I believe our perception of reality is filtered through the music we listen to. For me, music doesn't help me escape reality (though it helps drown out anxious thoughts), but it can make reality feel more comforting and beautiful. this lovely piece of music can imbue the most mundane and tiresome of experiences with meaning and magic.
Music is probably one of the best drugs ever. Available all the time, comes in very diffrent forms you can even create your own :D. thats the magic you talking about, see music as a drug
Your first sentence is interesting and I agree. But it doens't feel to me like it can imbue the most mundane and tiresome experiences with 'meaning and magic'. When I'm peeling potatoes or something like that, some ambient music won't help to make it something magical For me it repels everything that is not important in life.
It makes me think of how the world felt during childhood. Just a big dream, everything was there to be observed, and you never had to deal with being caught up in it all. This track makes me want to just walk around and pay attention to everything I’d usually filter out.
This makes me feel like a reflection of desolate and dispare wasted life. A thought of what could have been but never was following up to the final moments of life serenely slipping into the ether of death.
After putting in 16 hours a day 6- 7 days a week for 4 years, I quit my job. That first day home I didn't know what to do with myself so I got out my camping hammock, hung it up in my yard, got lit and listened to a loop of this song for hours just staring at the blue sky watching around 15 vultures ride a thermal for half of the day. I still get that sense of relief hearing this nearly 3 years later...
"Recorded in Linmiri [Lannerlog bedroom studio], probably the last track I ever recorded in that house, quite fitting really, end of that era. I made it when coming back to visit my parents in Cornwall after moving away to go to college to do a degree in microelectronic engineering, which I thankfully never finished, was so boring, always preferred teaching myself, so much more satisfying, letting your mind wander where it needs to go. I heard Derrick May pressed this up onto vinyl so he could DJ it, I wonder if that was true?"
One of my best friends introduced me to this stuff in the early 90's, when I was growing up. I never gave myself the opportunity to thank him. ...Thank you Stuart..
I remember discovering this kind of music entirely by accident. In tbe mid-90s, I was huge into the alternative rock/industrial metal and bands like Ministry, Filter, Stabbing Westward, and of course, Nine Inch Nails. I had bought NIN's Further Down the Spiral EP, and one of my favorite tracks on the disc was "At the Heart of it All" which upon reading the inside jacket, said it was done by NIN and Aphex Twin. I had never heard of Aphex Twin before and naturally assumed they were another alternative/industrial band. So I went to my local Sam Goody (remember those?) and came across Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Ii 2-CD set. Being 17 at the time, I had no clue what "ambient" meant. I put in the CD (for some reason I chose Disc 2 first) and this song came on. It was not AT ALL what I was expecting. But i did not hate it at all. In fact, I fell in love with it. I was introduced to a whole new kind of soothing, relaxing music and now, mostly I listen to the Soundscapes channel on Music Choice. The funny thing is, I likely never would have knew this kind of music existed had I not bought that Aphex Twin CD thinking it would be harder--edged metal.
@d R I heard that almost exact same story but for the Lemonheads remix - he forgot he was supposed to remix it, the courier turned up and he just gave him the closest DAT he had to hand :D
It sounds like it's 5 am, the rave is over, you go home, and you just remember everything that happened that night with such a pleasant feeling of warmth and nostalgia
This song feels like a single moment paused in time. I can imagine a soldier, checking his watch, waiting to go over the top, but the time never comes.
