Richard David James (born 18 August 1971 in Limerick, Ireland), known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, composer, and DJ associated with electronic music. His work incorporates styles including techno, ambient, acid, and jungle, and he is frequently linked to the intelligent dance music (IDM) genre. He has been cited by various publications as an influential figure in contemporary electronic music.
James was raised in Cornwall, England, and began DJing at free parties and clubs in South West England during the late 1980s. His debut EP, "Analogue Bubblebath", was released in 1991 on Mighty Force Records and established an early following. The same year, he co-founded the independent label Rephlex Records. His debut album, "Selected Ambient Works 85-92", released in 1992 by Apollo Records, received critical acclaim and broadened his audience. After signing to Warp Records, he released albums including "...I Care Because You Do" (1995) and "Richard D. James Album" (1996), as well as singles such as "Come to Daddy" (1997) and "Windowlicker" (1999). The accompanying music videos for these releases, directed by Chris Cunningham, contributed to his international recognition.
Following the release of "Drukqs" in 2001 and the completion of his contract with Warp, James released music through Rephlex and under several aliases, including AFX and The Tuss, although the Tuss has been taken down from streaming services. In 2014, a previously unreleased 1994 album recorded under the Caustic Window alias was officially distributed following a fan-organised crowdfunding campaign. Later that year, he released "Syro", which won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Subsequent releases included the EPs "Cheetah" (2016) and "Collapse" (2018).
