Although not the “official” release, AB2 is where we first encounter ‘Digeridoo’, (sic) one of Aphex’s most notorious early tracks, with its iconic tribal acid line; labelled here as ‘Aboriginal Mix’.
The inspiration reportedly came from the New-Age travellers who would pitch up at raves in Cornwall, and sit at the back of the dancefloor playing said aboriginal instruments. Although the sound of the riff itself most likely originated from a Roland 303, rather than a sample of an actual Didgeridoo.
The track’s manic energy was driven by the need to knacker ravers out at the end of the night. With most clubs closing sometime between midnight and dawn, when the lights came down the loved-up crowd would still be raring to go, so James created a track so intense it would properly finish everybody off for the end of the night.
The reason the track appears here first rather than the Digeridoo EP is because James was paid a flat fee for the track by R&S Records, a sum he obviously wasn’t satisfied with. Figuring he could get paid twice for the same piece of work, and spotting a contractual loophole, he took the same track to Rabbit City Records, where it was rushed out on white label as part of the Analogue Bubblebath 2 EP. When they found out, the rep from R&S was so pissed off, they went and bought up all the copies of AB2 they could find, hence its rarity.*
The other two cuts are both new to my ears, which is quite a novelty. Neither are as instantly recognisable as Digeridoo/Aboriginal Mix but embody the same manic energy and harsh industrial timbre.The third track was later given the amusing/gross appellation Alien Fanny Farts as part of the Soundcloud dump. Whether the squalling acid line sounds like extra-terrestrial yonic flatulence or not, I couldn’t say, but the bassline sure is a ripper.
Top track: Aboriginal Mix
Rating: 2/5 – One for the fans
*according to the Internet
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