RX-101 often balances the ferocity of his percussion with sweetened synth lines throughout the thirteen track album_the style is at times bold, at others beautiful and brilliant.
Challenging and coarse, but always rewarding
The mystery Aphex Twin has surrounded himself with has only helped amplify his appeal. The symbols, the glut of pseudonyms, the mysticism of Cornwall; all this and more, combined with his music of course, helped create something amazingly unique.
When Richard D. James decided to release a hard drive’s worth of tracks on SoundCloud the fans had a field day. It was a classic AFX play, never one to stick by rules he clicked upload and the user18081971 was born—leaving label bosses perplexed and audiences delighted.
Jason Amm (aka Solvent) is a self-confessed addict for all things Aphex. In a 2016 interview, the head of Suction described how he descended the SoundCloud wormhole in search of other supposed monikers—tip offs from forums having promise, but nothing that “really sounded convincingly like Aphex.”
Spelunking ever deeper, Amm made his discovery. “Eventually I came across one Soundcloud page on there under the name “Erik” and this time I was convinced… This stuff was covering so many of the early-90s Aphex/Rephlex styles, and not only that—these didn’t sound like modern recreations… there was tape hiss and the sound was absolutely authentic of that era when it was all about hardware synths and drum machines, cheap noisy FX units, and live-in-1-take arrangements.” In the end, Solvent had not found Richard, he had found Erik, Erik Jong and RX-101; an artist and project that has been a mainstay of Suction Records ever since.
“There was tape hiss and the sound was absolutely authentic of that era when it was all about hardware synths and drum machines, cheap noisy FX units, and live-in-1-take arrangements.” ~ Jason Amm regarding discovery of RX-101
Being a cynical Irishman, I was never too convinced that RX-101 had Aphex Twin’s style. True, there were definite echoes and influences but Jong’s sound always came across as his own. This was before RX-101’s latest album arrived; Serenity.
As much of an addict as Amm, when I first heard Serenity, the above words from our interview thundered in my ears. This album is the closest I have heard anyone come to that raw early 90’s sound of James’ R&S releases and his Caustic Window output. Close your eyes as the needle drops on the title piece and I swear you’ll see Carl Lewis scaling the Statue of Liberty with vulcanised rubber feet, the Pirelli advert of 1993 with Caustic Window’s “Garden of Limbri” thumping to the Olympian’s strides. Lancing industrial beats surge into the red and recklessly speed. “RX-Generator” is built of a similar stainless steel drum structure, a pounding monster with burbled samples that haunt alongside a looming melody. Jong often balances the ferocity of his percussion with sweetened synth lines throughout the thirteen track album, a perfect example of this being the gashed and gnarled rhythms of “Hearts Utd” which are tamed by a melting melody.
It’s extremely hard to escape comparison with Serenity, the works on offer are so steeped in the music of the early 1990s that similarities simply elbow their way in. Pieces like “Self Destructing Asteroid” call to mind the metal-machinations of early D’Arcangelo. There are moments where RX-101 muzzles some of the growl of his drum machines. The gentle notes of “Many Expectations” mirror those of “Zesnulzesbeezes,” subtle bright tones gliding above the clicking forestry of the factory floor. “Sunset 101” comes from a more upbeat, but no less similar, place. Drums and bold with the crunch of grinding gears featuring prominently. Yet, once again those soft and yearning pads float and bring balance. Again, comparisons are difficult to keep at bay; Bochum Welt’s Scharlach Eingang (Rephlex, 1994) or the more tussled tracks of Module 2 (Rephlex, 1996) immediately coming to mind.
In many respects, comparisons feel like a disservice. Welding RX-101 to the music of Rephlex almost seems to relegate his efforts to pastiche. On the other hand, to sit this dutchman’s musical musings from the late 90s with those who are held as giants of the sound can only be flattery. Whatever way such comparisons are viewed, one thing is certain; Erik Jong’s style is at times bold, at others beautiful and brilliant. Serenity is not always easy listening, it is challenging and even coarse, but it is always rewarding. Erik’s music may not have made it onto trailblazing labels twenty plus years ago, but today it has and right now, in this present moment, it’s time to assess his efforts and, overall, enjoy them.
Serenity is available on Suction. [Release page | Bandcamp]
