Expert Knob Twiddlers is a 1996 studio album by Mike Paradinas and Richard D. James. It was released in 1996 on Rephlex Records and is the only release credited to the two as Mike & Rich.[4]
| Expert Knob Twiddlers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 24, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1994[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:51 | |||
| Label | Rephlex | |||
| Richard D. James chronology | ||||
| ||||
On 14 July 2016 Planet Mu announced that a reissued version would be released with seven bonus tracks in September 2016.[5]
Production
editMike Paradinas described the sound of the album as "an updated version of easy listening and funk".[6] James had heard the music Paradinas had made under the name of Jake Slazenger and invited him to create tracks.[1] Paradinas noted James had invited other artists to collaborate with him, including Luke Vibert, Squarepusher and Cylob and was honoured that his collaborative tracks were chosen for the release.[1] Both artists were getting drunk while developing tracks, something that Paradinas stated that neither artist regularly did.[1]
The track "Giant Deflating Football" was written during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[1] Paradinas noted that the two "were able to quite quickly write a large amount of material. 'Giant Deflating Football' is named because it had some quite weird percussion sounds made by scraping and blowing in a microphone. It sounded like a big wheezing football. We took a bit of acid afterwards to listen to it, and we were coming out with some imagery like 'Beady Eyes,' which is mentioned in one of the tracks."[1]
Release
edit
Expert Knob Twiddlers was released by Rephlex Records on 24 June 1996 on audio cassette, compact disc and vinyl.[8] Paradinas felt the album should have been released as early as 1994, stating that "At that time, that style was something that no one else had done [...] It wasn't like anything anyone heard before really. By the time it did come out, a lot of things came out like Carbon Trio and there was a lot of revived interest in easy listening. Neither of us was prepared for it."[6]
On 19 July 2016 the song "Vodka (Mix 2)" was released with the announcement of the album's 2016 reissue.[9]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Clash | 8/10[11] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[12] |
| The Guardian | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10[14] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[15] |
The Guardian gave the album three stars, calling it "a lovingly kitsch collaboration" and that the album "might easily have been a loathsomely ironic exercise." stating that the track "Mr. Frosty" made the album "worth owning".[13] The review concluded that "much of the rest is indulgent piffle."[13] AllMusic gave the album four stars, while noting that the mixed styles of James and Paradinas "cancels out the particular attractions of both artists, and the listener is left with a somewhat bland album. Fans of Aphex and μ-Ziq will be excited, but newcomers should go elsewhere before they dig this deep."[10] In retrospective reviews, Pitchfork described it as "just a playful, occasionally inspired time capsule of the 1990s."[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mr. Frosty" | 6:51 |
| 2. | "Jelly Fish" | 6:30 |
| 3. | "Eggy Toast" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Reg" | 5:57 |
| 5. | "Vodka" | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Winner Takes All" | 5:44 |
| 7. | "Giant Deflating Football" | 6:22 |
| 8. | "Upright Kangaroo" | 3:31 |
| 9. | "The Sound of the Beady Eyes" | 7:46 |
| 10. | "Bu Bu Bu Ba" | 6:51 |
2016 CD reissue
editSource:[17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mr. Frosty" | 6:53 |
| 2. | "Reg" | 5:56 |
| 3. | "Jelly Fish" | 6:01 |
| 4. | "Eggy Toast" | 4:32 |
| 5. | "Vodka" | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Winner Takes All" | 5:44 |
| 7. | "Upright Kangaroo" | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Giant Deflating Football" | 6:21 |
| 9. | "The Sound of the Beady Eyes" | 7:46 |
| 10. | "Bu Bu Bu Ba" | 6:52 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Vodka" (Mix 2) | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Portamento Gosh" | 2:02 |
| 13. | "Waltz" | 5:24 |
| 14. | "Brivert & Muonds" | 6:17 |
| 15. | "Clissold Bathroom" | 0:54 |
| 16. | "Jelly Fish" (Mix 2) | 5:21 |
| 17. | "Organ Plodder" | 4:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Upright Kangaroo" (Mix 2) | 4:33 |
Personnel
editAdapted from the Expert Knob Twiddlers liner notes:[16]
- Performers [Everything By] – Michael Paradinas, Richard James
- Cover – Johnny Clayton, Richard James
Footnotes
edit- ^ a b c d e f Bulut, Selim (8 September 2015). "The 20 tracks that define Planet Mu, according to Mike Paradinas". Dummy. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ Twells, John. "Aphex Twin and μ-Ziq's Expert Knob Twiddlers gets expanded reissue". FACT. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ a b Bush, John. "Aphex Twin | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ^ "TrouserPress.com :: Aphex Twin". www.trouserpress.com.
- ^ Twells, John. "Aphex Twin and μ-Ziq's Expert Knob Twiddlers gets expanded reissue". Fact Mag. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ a b "u-Ziq Interview by Jason Gross". Perfect Sound Forever. September 1997. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ Buckley 2003, p. 35.
- ^ "[Inside Promo Sheet]". Expert Knob Twiddlers (Media notes). Mike & Rich. Rephlex Records. 1996. CAT 027 LP.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Lozano, Kevin (19 July 2016). "Aphex Twin and μ-Ziq Announce Expert Knob Twiddlers Reissue, Share Unreleased Track". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ a b Bush, John. "Expert Knob Twiddlers". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ Dolan, Jack. "Mike and Rich – Expert Knob Twiddlers". Clash. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ Pearson, Luke. "Mike & Rich - Expert Knob Twiddlers". Exclaim!. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Bennun, David (19 July 1996). "Dance". The Guardian. London: Guardian News & Media Limited. p. A12. ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ a b Richardson, Mark (30 September 2016). "Expert Knob Twiddlers". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ Paul, John. "MIKE & RICH: EXPERT KNOB TWIDDLERS". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ a b "[Inside sleeve]". Expert Knob Twiddlers (Media notes). Mike & Rich. Rephlex Records. 1996. cat027cd.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Slingerland, Calum. "Aphex Twin and μ-Ziq Treat 'Expert Knob Twiddlers' to Expanded Reissue". Exclaim. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
References
edit- Buckley, Peter, ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 1843531054.