APHEX TWIN’S Selected Ambient Works Vol. II Gets Expanded Reissue

Aphex Twin began DJ-ing in the late 80s and released a pair of EPs in 1991 (Analogue Bubblebath Vol. 1 & Analog Bubblebath Vol. 2), before dropping his debut studio album, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 the following year. With its visionary approach expanding the scope and perception of both ambient and techno music, the LP put the producer on the map as an innovative force to be reckoned with. This led to him being signed to Warp Records who released his aptly titled follow-up, Selected Ambient Works Vol. II in 1994. Whereas the incorporation of percussive elements helped Volume 1 redefine the boundaries of ambient music, Volume 2 found the electronic pioneer dramatically stripping back the beats in favor of ethereal, often haunting, steamlike compositions and amorphous soundscapes. The songs mutate, dilate, and swell; gas out, dissipate, and shimmer. The sound is enveloping, almost as if breathing on its own. Inspired by the concept of lucid dreaming, its creator has been quoted as equating the release to “standing in a power station on acid.”

For whatever reason, Volume 1 has been fairly easy to acquire on vinyl over the years, while its sequel has remained consistently sought after and out-of-print. Fortunately, Warp and the icon born Richard David James are rectifying this travesty by reissuing his classic sophomore LP in an expanded edition 30 years after its initial release.

Preorders for the Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded) opened this morning with a handful of different options available. Physical formats of the long-awaited reissue include a standard 4LP expanded edition vinyl, triple-CD, a double-cassette, and a fairly impressive limited edition box set. I’ll start with the bad news that the cassettes moved so quickly they’ve already sold out as I type this. The good news is that, not only is there a CD option for those who want it, but it should be readily available as a pre-order. The same goes for the 4LP, which we expect to pop up in your local brick-and-mortar (who we recommend you support) around the slated October 4th release date. This is big news for someone like myself who clamored for a reissue for years, only to miss it when it happened in 2017 and then watch the prices subsequently skyrocket on the secondary market.

Now that we know it’s going to be available and when, the obvious questions are about what it’s going to contain and how much it will cost. The 4LP expanded version is only $50 USD on the Warp Records website. The 3xCD is priced at $22.99 and, for those who want the digital, there’s a WAV (24 bit) download available for $13.99. The boxset is substantially more at $299.99, but appears to contain essentially the same musical content as the others. What you’re paying for with that premium price is the packaging and ephemera that comes along with it. I’ll get into details exactly what that is, momentarily, but my personal take is that, while it’s cool to have if you can swing it, it isn’t necessary. If you DO decide you want the box, however, the pre-order window for that runs for less than a week. After that, you’ll likely be paying at least double to get your hands on a copy.

The black 4LP format of Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (Expanded) comes with “polylined inner sleeves, in foil blocked wide spine outer sleeve, fold out poster and sticker insert,” while the 3xCD release comes in a “Foil blocked case bound sleeve with booklet.

The limited box set of Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (Expanded) consists of the “black 4LP vinyl in polylined inner sleeves, printed 3mm spine outer sleeves, fold out poster, sticker sheet and booklet containing development sketches from the original artwork. All housed in a hinged oak case with a bespoke chemical etched and eroded copper plate and engraved logo with paint infill.“

The window to pre-order the box set only lasts until June 24th at 10am BST. That’s 5am EST / 2am PST.

Everything is available now at Warp.net.