i feel that with alot of ambient songs. everything is sat on pause. I allways listen to ambient when stressed beacuse i feel like i get time to set myself and the world in perspective again
So, a quick disclaimer. I got a bit carried away writing this so you should know that this comment is pretty long and might seem preachy. It is not. I myself am just a young human who wants to spread some love and inspiration. And if you disagree, I'd love to hear your point of view. Just so you know what you're getting into. In my 19 years on this earth, I, as all of us, have known pain, loss, doubt, fear, soul crushing numbness. All of the good and the bad that I've gone through, and that have led me where i am now. I've met people who seemed to have it worse than me. Others I've envied. But one day i realised, we were all put on this earth with a set of challenges. And the goal is to exit this life as pure as we entered it. Yes, we may lose our way, feel like we'll never find it again. But I'm sure that through forgiveness, towards ourselves and others, is a major key to achieve that wholeness again. Of course, there are many more things to say concerning the matter. And my statement might seem vague and inconsiderate of certain concrete struggles people go through like extreme poverty and precarity, but I stand by it. I might be a utopist, overly optimistic and always seeing the best in people. And I'll admit some individuals and communities are downright just evil. But I believe that most of us just want everyone to get by and be happy. So, if you're going through difficult times, I hope you'll find a shoulder to rest on, a hand to life you up and support you. But if not, and even if there is, I want whoever is reading this to look deep inside, that part of you that longs for life, regardless of the pain or the brokenness, beyond the bitterness and the anger, the essence of your being, and nourish it, believe in it and let it grow. Because you deserve it. We all need to be reminded, sometimes when it's hard for us to realise or accept, that we deserve happiness, and love and all things good. No matter how broken we've been, or how much evil we think is inside of us. And hopefully, through this seemingly never-ending process of losing and recovering pieces of ourselves, we'll figure out who we truly are and want to be and try to nourish that. All things said, I wish everyone the best in this life and the next (if you believe in it). Godspeed. P.S. I am not a native English speaker, so if some of the expressions I used made you cringe or were somehow incorrect, sorry, and please do let me know about em.
@@jasso.183 Interesting philosophy, I like it but I think that most people subconsciously already live that way, they just don't think about it. The only thing I would personally add is to focuse more on the journey, not so much on the leaving this world as pure as possible. It would probably be better to focus on enjoying life right now no matter how "pure" you are.
Amazing how this tune makes people feel! And I share Chelsea Well's comment: "I imagine that this is what the waiting room between worlds sounds like". I noticed that there one thing in common in everyone's different view of this song: feeling close to the Peace of Mind. :3
This piece of sound makes me think of how far our universe has come , and how little we actually know about what will still happen. Just a little bleep in time , waiting for something to change.
This song makes me think of the depths of the ocean, and the life that lives there. The ocean can be a beautiful place and also a scary place at the same time, and this song perfectly captures that feeling.
Over the summer I stayed at my grandma's in california, and I would go on walks at night to the park and just stared at the powerlines while listening to this song. It was a beautiful feeling. I can't wait to go back.
This track gives me visuals of me standing on a mountain on a huge cliffside overlooking the massive jungle ahead and seeing multiple ruined structures from an ancient civilization from afar. An absolutely monolithic and amazing track
Amazing. This is exactly how I feel about Lichen, jungle and all. This comment really took me by surprise because anyone I’ve tried to explain it to thinks I’m crazy. Both amazing songs
I remember the first time I heard this song, so beautiful. I absolutely love the enormously deep bit of bass in this song, when it hits I feel a tingling down my spine. Really peaceful song
Olljche it really is, a fantastic piece of work, it really (in my opinion) brings out the best of both Chicago House and Aphex Twin's own sound which he had just about solidified by that point
You are loved and cherished. You have nothing to fear. There is nothing you can do wrong. If I had to boil this entire message down to one sentence, it would run this way: You are loved. And if I had to boil it down further, to just one word, it would (of course) be, simply: Love.
I am so amazed that someone who creates a variety of IDM type songs, in one hand, can also create a ambient masterpiece like this in the other! This is beyond awesome!
"Calx (From Arabic "کلس") is a residual substance, sometimes in the form of a fine powder, that is left when a metal or mineral combusts or is calcinated due to heat." -wikipedia
Nikola Elitsov It's interesting that you paint that picture because this is exactly what It sounds like it would be like to be in those mines. An eerie beauty that's complex and startlingly potent upon first glimpse that is accompanied by the echoes of the cave sounds. Richard is truly a very interesting person.
windowlicker got me into electronic music when I was around ten years old. I have always loved RDJ but never listened to his ambient tracks until now...I don't know why. this is so beautiful I almost broke into tears. and I have issues with letting myself cry...I never cry...can't remember the last time I cried. what a beautiful, godly man.
I cry every day. I think it is something that can only happen if you free yourself from thought, that is, the ego. The ego is just a small part of the psyche within us. Will is of ego; crying is of the truth from within.
