160. AFX: Cuckoo (1994)
The best of the pieces on the iffy Analogue Bubblebath 4, this is deliriously upbeat - almost sick-makingly so. And is this definitely the Cuckoo track? Well, it has a cuckoo noise on it, so I'd say so. Listen.
159. AFX: Analogue Bubblebath 5, track 8 (1995)
Easily the most considered of the pieces on the AB5 album, this looks forward to the pizzicato sound of the Richard D. James days. There used to be orchestral echoes in much of his music at this time - think Next Heap With - but they have long since vanished from his sound. Listen.
158. Aphex Twin: Wax The Nip (1995)
On what is one of James' very best albums, this is probably the weakest track - but great fun all the same. Recorded earlier than much of the other material on I Care Because You Do, it sees layers of soft-focus ambience pulled apart by manic, hammer-hard drum-cracks.
157. AFX: I'm Self-Employed (2005)
Droll Analord era computer game music. Listen.
156. AFX: Grumpy Acid (2005)
More from the Analord era, this one darker, more subdued. Listen.
155. AFX: Wabby Legs (1995)
One of the less well-known tracks on the Hangable Autobulb series, this morose, slow-paced piece drifts its way through dim-lit corridors before AFX applies rave style razor beats half-way through. Listen.
154. Aphex Twin: Beetles (1996)
Brief oddity from the Girl/Boy EP, in that era when AFX's EPs were crammed with minor masterpieces disguised as throwaway mess-abouts. One of the few tracks where we get Aphex vocals. Listen.
153. Caustic Window: Humanoid Must Not Escape (1993)
Hard-as-they-come acid. Might have daft wailing noises that appear to be lifted from a porn movie - not the only time Aphex has done this - but there is a real depth to the groove in full flow here. Listen.
152. Aphex Twin: i (1992)
Nestled away quietly on side one of my cassette of Selected Ambient Works, this could easily be dismissed as an interlude. But short though it is, there is a lot to take in, a lot to admire. Listen.
151. AFX - Backdoor.Berbew.Q (2005)
A number of the Analord tracks are named after computer viruses - this one among them. And the piece has the insidious feel of menace that you might expect. Listen.
150. Aphex Twin: Nannou (1999)
Apparently this little number was made up of samples gleaned from musical boxes. And, for all its prettiness, Nannou has the slightly precious feel of a toy, something to be held at arm's length. Listen.
149. AFX: Phonatacid (2005)
One of the moodier tracks on the Analord roster, this pulses and whirrs with squelches that hint at hidden acid depths. When people say that Analord was a featureless series, moments like this show they are way off the mark. Listen.
148. AFX: 215061 (1993)
The opener on Analogue Bubblebath 3, which despite its limited sonic palette is possibly the best album James released outside the Warp Records productions. This piece lifts the beat from the original AB track, and rolls out some thudding techno vibes. Listen.
147. Mike & Rich: Bu Bu Bu Ba (1996)
The final number on the James/Paradinas collaboration, this is probably the best of all the Mike & Rich pieces - playful, poignant and punchy. Listen.
146. AFX: Boxing Day (2005)
Presumably one of James' favourites from the Analord series, given its placing on the Chosen Lords LP. This is an odd, rather jittery piece - and while it never really goes anywhere, there's something oddly comforting about it. Listen
145. Caustic Window: We Are The Music Makers (Hardcore Version) (1993)
Astonishing reworking of the Selected Ambient Works track, this detonates the framework of that piece, leaving us with a howling, harrowing dirge. Listen.
144. AFX: Pissed Up In SE1 (2005)
Another lachrymose acid adagio from the Analord series, this time offering up a possible paean to a night-out. And there's nothing wrong with that. Listen.
143. AFX: Lisbon Acid (2005)
More Analord insanity - this one building up as the minutes pass into a crunching acid frenzy. Listen.
142. AFX: Xmd 5a (2005)
More detached, desultory Aphex acid. The Analord series specialises in these disengaged pieces, but this is one of the better numbers. Listen.
141. Aphex Twin: Goon Gumpas (1996)
Wobbly organ, pizzicato strings - this is classic pre-drill 'n' bass period Aphex. It's probably the least involving piece on the Richard D. James album, but then that really is a thrilling album. Listen.
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