Aphex Twin

Richard David James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, composer and DJ whose electronic work has moved between ambient music, techno, acid and jungle since the late 1980s. Closely associated with IDM, he has been described by outlets including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact, Clash and The Guardian as one of contemporary electronic music’s most important and influential artists.

Raised in Cornwall, James began DJing at free parties and clubs across the South West in the late 1980s. His 1991 debut EP, Analogue Bubblebath, arrived via Mighty Force Records and earned him an early following, leading to performances around the UK and continental Europe. That same year, he co-founded the independent label Rephlex Records. His first album, Selected Ambient Works 85–92, was released in 1992 by the Belgian label Apollo and brought wider critical and popular acclaim.

James signed with Warp later in 1992. Through the 1990s, he released albums including ...I Care Because You Do in 1995 and Richard D. James Album in 1996, both of which charted. The singles “Come to Daddy” and “Windowlicker” reached the UK Top 40 in 1997 and 1999 respectively, while their Chris Cunningham-directed videos brought him broader international attention. His work under the Aphex Twin name is only part of a larger catalog: James has also released as AFX, Caustic Window, Polygon Window, the Tuss and other aliases.

After Drukqs in 2001 completed his Warp contract, James issued music through Rephlex, including the 2005 Analord EP series as AFX and two 2007 releases as the Tuss. In 2014, he made a previously unreleased 1994 LP available as Caustic Window, then returned to Warp with Syro, which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Later releases include the charting EPs Cheetah in 2016 and Collapse in 2018. His 2023 single “Blackbox Life Recorder 21f” was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, and since 2015 he has also released music sporadically through SoundCloud.