This happened to me listening to a different RDJ track and I haven't been able to shed a tear for a decade. It struck me so deep within. Just incredible.
I haven't been happy with life and I'm just scared I'm gonna lose most of my memories that I had as a kid before I moved out. I can't fucking lose them, they were so beautiful
I feel the same since I moved far away. Just a general feeling of estrangement. I feel like I had a real tangible connection with the place I grew up and the past few years have been been punctuated by deep feelings of longing.
I remember discovering this in Highschool, year 9-10, in Music Class one rainy afternoon. It was during some free time i had when they allowed us to listen to some music for inspiration. I remember just...stumbling onto this track and just spending most of my break listening to it. It was nothing like i ever felt before. Discovering this was like unearthing some sort of long-lost piece of ancient civilization within my own school. I haven't listened to this in ages, i keep taking breaks from it to rediscover it each time.
I'm 38. I was introduced to this album when I was 16. I love this album. My folks actually like this...wow. calm and imaginative...I fear my child wont appreciate the creativity. LSD was awesome back then....
Today I got to know that my father has just a few days left, all out of a sudden. I also discovered this music today. We are gonna go to the beach where we used to go each month before I moved to my current city. It's a rocky, quiet and beautiful beach without many people: it was our place. Life is very difficult, just as I learned a few hours ago. I'll keep listening to this for the rest of the day.
I just discovered aphex twin today for the first time, and this song. I was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer, and it's kind of far along. The outlook isn't good at all. It's okay though, my fiancee died last year from ovarian cancer, and I told her when she went through chemo, I would be there for her, through all of it, alongside her. I guess I just didn't realize how true that would be...still, I'm glad I can catch-up to her and be with her again (hopefully, I'm a hopeful atheist, and boy do I hope I'm completely wrong).
I've had the most amazing spiritual experiences of my life to this track. Closing your eyes to this on a long car ride at night has to be one of the most vivid and strange experiences of my life. I saw things, so vivid and odd, and had many philosophical thoughts and realizations. I don't know what it is about this track, takes me to a completely different place.
Totally. The fast ticking is a small bird's heartbeat, the slow pulses a godly creatures that's gently embracing you.. They guide you through the misty clouds in a void which is the ambiance playing between them.
TheGreatGoob I had a very similar experience while reading "Journal entries" aka "the books of sand while listening to this looped on repeat. It was otherworldly.
Adam Curtis used this a number of times in his new documentary series, and while i was already an enjoyer of aphex twin, i have to say this song really fits the exact atmosphere of what Adam Curtis creates
This song makes me feel like I am one of the first pioneers in america, in a great forest surrounded by hills. Who knows what is to be found in the trees as old as time itself. A lonely sound.
I usually listen to this song when I have panic attacks since it helps calm me down. This is the first time I’ve listened to it when not panicking and I just realized how serene this song is! It’s so beautiful
I heard this for the first time I think in 2000. I was 19. I remember how it made me feel. I’m still chasing those feelings today. In my opinion one of the greatest musical pieces ever recorded in history
This song gives me images of being in a cave, with only the echoes of a sonar beep to guide my way through it. I can picture what it looks like but my eyes see nothing. I wish the acoustics of the beep changed so that the music could paint the environment for me
I love this song so much. It's so atmospheric. I think of my friend and me just walking and talking about different things. This song can change you man. fucking beautiful.
this is always my close it out for the night tune but I always end up needing to listen to z-twig and lichen as well and then I get into some rhubarb business and then I'm even on some of that cliffs and it be like damn boy (myself) time 4 bed u no?
Nino Chubinishvili I really need to listen to more eno, just amazing how yung the RDJ was when making some of these tunes, better than the best at the time
yes. i also listen to indian musicians one of those differently meditative than afex but very interesting is bismilah khan …. i love this different sensation to this amassing meditative trips ...
