Drukqs - Aphex Twin
User Score
9.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 43
  3. Negative: 2 out of 43

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  1. AlphaHacker
    Feb 10, 2002
    10
    Any retard listening to Aphex twin who says it's "okay", "irrelevant", "a giant leap backwards", or any other such bullshit has no place listening to Aphex Twin. Go listen to your Pink album. Twin certainly did it again, and if Twin threw a text file on a cd and sold it for $20 I would graciously buy it and listen to the screaching bits play on my cd player ;] nice werk'
  2. MarkW
    Apr 30, 2003
    10
    For who says this album isn't coherent,i answer:look at the cover.A typewriter,Symbol of the infinity of combinations of real.just what justifies,dear Rolling Stone,the chaotic names of the tracks,what justifies their random disposition in the album.Even if i'm sure that for Aphex himself,at least the tracks order HAS got a sense.But also:this album HAS been wanted to be on 2 cds.30 tracks there are,none of them eliminable.Why everybody weeps the inutility of the piano tracks or of lornaderek,bit4,aussois,and doesn't care of the abundance of drum/drill'n'bass tracks?Cause they think the last ones are normal.When you listen to Drukqs you have to consider every track at the same level,every sound with the same dignity.what emotion suggests you rdj mama's voice?don't care if you don't think it's music,try to concentrate to what that SOUND suggests you.every track wants to prepare you to the next one.every track has right to be,such as bbydhyonchord,which fundamentally is a not too happy tribal house piece,and i feel a sort of irony towards mainstream and its ultra-celebrated house music,so little and stupid after 6 astonishing tracks.It's musical conformism squeezed and reduced to a fragment of song by the intelligent,absolutely NOT crazy music.Dear critics,haven't you noticed that all the drum'n'bass tracks,at least on cd 1,are variations of the same melodic pattern,which finds its peak in the central stop of Mt st michel?and what they say about the piano tracks?bad Satie's copies,uncoherent with the rest,too simple etc.Who knows Rdj know sthat piano is a great new entry,anticipated by that Nannou on the Windowlicker EP.But this wouldn't justify those tracks if they weren't REALLY beautiful.Modified piano gives a different appeal and atmosphere every time,and we can find connections with the titles sometimes,see Father.Aphex likes to put in contrast headfucked technology with classic sounds.Who did this before?this is the novelty.Drukqs doesn't present any new kind of music,but it's a refinement and a revolution of the concept of 'album'.I think it's normal if even some of the fans didn't appreciate it. … Expand
  3. Andrea
    Jan 9, 2002
    10
    Braindance it!!! Superb after a Jameson sour.
  4. phobiazero
    Oct 24, 2001
    10
    Superb godamnit
  5. Elliott
    Jul 7, 2003
    10
    Drukqs is a modern classic. It is unlike any album before. Songs like Vordhosbn and Meltphace 6 are simply incredible. As are the lovely piano interludes. One of the best releases of 2001.
  6. JimmyJ
    Oct 4, 2004
    10
    Those who think this album should have been cut down to one CD, you might as well just stop listening to Drukqs altogether, as you're not getting this music at all. 10/10
  7. JP
    Jan 4, 2004
    10
    Aphex Twin isn't out to please people or make a cohesive album. Richard D. James just does what he does best: create and put together sounds and twiddle the knobs. What he makes is unlike anything else. It evokes emotion and imagery, excitement and relaxation. This 2-disc album is packed with more detail and ideas than whole music careers. He does it all himself, and he's like a mad genius amusing himself, then releasing bits for us.… Expand
  8. charlieh
    Nov 9, 2005
    10
    If you are interested in hearing an album that trancends classification, destroys expectations and simply delights, you must listen to Druqks.
  9. apehex
    Dec 3, 2002
    10
    The naysayers may be right: this is not a reinvention of the wheel. They forget, however, that these are some of the tightest tracks James has released... ever. Who would question the brilliance of "Vordhosbn"? If the album is not coherent enough; then one must appreciate the brilliance of each individual song. Is this album even truly incoherent? The more i listen to it, the more i disagree. I challenge anyone to dissociate "Gwely Mernans" and "Bbydhyonchord"; two tracks with obvious stylistic differences, and yet I cannot think of one without the other. What permeates these two tracks, as well as the rest of the album, is a sharp, uneasy beauty. This quality is deeply rooted in the complex melodies, which has been a feature of all James' work. Hopefully this will not change... hopefully certain elements of Aphex Twin will never change; contrary to what the critics might say.… Expand
  10. HeadrikJ.
    Jun 29, 2007
    10
    By the way Mark W, the cover is the inside of Richard's Disklavier, not a typewriter. Vordhosbn is some of the best programming in the history of electronic music.
  11. ScottyP
    Dec 23, 2001
    7
    A good album, unfortunenately it has absolutely no flow. The song collection is extremely random. There are alot of irrelevant filler pieces also. I think if the filler were cut out this album would fit on one cd, and I deducted a point for this. Aphex twin didn't seem to do any new or extraordinary things on this cd either. However the good songs are very good. But don't expect any surprises.… Expand
  12. DaronD.
    Nov 23, 2001
    10
    aphex twin is like a 3d picture you have to tweak your eyes to see, but once you learn have to see it, and see how beautiful it can be, it's just in it's own mad league. It's an emotion spectrum of sound.
  13. Panagram
    Nov 15, 2010
    10
    One of his best, right behind Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 and Richard D. James. All these mainstream critics just don't get it. Go back to rating Kanye West and Lil Wayne you uncultured dopes.
  14. RedAFX
    Apr 11, 2012
    10
    I don't condone Drugs to others, but this album does, it is what most will need to get into Richard D James' wonderous world of sound, where you are allowed to cry, you can be frightened, and you can delve to the very core of your soul. If you aren't afraid of an album delving into the depths of your imagination, emulating the human brain, pulling you in and out of mindset after mindset, this is an album which will amaze you, terrify you, make you weep and leave you asking what the meaning of life is after it's spell is lifted, which could be many years from the time you hear it, enjoy.… Expand
  15. kaneten
    Feb 10, 2013
    3
    Does a fantastic job illustrating the difference between a coherent, deliberate album and a compilation of material that sort of goes together; Drukqs being a frustrating example of the latter.
  16. nanotech
    Feb 2, 2002
    6
    Simply not what one would expect from RDJ after years of silence. Many of the harder songs are simply a recycling of sounds from right back to the RDJ Album. The piano and other softer songs that are dispersed throughout the two CDs are a nice change, but if I really wanted simple piano music, I wouldn't be buying Aphex Twin CDs. All in all, it's not a bad album, but perhaps that's what it should have been--a single album. Only half the songs really should have made an appearance at all.… Expand
  17. R
    May 6, 2006
    8
    This was the first warp album I ever heard and it led me to buy many more. There are many filler tracks here, like the annoying skits you find in a lot of hip hop albums, and it's these that put a lot of the critics off. However, well over half of the 100 minutes of music here is excellent (even if that makes up of less than half of the 30 tracks), some of the best work he has done I feel. Although fairly experimental in places (not necessarily a bad thing), the music is often catchy and sometimes quite moving. Although I often agree with the scores on metacritic, you have to remember that a lot of the reviewers only have the album for a few days before they review it, and I believe this needs a little bit more time and patience than that. I actually put this 100 minute double album onto one cd about 80 minutes long, removing 11 of the silly tracks. I only did this because it was easier for listening to it on a walkman. What I was left with was the nine proper songs, and the filler which is actually worthwhile, like the short interludes on the Boards of Canada albums. It is excellent, and just shows that if you can overlook the minority of material here which is deliberately stupid, you are left with an album with many strengths. So if you are interested in Aphex Twin, do not hesitate to buy this album, so long as you are willing to take on a challenge.… Expand
  18. StephenK.
    Nov 5, 2001
    9
    For all those who can't understand the harder, "unlistenable" songs... try listening to them in the same way you observe some scientific phenomena, like you are analyzing some strange organism under a microscope. There are lots of cool intricate patterns in these songs; you just have to concentrate to hear them.
  19. GregoryR.
    Dec 12, 2001
    9
    Excellent album for experi-mental drumnbass fans. Reminds me of Bogdan Raczinszki...
  20. MizterBoxder
    Oct 25, 2001
    8
    Excellent fuggin album.
  21. Taras
    Oct 27, 2002
    7
    Good, but not what you would expect after so long an absence. The "toy piano" interludes are all very similar, if not unpleasant. Mt Saint Michel, Cock Ver10 and 54 Cymru Beats are absolutely amazing, Kesson Daslef is very, very nice. Beskhu3epnm sounds like something off The RDJ Album. A lot of the rest is filler; this should definetely have been on 1 disc, or perhaps one disc of good stuff plus a "bonus disc" with the rest on.… Expand
  22. MessyBoinger
    Nov 26, 2002
    8
    Three or four of the tracks are probably his best work to date: the rest vary from very good to downright mediocre. A couple of the tracks sound like they were experiments with a laptop and a cat - not good. Good for existing AFX fans but the previous Richard D. James album is probably a better bet for beginners.
  23. ekolite82
    Jul 14, 2012
    10
    This has to be one of Richards finest works here. Critically underrated! Piles of stand out tracks. A welcome addition to any Aphex Twin fan's library.
  24. JibberJabber
    Mar 16, 2013
    2
    I have a number of Aphex Twin albums and this is by far the worst. It was apparently written as a "deal breaker" and I can believe it. Many of the tracks are abbrasive without any reedeming quality and are simply unlistenable. This album does not give you a remote idea of what Richard D James (Aphex Twin) is capable of producing. It's a little tiring to see arrogant comments such as those by AlphaHacker who seem to think that only their opinion and personal tastes matter. I have at least 10 Aphex Twin albums, including a few he made under different monickers and Drukqs is terrible. It seems like he put almost no effort into it.

