies and pastes its loops and ideas from previous releases and rehashes them into something weve heard a million times before, albeit in a slightly different sequence. It isnt until we come to disc two that we see some of the more interesting material come to light. Here we find treated pianos and bells submerged in an 8 voice chorus but just as it starts to draw you in, it stops. It seems like hes run out of ideas a minute and a half into it and has to revert to remixing his old hardcore tracks to get the momentum flowing again. Its not until the last track Nanou 2 that we begin to hear James true colours come out and see what kind of mind blowing beauty hes capable of creating.
I think Druqks probably would have worked better as two separate releases with a lot more time and effort put into it. Dont get me wrong, I love Richard's work as much as the next guy, but for the all too brief moments of joy and beauty on this release, there is still far too much laziness for the truly awe-inspiring work to shine through.
He's still on top...but for how much longer remains to be seen.
Like This? Try These:
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Akufen - My Way --Olli Siebelt
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
To avoid a cliché when describing this album is virtually impossible, but revolutionary is the right word for me personally. Having only previously encountered "The Twin" on account of "Windowlicker" in a chillout CD purchased several summers ago I was a relative innocent. But as experimental electronica was coming to the forefront amongst friends I got to hear this and I agree that the track Vordhosbn is actually so outrageously mental that I do want to cry and scream and my heart rate actually increases to the point of ecstasy whenever I listen to it. Before I acquired the album my desire to listen to that track was actually eating me up, but after a few days I listened to the rest of the 2 discs and I am proud of my personal discovery. Without it I wouldn't be the man that I am. Tracks 8, 9 and 10 in that order on disc 1 are just indescribable; it borders on perfection and The Twin actually hit every nail on every proverbial head possible, ever, putting these in this order and letting them (not) follow on and cause spiritual chaos and metaphysical pleasure in psychopaths such as myself. Nice one.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As with most reviews you find here you get fans of a genre of music or an artist in particular raving on about how good the CD is they have listened to far to many times, and I am going to do just that.
There was something special about this album even before it came out. It was well advertised and Warp records were raving on about it a while before its wide release. Take a look at the website, www.drukqs.net, to see the effort that has been undertaken in promoting it and to get an idea of what you may be letting yourself in for if you choose to buy it.
It is hard to say anything about the album in simple terms, as its complexity is so profound making it a generally difficult listen at first. I don’t really class this double disc set as an album at all, more an experience, a ride you can undertake for 100 minutes: a heart pounding, confused, terrifying yet calming adventure if your alert and awake enough and can be bothered to give it your attention.
Over the two discs it could be said there are two themes or atmospheres that are both completely separable but compliment each other greatly and give the album an overall feeling. The two extremes being ‘Avril 14th’ and ‘Penty Harmonium’, ambient, instrumental and classical, compared with ‘Vordhosbn’ and ‘Cock/Ver 10’ which are a fusion of a ridiculous amount of sounds to make, if you have to give it a name; something close to drum and bass, and are the type of track that give the album its vast depth.
I have owned this album for just over year I and I have just began to see the extent of, put simply now, how good it is. It is not like the Aphex Twin we know; yet it is recognisable as something that has always been looming in his previous music. Aphex Twin supposedly makes his music for himself and his friends. This is almost Frank Zappa-esque in the way it offers more than just a listen: it is an experience that has been given real time in production and if you listen to Zappa’s ‘Lumpy Gravy’ you may see some similarities with this album (a strange comparison I know. No! Lets make that a passing comment.)
Overall its not an easy listen, with tracks like Gwarek 2 which starts with what sounds like a metal bar being walked along a metal fence followed what can only be described as screams of intense pain then a warped ping bong ball zipping around a large hall: the ping pong ball transforming into a group of screeching bats and flying away. Yes its acid induced, drugs in general compliment the album but the it is more a representation of drugs themselves, which is maybe where the title (Drukqs/Drugs?) comes from.
If you’re into any Warp records stuff get this, if you’re a real Aphex Twin fan you already have it but if you don’t like weird music or only enjoy conventional dance I wouldn’t bother. There’s far to much to say about Drukqs but I imagine it gives everybody different listen and they form their own nostalgia from but that doesn’t dispute the fact that its bloody brilliant, maybe even, dare I say it, Genius.
There was something special about this album even before it came out. It was well advertised and Warp records were raving on about it a while before its wide release. Take a look at the website, www.drukqs.net, to see the effort that has been undertaken in promoting it and to get an idea of what you may be letting yourself in for if you choose to buy it.
It is hard to say anything about the album in simple terms, as its complexity is so profound making it a generally difficult listen at first. I don’t really class this double disc set as an album at all, more an experience, a ride you can undertake for 100 minutes: a heart pounding, confused, terrifying yet calming adventure if your alert and awake enough and can be bothered to give it your attention.
