About

Originally released in 1993, Surfing On Sine Waves is the second album released under the Warp Artificial Intelligence series (the series also includes the two titular compilations, as well as contributions by Autechre, The Black Dog, F.U.S.E. and more).

Surfing On Sine Waves is also the sole album released under Richard D. James’ (aka Aphex Twin’s) Polygon Window alias. The name “Polygon Window” originally appeared as a track name under Richard D. James’ other pseudonym The Dice Man, as the track title for his submission on Artificial Intelligence.

Surfing On Sine Waves was chosen as a title by Rob Mitchell based on a quote by Richard D. James. The album debuted at #2 on the UK dance charts. The album was followed the same year with a companion EP titled Quoth. The EP’s title track originally appeared on the album, accompanied by additional songs who first appeared on this release.

Fast forward 32 years to 2025, Surfing On Sine Waves (Expanded Edition) sees the pair of companion releases as a single entity, out on vinyl. — (via Label)

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The only Aphex Twin album you're supposed to have, if you want to have an Aphex Twin album that's not by Aphex Twin. No, the AFX stuff doesn't count, because you can totally tell it's the same guy. Who in their sane mind could tell Polygon Window was also a Richard D. James alias though? Not from a casual glance, no sir, though as soon as you throw this record on the player, it's pretty damn obvious. The main reason it wasn’t billed asan Aphex Twin album is ol’ Rich had yet to settle on a consistent alias, not to mention all the label politicking that went down in those days. His famous moniker was still an Apollo exclusive, he was using ‘Bradley Strider’ on his own Rephlex print, and ain’t no way Ffrreedom was letting go of Power-Pill. Thus, here’s Polygon Window making his debut on Warp Records.

Some state Surfing On Sine Waves as the best LP Mr. Dee James has ever put out. Yes, better than either Selected Ambient Works, better than his self-titled album, and even better than the best Aphex Twin album to come out in the last fifteen years, Syro. What could possibly be on this ancient record that has longtime Aphex fans proclaiming such a thing? Ambient techno, obviously, though some regular UK bleep and acid techno too. Nothing super mind-bending or obtuse for its own sake either - just interesting, intelligent tunes made in the Aphex aesthetic.

As Surfing On Sine Waves was released as the second volume of Warp Records’ seminal Artificial Intelligence series (which included both compilations and artist albums), perhaps The Richarded One played nice with the fledgling London label. Or maybe he’d yet to discover his inner brilliant, wanker swagger.

The closest comparison Surfing On Sine Waves comes to the rest of Mr. James’ oeuvre is the first Selected Ambient Works. Hardly surprising since they were released around the same time, but these tracks are definitely more techno than ambient. Audax Powder has a gentle pad melody going for it, then changes gears to a bouncy rave beat. Dot goes for a moody atmosphere in robot Hell, and Quino-Phec is all sorts of dark, calming drone as found on the later volume of SAW. Reissues added Portreath Harbour and Redruth School, both sounding like early SAW session tracks that didn’t make the cut.

Other tracks fear no hardcore rhythm, Supremacy II getting its proper rave on, Quixote doing a techno-trance thing, and the titular opener showing them UK lads could go a little Detroit, should they so choose. Surprisingly, there’s some ‘conventional’ music here too, Quoth bangin’ percolating machine techno, If It Really Is Me rather drab piano techno, and an untitled track toying around with standard acid. Hey, Aphex Twin really is human after all!

At its best, Surfing On Sine Waves is a heavier, if simpler companion to James’ more famous work of the period. — (via EM Critic)

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Label: Warp Records 
Series: Artificial Intelligence – Second
Format: 3 x Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Album, Reissue, Expanded Edition
Reissued: 2025 / Original: 1993
Genre: Electronic
Style: IDM, Techno

File under: Electronic // House / Techno / Electro
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