Producer, Composer & DJ · Cornwall, England
Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin is Richard D. James, the Cornwall-raised producer behind Selected Ambient Works, Windowlicker and Syro, and co-founder of Rephlex Records.
quick facts
- Real name
- Richard David James
- Also known as
- AFX, Caustic Window, Polygon Window, The Tuss, Power-Pill, Bradley Strider
- Born
- 18 August 1971
- Birthplace
- Limerick, Ireland
- Nationality
- British
- Active since
- 1988
- Labels
- Rephlex Records
- Genres
- Electronica, Ambient, Acid, Techno, Drum & Bass
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, musicbrainz.org
Few producers have a catalogue that moves as freely as Richard D. James's. Working as Aphex Twin, he has made beatless ambient, brittle drill 'n' bass, acid techno, prepared-piano miniatures and a pair of charting singles launched with Chris Cunningham videos. Journalists at outlets including Mixmag, The Guardian and NME have called him one of the most influential artists in electronic music, according to Wikipedia's survey of the coverage.
Early Life and Path Into Music
Richard David James was born on 18 August 1971 in Limerick, Ireland, to Welsh parents, and raised in Cornwall, where he lived in Lanner and attended school in Redruth, per Wikipedia. MusicBrainz lists the same birth date. As a child he played with the strings inside the family piano and experimented with tape recorders, before modifying electronic equipment and buying his first synthesizer at 12. He started making music at 14, studied engineering at Cornwall College from 1988 to 1990, and has no formal musical training.
Cornwall had few record shops, but acid house was part of its nightlife. James became involved in the county's free party scene, DJing his first party in a barn in 1988 and taking a regular slot at the Bowgie nightclub in Crantock the following year, where he met Tom Middleton and Grant Wilson-Claridge. He played his own tracks, recorded on tape, in his sets. A free party organiser in Exeter, Mark Darby, eventually persuaded him to release a record, which became the 12-inch Analogue Bubblebath, out on Mighty Force Records in September 1991.
Sound and Style
AllMusic's John Bush describes James as a pioneer of experimental techno whose output ranges from pastoral ambience to manic acid techno, a range that is the closest thing to a house style. His first album, Selected Ambient Works 85 to 92, was released in November 1992 on Apollo, a subsidiary of the Belgian label R&S, and gathered material going back to his teens. Wikipedia notes that the compilation Artificial Intelligence, on which he appeared as the Dice Man, helped create the genre later called intelligent dance music. James has dismissed that label, and his own Rephlex label coined the alternative term braindance.
The sequel, Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), pushed deeper into ambient territory, inspired by lucid dreams and his experience of synaesthesia, and divided early listeners. Mid-decade he turned to fast, programmed, jungle-inspired breakbeats, spearheading the short-lived drill 'n' bass style on the Hangable Auto Bulb EP (1995). Our guide to the Belgian techno scene covers the R&S label that first released his work in Europe, and our ranking of the best ambient albums of 2026 notes that he remixed Seefeel's "Time to Find Me".
Rephlex, Warp and the Labels
James and Wilson-Claridge founded Rephlex Records in 1991, using money Wilson-Claridge had inherited. James signed to Warp in late 1992, releasing the Richard D. James Album in 1996 and the Come to Daddy EP and Windowlicker single, both accompanied by videos directed by Chris Cunningham. After Drukqs in 2001 and the end of his Warp contract, he spent several years releasing on Rephlex, including the Analord EP series (2005) under the AFX name, made entirely with analogue equipment, and two 2007 records as the Tuss, whose authorship was only confirmed in 2014.
His list of aliases is long: AFX, Caustic Window, Polygon Window, Power-Pill, Bradley Strider and the Tuss all appear in Wikipedia's account of his discography.
Career Highlights
Syro, released on Warp in September 2014, was his first album as Aphex Twin since Drukqs (2001), and the promotion included graffiti, a blimp over London and an announcement on the dark web. According to Wikipedia's Syro article, it won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the February 2015 ceremony. Charting EPs followed: Cheetah in 2016 and Collapse in 2018. His 2023 single "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording. In 2024 he released an expanded edition of Selected Ambient Works Volume II.
In 2015 he anonymously uploaded 230 demo tracks to SoundCloud, some dating to the 1980s, and he has continued to release music there sporadically.
On Stage
From 2009 James worked with the visual artist Weirdcore on live graphics, debuting the collaboration at Bloc Festival in Minehead, and our history of Bloc lists him among the acts the festival booked in 2009 and 2011. His 2016 show in Houston was his first US appearance in eight years. In 2023 he returned to European festivals, including Barcelona's Sónar on 16 June 2023, where an exclusive 12-inch, Barcelona 16.06.23, was sold, and London's Field Day on 19 August 2023. His shows are often tied to limited vinyl, cassette or digital releases sold only at the venue.
FAQ
Who is Aphex Twin?
Aphex Twin is the best-known name of Richard D. James, a British electronic musician, composer and DJ active since 1988. He co-founded Rephlex Records and is known for Selected Ambient Works 85 to 92, Richard D. James Album, Drukqs and Syro.
How old is Aphex Twin?
Richard D. James was born on 18 August 1971, which makes him 55 (age 55 as of October 2026).
Where is Aphex Twin from?
He was born in Limerick, Ireland, to Welsh parents and grew up in Cornwall, England. Wikipedia describes him as a British musician.
What genre does Aphex Twin play?
Aphex Twin's music spans ambient, techno, acid, jungle and drill 'n' bass, and he is closely associated with the genre known as intelligent dance music, a label he has dismissed.
What is Aphex Twin's real name?
His real name is Richard David James. He also records as AFX, Caustic Window, Polygon Window, the Tuss, Power-Pill and Bradley Strider, among other aliases.
What was Aphex Twin's first album?
His first full-length album as Aphex Twin was Selected Ambient Works 85 to 92, released in November 1992 on Apollo, a subsidiary of the Belgian label R&S.
Which label did Aphex Twin start?
He co-founded Rephlex Records in 1991 with Grant Wilson-Claridge. After his first run on Warp, he released music on Rephlex for several years in the 2000s.
What is the Syro album?
Syro is the Aphex Twin album released on Warp in September 2014, his first under that name since Drukqs in 2001. It won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the February 2015 ceremony.