Over the two discs it could be said there are two themes or atmospheres that are both completely separable but compliment each other greatly and give the album an overall feeling. The two extremes being ‘Avril 14th’ and ‘Penty Harmonium’, ambient, instrumental and classical, compared with ‘Vordhosbn’ and ‘Cock/Ver 10’ which are a fusion of a ridiculous amount of sounds to make, if you have to give it a name; something close to drum and bass, and are the type of track that give the album its vast depth.
I have owned this album for just over year I and I have just began to see the extent of, put simply now, how good it is. It is not like the Aphex Twin we know; yet it is recognisable as something that has always been looming in his previous music. Aphex Twin supposedly makes his music for himself and his friends. This is almost Frank Zappa-esque in the way it offers more than just a listen: it is an experience that has been given real time in production and if you listen to Zappa’s ‘Lumpy Gravy’ you may see some similarities with this album (a strange comparison I know. No! Lets make that a passing comment.)
Overall its not an easy listen, with tracks like Gwarek 2 which starts with what sounds like a metal bar being walked along a metal fence followed what can only be described as screams of intense pain then a warped ping bong ball zipping around a large hall: the ping pong ball transforming into a group of screeching bats and flying away. Yes its acid induced, drugs in general compliment the album but the it is more a representation of drugs themselves, which is maybe where the title (Drukqs/Drugs?) comes from.
If you’re into any Warp records stuff get this, if you’re a real Aphex Twin fan you already have it but if you don’t like weird music or only enjoy conventional dance I wouldn’t bother. There’s far to much to say about Drukqs but I imagine it gives everybody different listen and they form their own nostalgia from but that doesn’t dispute the fact that its bloody brilliant, maybe even, dare I say it, Genius.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album contains the best IDM song ever created. It is track 2 on disk 1 and goes by the name of 'Vordhosbn'. This song has made me laugh, cry and almost sent me crazy. You may not understand it at first but when you get to around the 10th play you will more than likely be as dumbfounded as me. 'Vordhosbn' aside, this album also contains 8 other undescribably awesome peices of music, Omgjiga-switch 7, cock ver 10, mt saint michel + st michels mount, 54 cymru beats, meltphace 6, taking control, ziggomatic 17 and afxv237. Each and every one beautiful in its own messed up way. Although the beat orientated tunes are worth the enrty fee alone, the majority of the other work is well worth a listen. Avril 14th is nice, as are bbydonchord and Hy a scullyas lyf adhagrow. There is the odd filler lurking around, as would be expected of a 30 track lp, but you just won't care as you are taken in by vordhosbn and co time and time again
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Scatterbrain Brilliance
If there is one cd in my collection that deserves some sort of explanation or words to describe it, well this is the one. Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2010 by Steven M. Quinn
Experimenting with hard 'Drukqs'
Drukqs doesn't really hold together all that well as one body of work and it is perhaps best to look at it like three collections of tunes that happen to be slapped onto the same... Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2009 by Man Without a Soul
Nice
Very good double album, and well worth the money. Aphex Twin delivers a wide variety of music here from mellow piano beats to more up tempo jungle beats. Read more
Published on 22 July 2009 by Mr. M. Taylor
very good
I had this album ages and ages ago and then it disappeared but it really is a vry good album but only if you are into this kind of stuff if you are looking for a dance album that... Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2008 by Mr. N. Warburton
Drukgs...
Aphex has always made listener friendly music in view, everything he has done with the exception of Hangable Auto Bulb EP is beautifully melodic and instantly catchy, this record... Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2008 by Quemeelsol
Surprisingly inventive and varied
I did not know what exactly to expect when I bought this, and certainly it is not an easily approachable piece of work. Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2007 by Gorbals Gunale
some outstanding tracks
This was my first IDM album back in the day. First i heard a few tracks by aphex twin, the obvious ones like "come to daddy", "Windowlicker" and "Flim" and thought 'wow, this is... Read more
Published on 13 April 2007 by Stephen Mccrory
Give it a minute...
Let me first point out that it took no shorter than nine months for me to actually begin to like this album. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2006 by Alexander J. Machell
Migraine Inducing Electronica
You can always expect an Aphex Twin album to be a little twisted. Richard D James is famed for his unconventional approach to music (he often turns in remixes to record lables... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2006 by R. Mullaney
Uneasy Listening
Hardcore jungle drum and bass with interludes of almost inaudible ambience, strange sound effects and samples (Richard's parents singing happy birthday) and some wonderful piano... Read more
Published on 29 July 2005 by Elliot Davies
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