Caustic Window - Compilation

Label: Rephlex
Catologue Number: CAT009
Format: CD
Date: 1998
Style: IDM / Electronica / Techno
Rating: 8/10
Reviewer: Sidney James

Caustic Window is none other than Richard D. James, aka Polygon Window, Bradley Strider, Blue Calx, Diceman, AFX and of course the Aphex Twin. If you know any of his above work then your have some idea of what this compilation sounds like.

The album itself is a collection of rare tracks released by Mr James in the early 90’s. The majority of which have only even been available on extremely rare and limited 12”s. This makes this an essential release for anyone who loves the Aphex Twin and is not willing to pay extortionate prices for the original Joyrex vinyl releases.

The music it’s self is a mixture of heavily distorted breakbeats, ultra heavy rumbling bass and electronic sounds. Moving from various of dance from industrialised happy house (Joyrex 4) to lush Orbital Ambient Trance (Co-ordination) to cheesy listening (Pigeon Street) to Ultra Gabba (Fantasia) to subdub (Clayhill dub). Mr James expertly and uniquely constructs all tracks. Proving again that he is a genius of electronic music in the majority of it’s many headed forms.

There are absolutely no duff tracks on this compilation, from the pounding ’Humanoid must not escape ‘to the electronic beauty of ‘Italic eyeball’, there is no let down in the quality of tracks. The highlight being for me the Hardcore remix of ‘We are the Music Makers’, which has been radically remade from the Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works Volume 1’.

Caustic Window may have only been a short-term project for Richard D James, but like the majority of his work it is unmatched in the realm of underground electronic music. Not only is this album a essential item for any Aphex fan, but it is also a good introduction for anyone interested in hearing mind blowing, ground breaking and sublime electronic music.