Richard D. James has done it again. The man who pioneered
"intelligent techno" (and, as far as I know, is still its only practitioner)
has come out with one more great release.
Drukgs as a whole is much mellower than many
of the other things James has come out with. It is like a synthesis of
the ambient sessions and his traditional "broken beats." Although he leaves
the beats out of most of the two-CD set, he's included a couple of great
examples with "Vordhosbn," "54 Cymrv Beats," and others.
Most of Drukgs is relatively slow. There are
a few synth solos that really set the mood of the album - slow, melodic,
and a bit sad. James has continually impressed me with his incredible
musical ability and I've never been disappointed by anything he's ever
done, really. This album is no different. He's got some interesting beats
and beautiful harmonies as well as some discord and crazy use of sampling
that makes you remember exactly whose work you're listening to. Nobody
else could sound like Aphex Twin, and James' genius along with this originality
is exactly what makes Drukgs an outstanding work.