    Someone commented, "Aphex Twin isn't out to please people or make a cohesive album." Fine, but that doesn't mean that we can't share our opinions on this album. There are two or three tracks I enjoy out of all the tracks on the 2 CDs. This is the only Aphex Twin albulm I own that I simply won't listen to. Every other album of his that I own, including Selected Ambient Works 85 92, Selected Ambient Works II, I Care Because You Do, Richard D James Album, Analogue Bubblebath III, Chosen Lords, Windolicker, Come to Daddy, Hangable Auto Bulb, Surfing on Sine Waves, put Drukz to shame because Drukz is a lousy album.

    If you like the album, fine, that's up to you, but don't try pretending that only the opinions of those who like it matter, because that's not how it works. Many people even diehard fans of Aphex Twin like myself dislike this album and many of those who've not heard it will dislike it. I don't like the album. I think it sucks and my opinion is just as valid as those who give it a 10/10 and call it genius, no matter what you think of the album. Proclaiming it "genius" doesn't mean that your opinion is worth more.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. HOB.com
    60
    What's lacking, though, is context.
    Read full review
  2. Q Magazine
    40
    There is so little personality or variety that when Lornaderek turns out to be a 30-second birthday ansaphone message from his mum and dad, it is not a gimmick but a touching highlight.
    Read full review
  3. Spin
    50
    The resulting cavalcade of "decent bits" seldom leaves an imprint in your memory, let alone your heart. [Nov 2001, p.130]
See all critic reviews »