Next up, the elusive fifth instalment in the Analogue Bubblebath series, which never actually saw the light of day with a proper release. James apparently was dissatisfied with the quality of the tracks, feeling they were not up to scratch with the rest of the series.
According to lore (aka internet rumours), AB5 was initially circulated as a demo tape among close friends. Then in 2005, after a packing error with one of the Analord EPs which saw customers sent a sleeve with no disc inside, hand-labelled copies of the mysterious Analogue Bubblebath 5 were sent out with the replacements as a bonus to make good for the mix-up.
Was this the same music that had been recorded 10 years earlier and circulated among the inner circle…or just some random tracks dug out of Rich’s hard drive for a marketing wheeze…who really cares too much.
Assuming the version that’s now available on Youtube is indeed the same as the ‘original’, then it definitely sounds like Aphex circa that time. Analogue synths, crunchy distorted percussion, and a distinctly earthy/organic feel, they could all be plausible outtakes from I Care Because You Do.
Track 1 is a prime example of James’ trick of imbuing his melodies with a distinct sense of personality, so they feel like little characters, acting their part in a story, this one being some kind of puckish fairy come out to play. The melodic synth line slowly emerges out of muffled lo-fi crackle and develops into a playful dance. AB5 is full of odd little experiments like this, in typically idiosyncratic style.
The quality and originality, to my ears at least, is easily on a par with Aphex’s other EPs at the time. But maybe he just fell out of love with the project. Still, the lack of official release makes it a nice Easter Egg to hunt out, even if the contents are merely unusual as opposed to mind-blowing (and probably not worth paying two grand for).
George's Music Blog 