''Hangable Auto Bulb'' is a series of two 1995 EPs by electronic musician Richard D. James, under his alias AFX. The two were re-released 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 ...

as a single album on 31 October 2005. They marked James's first foray into rapid

drill 'n' bass Drill 'n' bass is a subgenre of drum and bass which developed in the mid-1990s as IDM artists began experimenting with elements of breakbeat, jungle, and drum and bass music. Artists utilized powerful audio software programs and deployed frenzie ...

style beat programming.

Overview

Split across two 12" EPs, the second released eight weeks after the first and each limited to 1000 pressings, the records marked a significant change in sound from previous AFX and

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 ...

releases. Moving away from the analogue sounds of '' ...I Care Because You Do'' (1995), the tracks show James experimenting with computer-arranged

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...

programming and timestretched samples inspired by

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

; this style would become known as "

, and would become the dominant sound in his work up until the ''

Analord ''Analord'' is a series of eleven 12" vinyl records released in 2005 by UK-based electronic music artist Richard D. James, primarily under the alias AFX. The series marked James's return to primarily analogue equipment following his computer- ...

'' releases of 2005. The records are influenced by the early EPs of fellow Cornish producer Plug (

Luke Vibert Luke Vibert (born 26 January 1973) is a British electronic musician and producer, also known for his work under several aliases such as Plug and Wagon Christ. Raised in Cornwall, Vibert began releasing projects in the 1990s across varied genre ...

), as well as other

movements of the day. The CD 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 ...

Reception

In 2005, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called the reissued EPs "pioneering sonically" and stated that "this music still sounds utterly alien as James morphs the fractured volatile beats with ambient melody." Mark Richarson of ''

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 ...

'' stated that the reissue's "tension, between the otherworldly yet effortlessly tuneful melodies purring along beneath drums that constantly struggle to frame them, is what the ensuing era of James' music is all about, and ''Hangable Auto Bulb'' is a hell of an intro."

Track listing

12" EPs

''Hangable Auto Bulb EP'' (1995) #"Children Talking" – 5:19 #"Hangable Auto Bulb" – 6:48 #"Laughable Butane Bob" – 2:58 #"Bit" – 0:06 #"Custodian Discount" – 4:25 #"Wabby Legs" – 5:29 ''Hangable Auto Bulb EP.2'' (1995) #"Every Day" – 3:44 #"Arched Maid Via RDJ" – 5:20

CD

#"Children Talking" – 5:22 #"Hangable Auto Bulb" – 6:52 #"Laughable Butane Bob" – 3:02 #"Bit" – 0:11 #"Custodian Discount" – 4:30 #"Wabby Legs" – 5:35 #"Every Day" – 3:50 #"Arched Maid Via RDJ" – 5:25

2017 digital bonus tracks

"get a baby" – 2:27 #

"choirDrilll" – 4:12 The CD lengths are slightly different from the original EPs. On some pressings, tracks 7 and 8 are erroneously reversed.

Samples

The tracks "Children Talking" and "Every Day" feature samples from the 1961

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

series titled "Children Talking", in which Harold Williamson traveled the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

asking children questions about aspects of their lives.

Anagrams

The album's title is an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of "Analogue Bublbath", a reference to James' previous AFX release series, ''

Analogue Bubblebath ''Analogue Bubblebath'', also released as ''Aphex Twin ep'', is the first record by musician and producer Richard D. James. The EP was released under his alias The Aphex Twin through Mighty Force Records in September 1991. It was the inaugu ...

''. Also, as on James' previous album ''

…I Care Because You Do ''...I Care Because You Do'' is the third studio album by electronic musician Richard D. James under the alias Aphex Twin, released on 24 April 1995 by Warp. Containing material recorded between 1990 and 1994, the album marked James's return to ...

'', a number of the track titles are anagrams: * of

: "Laughable Butane Bob" * of Analogue Bubblebath '' ic': "Hangable Auto Bulb" * of Richard David James '' ic': "Arched Maid Via RDJ" * of Caustic Window '' ic': "Custodian Discount"

References

External links

More info on ''Hangable Auto Bulb EP''

More info on ''Hangable Auto Bulb EP.2''

Complete AFX discography
* {{Authority control Aphex Twin EPs 1995 EPs Warp (record label) EPs Albums with cover art by The Designers Republic