Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition)

Description

2024 repress of this ‘ambient classic’ from 1994. Pioneering stuff from a young Aphex, who produced this while the most of the UK youth were out raving their arses off! Next to that lush countryside ambience, the album has a much darker essence – exploring heavy drone and Film Noir-esq areas of sound. Tip!

Black 4LP vinyl in polylined inner sleeves, printed 3mm spine outer sleeves, fold out poster, sticker sheet and booklet containing development sketches from the original artwork.

Previously UNRELEASED Music on here, check tracks: “th1 [evnslower]” and “Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev.” .

Reissue from the 1994 edition, celebrating the original album’s 30th anniversary.

Written when Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) was in his early 20s, the album gained critical acclaim both upon release and retrospectively (10/10 Pitchfork review, #2 Best Ambient Album of All Time, 4 star Rolling Stone review + more).

Aphex Twin and SAW II’s influence continues to grow and take new meaning across generations.

Vinyl Tracklist:

A1. #1
A2. #2
A3. #3
A4. #4
A5. #5
A6. #6A7. #7
B1. #8
B2. #9
B3. #10
B4. #11
B5. #12
B6. Blue Calx
B7. #14
C1. #15
C2. #16
C3. #17
C4. #18
C5. #19
C6. #20
C7. #21
C8. #22
D1. #23
D2. #24
D3. #25
D4. th1 [evnslower] (Unreleased)
D5. Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev

BLEEP SAY:

An essential piece of electronic history is restored to its full glory for the 30th anniversary, with all 25 tracks of Selected Ambient Works II reunited in this Expanded Edition alongside two extras. Constantly referenced and revered decades after its release, SAWII has seen accolades such as the Pitchfork perfect 10 and #2 best ambient album of all time.

Written in his early 20s, it follows the glacial synths and deft percussion of Selected Ambient Works 85-92 and preceding the contorted, intricate, abstract visions of electronic music on …I Care Because You Do. Aphex Twin crafted this mammoth set of mostly beatless vistas, textured compositions that are by turns beautiful, nightmarish, emotive, and thrilling.

From swooning beauty to careening dread, even in just the first two tracks, SAWII is a stunning and faultless piece of work. Each soundscape brings with it the sense of standing in some vast space, with dripping rusted pipes and dilapidated walls, or endless canyons of low bitrate whooshing winds. Tracks like ‘Blue Calx’ emanate a strange kind of peace, with synths that sound like wobbling laminated paper or underwater radar blips while a constant knocking keeps pace. Elsewhere, curious microtonal keys flutter and subtly morph, low frequencies throb and purr, and oscillating hums induce hypnagogia.

The gossamer soft chords of ‘#3’ (AKA ‘Rhubarb’) move slow as clouds, airy wisps that are translated into orchestral grandeur on the exclusive ‘Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev’ with quivering strings, ethereal choir, and reversed molten bass, while ‘th1 [evnslower]’ is a sonorous blur floating from hopeful lifts to anxious dissonance. Finally included on all formats after 30 years, ‘#19’ (AKA ‘Stone In Focus’) seems to smooth over all the wrinkles of life with its blissfully monolithic chords and faint ripples of melody, its ticking like skipping stones marking the passage of time till it slows to a gentle halt.