''26 Mixes for Cash'' is a compilation album of

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es produced by Richard D. James (under his recording alias

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...

), mainly for other artists between 1990 and 2003. It was released on 24 March 2003 by

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, A ...

Background

Despite becoming a sought-after remixer during the 1990s, James admitted to not actually using the original source material in the case of some of his "remixes" for artists he disliked (such as

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

), explaining: "I never heard the originals...I don't want to, either." In some cases, he submitted his own original work, or the work of his flatmate

Global Goon Global Goon is a former British programmer from Lydiate, England who earned a recording contract with Rephlex Records. Global Goon has also been rumored to have released five acid records under the alias Syntheme on both Planet Mu and WéMè b ...

in place of his own work. Along with the 22 remixes on this release, four original Aphex Twin tracks are also included. Two are new versions of previously released tracks: "

Windowlicker "Windowlicker" is a song by British electronic musician Aphex Twin, released on 22 March 1999 as a single by Warp Records. The artwork for the single was created by Chris Cunningham, with additional work by The Designers Republic. Cunningham als ...

, Acid Edit" and " SAW2 CD1 TRK2, Original Mix". The other two were previously available only on ''

Further Down the Spiral ''Further Down the Spiral'' is a remix album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It is the companion remix disc to the band’s second studio album, ''The Downward Spiral'', and was released on June 1, 1995 in two editions, one den ...

'', the remix album by Nine Inch Nails: "The Beauty of Being Numb Section B" and an edited version of "At the Heart of It All". In addition to the remixes featured on this release, James has also remixed tracks by

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

DJ Pierre Nathaniel Pierre Jones, better known by his stage name DJ Pierre, is an American DJ and performer of house music based in Chicago. He helped to develop the house music subgenre of acid house, as member of Phuture, whose 1987 EP ''Acid Tracks'' ...

, and

Soft Ballet Soft Ballet was a Japanese electronic group formed in 1987. The group consisted of three members, Maki Fujii, Ken Morioka, and Ryoichi Endo, though they employed extra support members for live shows. While Soft Ballet weren't necessarily chart topp ...

, as well as additional remixes of tracks by

Seefeel Seefeel are a British electronic and post-rock band formed in the early 1990s by Mark Clifford (guitar, programming), Daren Seymour (bass), Justin Fletcher (drums, programming), and Sarah Peacock (vocals, guitar). Their work became known for fu ...

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early life and career Born on 16 January 1943 in ...

Jesus Jones Jesus Jones are a British alternative rock band from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, formed in late 1988, who continue to record and perform, as of 2021. Their track " Right Here, Right Now" was an international hit, and was subsequently global ...

, Saint Etienne, and Mescalinum United.

Release

''26 Mixes for Cash'' was released on CD only, although a

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

promotional disc entitled ''2 Mixes on a 12" For Cash'', featuring the two Aphex Twin originals exclusive to this compilation, was released in limited quantities in Japan only. Online orders of the compilation through

came with two silver-wrapped

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

coins, featuring the Aphex Twin logo on one side and Richard's profile on the other (with "ELECTRONICA REX" written alongside it). The cover is by

The Designers Republic The Designers Republic (also tDR, and styled as The Designers Republic™) is a British graphic design studio based in Sheffield, England, founded in 1986 by Ian Anderson and Nick Phillips (graphic designer), Nick Phillips. They are best kno ...

. James later clarified that the album was named ''26 Mixes for Cash'' by the late

co-founder Rob Mitchell because James exchanged the remix

DATs Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), also known as Allitridin, is an organosulfur compound with the formula S(SCH2CH=CH2)2. It is one of several produced by the hydrolysis of allicin, including diallyl disulfide and diallyl tetrasulfide, DATS is one of the ...

for cash in person so that the record companies would not know his bank account details or address.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

states that the compilation "comprises some of the most creative, breathtaking music produced by anyone in electronica". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' wrote that "the more cash at stake the less effort Aphex puts into honouring the spirit of the artist – an often hilarious greenie in the face of pop careerism". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' states that "frustrating gestation period aside, many of the tracks here are certified classics, and it's nice to have them all in one place".Pitchfork Media review
11 April 2003

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

''26 Mixes for Cash''
at the Warp Records discography {{DEFAULTSORT:26 Mixes For Cash Acid techno albums Aphex Twin compilation albums 2003 remix albums 2003 compilation albums Ambient techno compilation albums Warp (record label) compilation albums Warp (record label) remix albums Albums with cover art by The Designers Republic