Selected Ambient Works 85–92

A remarkably consistent, impressive body of work which showcases a wide range of electronic styles. My personal favourite are the hyped up, more aggressive and melodic entries such as Xtal and Green Calx. I admire the more chilled out sides to this record even if they are not what I’d intuitively gravitate towards. It’s all very intelligent, intellectual dance music.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Whilst reading the other reviews, I wondered "is it going to be as good as I remember it being". And yes, I get the "boring lift-music" criticism. But this is a beautiful, beautiful thing to be treasured.

Perfect pleasant music to listen to when I worked

I liked this, but to be honest, I'd have liked it more if it had been 40 minutes long

I remember nearly nothing about it, it was just background noise...

I gave Selected Ambient Works 85–92 by Aphex Twin a couple of listens, but honestly, most of it went in one ear and straight out the other.

The album feels like it's caught in an endless loop, never really building toward anything or resolving. There’s a drifting, meandering quality to it that, for me, fails to engage. It comes across more as ambient background music than something to actively listen to—and not in a particularly memorable way. At best, it sets a mood. At worst, it's electronic music at its most forgettable.

Favourite track: Xtal – largely because it's the first track, and at that point, you’re still interested and hopeful for what’s to come.

Least favourite: Pretty much the rest of the album. It blends into a single, indistinct soundscape that left no lasting impression.

Album artwork: I actually love the cover—minimalist, iconic, and a perfect fit for the album’s aesthetic.

If you know me, EDM is not my thing, so me giving this a 4, you know its good. Dunno what it is, its just a good vibe. And it sounds like it was extremely forward thinking. Wouldn't expect this sound from the mid eighties to early 90's. Feels more 2010s to me.

Gives me John Wick vibes, but if he were bumping around in the Mirror's Edge universe. Maybe a little Metroid Prime-y on Hedphelym.

i know this album is lauded by critics and fans alike, but i can’t say i fully understand the hype. it’s well made, and i don’t find it annoying, but i just don’t fully get it ig

It’s a 5.

This is my first Aphex Twin album, and while I’m very aware of his status as an electronica legend of sorts, I’ve just never really gone out of my way to look up a track. I’m sure I’ve heard at least one of these before – his music is simply too ubiquitous for me to have never encountered it, but I didn’t recognize any during this listen. Is that a good thing? Well, maybe; I feel like this is the sort of music that’s meant to come & go, as opposed to other stuff that really sticks in your brain. The only ambient music I’ve ever really recognized off a few notes is stuff off of Kid-A. That’s not to undersell anything here though; they are remarkably well composed & produced tracks. With enough time spent with this album, I’m sure I could specifically point out each track on a case by case basis, and really be able to describe the intricacies of what makes it tick.

I didn’t want to do that on a first listen, though. I just wanted to feel the music itself, and… yeah, I felt it alright. This is remarkably good electronica for presumably 1985 to 1992, and it’s very easy to find a zen state for the vast majority of the 74 minute run time. My brain recognized a lot of intricacies in the production, especially in terms of shifting waveforms for all these synths & 808s that added depth to each track, but my brain wasn’t really *perceiving* those intricacies in the moment. In the moment, I just felt comforted by each soundscape, as a vaguely textured white noise that was really nice to read to. This is radically good studying music. I wrote a few things down on each track, just to stay attentive, but it was like writing notes for a lecture – write first, comprehend later.

Even then, my notes are really scattered, and nothing of too much substance; “big booming bassline”, “nice chiptune vibes”, “cool rapid percussion”, “sounds kinda like Earthbound”, “nice 808s”, etc. I don’t know that it would do much good, because describing these tracks will never replicate what it’s like to listen to these tracks, & the entire 74 minutes is worth listening to, whether it’s with headphones in, on plain speakers, on a nice soundbar, or in a car. It is a blissfully good album, and while the electronica can get a little grating at certain points (a few really high pitched synths or some extra heavy bass), it’s never enough to ruin a track. It’s a 5 for me, and I’ll gladly come back to this.

A deeply meditative album: the repetition draws you into to a drance, the warm tones make it feel comfortable and relaxed, the subtle shifts in texture and timbre keep you engaged albeit passively, the ebbs and flows build and release tension gently, the bass resonantes throughout your body while the lead lines distract your mind.

Absolutely love this album, although it took me a while to come around to as a teenager. Now I listen to it often when working, it's great for both focusing and daydreaming. Looking at it in context, there was really nothing else like this at the time, and it had a huge influence on all electronic music that came after it. Add to that all the weird and interesting lore around Apex Twin building his own synths and other equipment, and you have a truly legendary and essential album.

I find some people struggle with electronic music in general, so expect the reviews for this to be pretty polarised. If you find it sounds repetitive, I recommend taking your focus away from the repeating elements (usually the drums/beats) and focus instead on the elements that are added and subtracted throughout the songs. Then just let your mind drift :)

above average electronic, but still electronic

Very good, did not expect to like it. Very unique

A masterpiece of electronic and ambient music that stands up to any album in 2024. 5/5

So much better than I anticipated. I've always thought of Apex twin as being a bit difficult to listen to. Not that I didn't like it but I had to be in the mood for it. These works were incredible.

Lovely mixture of danceable and calming

pretty long repetitive background ambient music

the first half was alright, however by the second half of the album I found myself getting bored.

Wonderfully inventive. Amazing how modern the sounds are for the time. Beautiful composition and chill vibe. Aphex Twin walked so that 21st century music could run.

I like electronic music. I like Klaus Schulze, the pioneer in the sector. Or Kraftwerk, with a slightly different direction. I like trance or a bit of techno in between. I also like Philip Glass and minimalist music. But this album is boring. I'd rather listen to cars driving on a wet road, as I'm currently doing. That's more exciting. What did someone write in the comments? The discovery of elevator music? Maybe the album isn't a discovery, but it could be the definition of this.
2/5

A bit repetitive, but calming. Good sound design for that year.