Richard D. James, better known as Aphex Twin, is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music styles including techno, ambient, and jungle. He composes ‘songs’ consisting of a mesh of abrasive and gentle sounds—like a jarring drum beat paired with a mellow piano melody. Despite producing such ultra-modern and often ‘inaccessible’ music, Aphex Twin is hailed as one of the most important figures in electronica, and leaves many people agog.
A fan-favourite and one of his most ‘accessible’ tracks, his song Alberto Balsalm is what comes to mind when I think of Derrida’s idea of deconstruction as embodied in music. The track consists of an array of ambiguous noises and sounds which have spurred infinite speculations amongst fans of its inceptions—you can even check out this cover which perfectly emulates one of the track’s most emblematic sounds with the squeaking of a chair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HBappnahHw&ab_channel=PatrickFA.
Through a composition which dissolves any prescribed notion of what can be labelled a property of musical sound, Alberto Balsalm, echoes Derrida’s proposition that all texts hold ambiguity as any final or complete interpretation is unattainable.
‘A text is not a text unless it hides from the first comer, from the first glance, the law of its composition and the rules of its game. A text remains, moreover, forever imperceptible. […] Who will ever know of such disappearances?’
(Derrida, Plato’s Pharmacy)
An article in The Guardian has described Aphex Twin as “a perfect mix of mystery and adrenaline.”[1] Alberto Balsalm is the kind of song you can play for hours at a time, and still feel every second of its somehow timelessly nostalgic and playful composition in new ways without ever making sense of why or its essence in its entirety. The track is simultaneously upbeat and melancholic, a multi-purpose event which possesses a ‘presence’ that is always unattainable. Whether in a moment of despair, relaxation, or elation, Alberto Balsalm has the ability to reflect how you feel and suit any situation or setting.
Aphex Twin is a potent reminder that the most interesting and resonant musicians create their own worlds to inspire a uniquely personal response.
References
Derrida, Jacques. “Plato’s Pharmacy” in Dissemination, ed. Barbara Johnson (Chicago: University Press, 1981), 61—171.
Martin, Piers. “Aphex Twin: ‘His music is a perfect mix of mystery and adrenaline.’” The Guardian. 20 Sep, 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/19/aphex-twin-richard-james-bjork-ian-rankin.
[1] Piers Martin, “Aphex Twin: ‘His music is a perfect mix of mystery and adrenaline.’”
Chris Ko
Shower Thoughts 