Surfing on Sine Waves

Surfing on Sine Waves
Studio album by Polygon Window
Released 11 January 1993 (1993-01-11)
Studio Llannerlog Studios, Cornwall
Genre
Length 49:02
Label Warp
Producer Richard D. James
Aphex Twin chronology
Xylem Tube EP
(1992)Xylem Tube EP1992		 Surfing on Sine Waves
(1993)		 On
(1993)On1993
Artificial Intelligence series chronology
Artificial Intelligence
(1992) Artificial Intelligence1992		 Surfing on Sine Waves
(1993) Surfing on Sine Waves1993		 Bytes
(1993) Bytes1993

Surfing on Sine Waves is a studio album by Polygon Window, a pseudonym for the English electronic music producer Richard D. James, better known by the alias Aphex Twin. It was originally released on 11 January 1993 by Warp.[3] It is the second release in Warp's Artificial Intelligence series.[4] The cover of the album features a photograph of Chapel Porth beach, Cornwall.[5] The 2001 reissue edition includes the previously unreleased tracks, "Portreath Harbour" and "Redruth School".[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Pitchfork8.1/10[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Select5/5[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[10]

Ned Raggett of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a great collection of abstract electronic/dance madness, caught somewhere between the driftiness of his more ambient works at the time and the rave-minded nuttiness of 'Digeridoo.'"[7] Mark Richard-San of Pitchfork gave the album an 8.1 out of 10, saying, "Catchy, melodic and memorable tracks are what made the Aphex Twin so wonderful at his best; Surfing on Sine Waves has a handful of these, albeit in rough, embryonic form."[6]

In 2012, Fact placed it at number 26 on their list of the "100 Best Albums of the 1990s".[11]

In 2017, Pitchfork placed it at number 26 on their list of the "50 Best IDM Albums of All Time".[2] Writing for Pitchfork, Andrew Nosnitsky said, "These days, Surfing doesn't get mentioned as often as the louder, more ambitious, 'proper' Aphex records that would follow, but it's easily as refined on a technical level—and maybe even more emotionally rewarding."[2]

Track listing

All tracks written by Richard D. James.

1993 original edition
No.TitleLength
1."Polygon Window"5:24
2."Audax Powder"4:36
3."Quoth" ( sample )5:34
4."If It Really Is Me"7:01
5."Supremacy II"4:04
6."UT1 – dot"5:17
7."(untitled)"6:24
8."Quixote"6:00
9."Quino – phec"4:42
Total length:49:02

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

References

  1. ↑ Keating, Daryl (13 October 2015). "An Essential Guide to Richard D. James". Exclaim!. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time (page 3 of 5)". Pitchfork. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "Warp Records | Polygon Window | Surfing on Sine Waves | WARP7". Warp. Archived from the original on 8 November 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  4. ↑ O'Neil, Tegan (16 April 2015). "Warp's Artificial Intelligence compilation predicted the sounds of today, yesterday". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Snapes, Laura (13 September 2016). "The Wheal Thing: Aphex Twin's Alternative Cornish Language". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Richard-San, Mark (18 March 2002). "Polygon Window: Surfing on Sine Waves". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Surfing on Sine Waves – Polygon Window". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "Aphex Twin". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 21–23. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ↑ Howe, Rupert (March 1993). "Polygon Window: Surfing on Sine Waves". Select (33): 73.
  10. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  11. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s". Fact. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
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