I started getting into music a lot last year and when I started listening to aphex last May, I remember this being one of the tracks that stood out to me. Before the release of the expanded edition, I went to buy the CD version of this album, skimmed through the first CD, and started the 2nd one to this. It's such a stark contrast, feels like and introduction to the second half of the album
Last night, I lost someone extremely close to me. I knew him for six years. He was there through the best and worst times of my life... He was a simple, happy go lucky individual... only needed one thing in his life to keep him happy... My closest friend. My beloved jet black chow/lab mix, Cole. We found him at a local animal shelter - the staff refused to put him down, because there was just something about him that prevented them from doing so. All he wanted from life was a home, food, and a tennis ball. I remember coming home from school after a long day to see him waiting behind our glass door. I remember going out to football fields, throwing the ball as far as I could, and being amazed at how fast he could chase after it. Or the time my mom said to go find my stepdad, and Cole brought back one of his panda slippers. Or the time he decided to take a huge dump on a bush/spotlight thing... He truly was one of a kind, and the best dog I could have ever asked for... and last night, on a dark and stormy night... his life was taken from him by a random driver. The worst part? I live across the country now, and could not be there for his burial... When my mother told me of the news, I asked her to play something for me at his burial today, after he was buried with a tennis ball... Something I listened to when it was just me and Cole, home alone while Mom was at work back in the day... I asked, and she played, Blue Calx. Rest in Peace, Cole. Never will I look at a tennis ball without thinking of you.
I honestly shed a tear after reading that. My favorite Guinea pig of 5 years took her last breath with this song playing in the background. I totally feel you. I'm sorry for your loss. Hope his essence comes back to you within your lifespan in a different form :)
omg ... somehow I haven't been getting the audio to work on my computer; finally fixed it to hear THIS; thank you for this wonderful wave of pure bliss!
Fucking Timeless, You stop to listen to it once for 5 minutes, and you end up there for 5 hours, you're toast still feels like its warm, you're still ready to run for class, but your roomates are getting home. The sound can literally take me to a timeless place, i can skip time with aphex.
when i totaled my car and had to take three buses over two hours to work, this is what I'd listen to to catch some sleep on the first 5am bus. dark early morning quietness, which is always lovely, but blurry and groggy. but still oddly comforting.
There's something about the ticking that gives, what could easily just be a relaxing track, that something which makes it ominous and expansive. The defined passing of time gives order and rational to an otherwise emotional piece. Big brushes of sound over the clockwork of time; so it becomes easy to lose one's self in an almost hypnotic way just to be caught back by the endless ticking. The piece is wonderful in how it's big and small altogether. I discovered this piece thanks to Solar Sands new video on monumentality and the more I listen to it the more I find it a perfect subject for this soundtrack.
This song always makes me envision a specific fictional place: the underwater chamber housing the Myst book, located within a surreal shipwreck in the Stoneship Age, one of the "levels" in the 1993 adventure game "Myst" (which was the best-selling game of all time until "The Sims" was released). I imagine myself sitting comfortably in that exquisitely-decorated chamber, with the lights off, calmly observing the marine life swimming by the large latticed windows. In combination with this song it feels like the most soul-soothing location conceivable... such a haunting, reflective atmosphere. Thank you RDJ! 🙏🏼💙
Oh yes, agreed! First heard this on an Instinct Records Chill Out comp. The 2 disc release also included nice music by Mixmaster Morris, Young American Primitive, Sad World, The Drum Club, Cabaret Voltaire, etc. to name a few. Very blissful stuff. :-)
I don't really have an interesting story like a lot of people in the comments do, but their messages and this song made me realize that after about a decade of uncertainty and fear of the future I finally feel secure and at peace. Not gonna lie, it feels weird, like I'm not supposed to.
Laying here , post surgery this sends my imagination into a place , slowly walking through a huge empty temple as the sun goes down .... tis almost like meditation . The Aphex Twin has always inspired my own personal moments of just " letting go " for years .... genius , haunting and unique..........
Out of more than 5000+ Tracks from any genre you can imagine i know in my entire life, out of 1000+ bands/artists i know... There is nothing in the world that can stand up over STONE IN FOCUS, it's my number one track, no matter what i know, no matter where i go... there's nothing in the world like the recreation of perfection than Stone In Focus
This reminds me of a story of a man who survived underwater in a sunken ship for 2or3 days before being rescued by some divers. Also this song feels like drowning and slowly sinking into a abyss but instead of panicking just waiting it out and accepting it.
