{"product_id":"aphex-twin-i-care-because-you-do","title":"Aphex Twin – ...I Care Because You Do","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!--StartFragment --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003e— The Analog Vault \/\/ Essential Listening —\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003eComing in between the groundbreaking explorations of his first two breakout albums and the avant-garde intricacy of his later works, Aphex Twin’s third record on Warp often feels like the awkward middle child of Richard D. James’ discography. Despite its modest reception, \u003ci style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do \u003c\/i\u003estands the test of time as one of the British electronic musician’s most brilliant efforts. Originally released in 1995, this album finds James in a fascinating transitional phase - as he pairs his beatless, symphonic leanings with more abrasive and percussive layers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003eSuspenseful, dissonant and abstract, \u003ci style=\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/i\u003e is the rare album that combines all of James’ mercurial moods - ranging from his acid techno and cutting-edge ambient roots; to his drum \u0026amp; bass, post-classical and trip hop influences - into one eclectic IDM package. — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe Analog Vault\u003c\/a\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c\/o:p\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf0\"\u003eJames’s third album as Aphex Twin, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf1\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf0\"\u003e was released in the spring of 1995, just a few months after his first greatest hits compilation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e—released by R\u0026amp;S Records without his involvement—and it’s similarly characterized by a capricious approach to curation. In a sense, the album serves as its own anthology—a time capsule that displays James’s broad musical interests at what was arguably the peak of his creative prowess.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eThe tracks that comprise \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf3\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e, unlike those on \u003cem\u003eMusic from the Merch Desk\u003c\/em\u003e, are annotated with the year of their recording, all between 1990 and 1994. The music’s deliberate blend of genres and moods creates a listening experience that mirrors the Aphex Twin ethos: unnerving, disorienting, maddeningly beautiful, and always forward-thinking.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf3\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e might be James’s most transitory album. Because this unwieldy collection of compositions doesn’t fit neatly into any one categorical box, it tends not to stand out as sharply as either volume of \u003cem\u003eSelected Ambient Works\u003c\/em\u003e or \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003edrukQs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e. You get a little of everything that had (and would) define his sound: futuristic IDM (“The Waxen Pith” and “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eMoonkid\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e”), far-out acid (the cheekily named “Acrid Avid Jam Shred,” one of the many anagrams that pop up throughout), and the kinetic, jungle-style breakbeats (“Come on You Slags!”) that would become the calling card of 1996’s \u003cem\u003eRichard D. James Album\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eMostly, what one gets here is a bold mix of the ambient textures that made James a critical darling a few years earlier, paired with walloping percussion and bursts of hardcore techno. But there are still cuts on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf3\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e of such blistering intensity and commitment to chaos that they rival some of the more pointedly \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003etrollish\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e moments on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003edrukQs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e, most infamously “Ventolin,” arguably the most headache-inducing, dance floor-dominating dentist drill of a song ever recorded. Loaded with high-pitched blasts of piercing white noise meant to replicate the sensation of tinnitus, it’s a song that invites you in, even as it forcefully tries to push you back out. That is, until its eruptions of sonic distortion become so overwhelming by the final stretch that you’d swear the track was coming apart.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eThat same level of devilish duality—between attraction and repulsion—runs through much of\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf3\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e, such as the truly unsettling “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eIcct\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eHedral\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e.” Starting with a minute of murky, almost indecipherable reverb, the track gradually builds, layering strings, synth, and bass, expanding and contracting into an immensely triumphant climax, all while embodying the fiendish attitude of the jarring self-portrait on the album’s cover. While many prefer Philip Glass’s orchestral remix, I personally find that version over-embellished. It pushes the song into “white elephant art” territory: grand, attention-seeking, and a little overstuffed. Aphex, by contrast, operates better in “termite mode,” with as few obtrusive elements as possible.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eAt almost every juncture, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf3\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e seemingly establishes some form of internal logic, only to break it: After its most assaultive track, “Start as You Mean to Go On,” you get one of its goofiest, “Wet Tip Hen \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eAx\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e,” with its silly, funky rhythm just bouncing along the mix. And after a chilled-out, deeply resonant song like “Alberto \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eBalsalm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e,” there’s the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003edubby\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e “Cow Cud Is a Twin,” which feels like a lethargic stroll through the countryside.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003eWhen you finally feel like you may have gotten your head around exactly what the hell this album’s sound or end goal really is, it ends on “Next Heap With,” a heavenly arranged, beat-free jaw-dropper that closes things out with eerie stillness, as if it were suspended in time. For James, it was a turning point, as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf3\"\u003e…I Care Because You Do\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf2\"\u003e feels like the moment he fully embraced his own contradictions—melodic yet menacing, chaotic yet precise—and began shaping the deeply idiosyncratic world that would inform his most iconic work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf4\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf5\"\u003e— (via \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"..\/297ab040-4d71-402e-b593-e8fe3406daba\/update\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf4\"\u003eSlant Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf5\"\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!--EndFragment --\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"cf5\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s kind of hard to put into words just how revolutionary Aphex Twin is. Sure, some of his work can sound pretty commonplace now, but back then, you’d be hard pressed to find an electronic artist who was crafting the sounds and beats he was. His first two albums (The aptly named ‘Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1’ and 2 retrospectively) were game changers. Two lush albums full of restrained mellow beats and beautiful and sometimes frightening soundscapes. It’s easy to say you’d be hard pressed on finding an electronics fan who doesn’t love them, or at least appreciates what they did for the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut then there’s \u003cem\u003e...I Care Because You Do\u003c\/em\u003e, the sore thumb of Richard D James’ catalogue. While it acts as a more transitional record, bridging his relaxed and spacey first two records with the chaotic but melodically lush ‘Richard D James Album’, its odd mix of ambience and ear shattering beats puts it in a weird place. It feels like the predecessor to the similarly divisive ‘DrukQs’ in many places and it still draws a mixed reaction from fans. \u003cem\u003e...I Care Because You Do\u003c\/em\u003e blends two distinct styles. Twitchy Trip-Hop With Ambient flourishes and Pummelling IDM which dabbles into noise and avant garde. Its importance cannot be overlooked. What ‘Selected Ambient Works Vol 1 \u0026amp; 2’ did for IDM and Ambient music as a whole, \u003cem\u003e...I Care Because You Do\u003c\/em\u003e did for the future of Richard’s music as a whole. After all, he cared. Do you? — (via \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.sputnikmusic.com\/review\/80361\/Aphex-Twin-...I-Care-Because-You-Do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSputnik Music\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6TmEZKJtPJ9mPsMBmyteCE?utm_source=generator\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: Warp Records\u003cbr\u003eFormat: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Bioplastic, Reissue, Repress, Stereo\u003cbr\u003eReissue: 2024 \/ Original Release: 1995\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Electronic\u003cbr\u003eStyle: \u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-SG; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;\"\u003eIDM, Techno, Ambient, Experimental, Acid\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under: TAV Essential Listening\u003cbr\u003eFile under:  Electronic \/\/ House \/\/ Electro \/\/ Techno\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Warp Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46261315502238,"sku":"801061003012","price":60.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/files\/R-3979609-1360540693-7481.jpg?v=1765015452","url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.mom\/products\/aphex-twin-i-care-because-you-do","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}