It was bound to happen eventually:
https://soundcloud.com/david_rees/sets/aphex-swift
Quote:
“This summer I decided to make an album of Aphex Twin / Taylor Swift mashups. I am a big fan of both these artists — I think they’ve each written some thrilling pop hooks and their production is amazing. I also just wanted to see if it could be done. (Plus I thought “AphexSwift” passed the threshold of catchy titles for mashup projects, which is half the battle.)
I actually think Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) and Taylor Swift have a lot in common besides their songwriting talents — or, at least, they each have characteristics more commonly associated with the other.
For instance, Taylor Swift made her name by writing big-hearted confessional songs for tween girls. But a lot of Aphex Twin’s music (especially on the Richard D. James album, from which most of these tracks are culled) is also super romantic — saccharine, even. Sometimes I wonder if his impossibly complex, inhuman drum patterns are just serving as a layer of sonic indie-cred to make the heart-on-your-sleeve melody and delicate timbres of (say) Girl/Boy song more palatable for “cool” people. Or, on a more personal level, it’s like he’s protecting his bleeding heart behind a crazy tangle of barbed-wire snare rolls. AND WHO AMONG US HASN’T DONE THAT?
So part one of my thesis is: APHEX TWIN IS AS BIG A ROMANTIC CORNBALL AS TAYLOR SWIFT
And then, on the other hand, we’ve got to acknowledge that Taylor Swift is sort of terrifying. Aphex Twin is famously camera shy, and employs a lot of cryptic/creepy imagery in his videos. Of course, I wouldn’t describe Taylor Swift as camera-shy … but her incredible poise and superhuman competence are, to me, just as alien and intimidating as Aphex Twin’s photoshopped leering ghoul-faces. It’s a cliche to describe a celebrity as controlled and masterful as Taylor Swift as robotic, but I think there’s some truth there, especially in an age when we assume — rightly or wrongly — any pop singer who hits a high note did it with the help of a computer. There’s also the matter of her lyrics, which can be sorta cruel and sarcastic in a classic “mean girl” way. For all her blinding smiles and Subway commercials and wholesome concerts, I do think there’s a dark side to Taylor Swift. She is what happens when Skynet becomes self-aware.
And so part two of my thesis is: TAYLOR SWIFT IS AS SCARY AS APHEX TWIN
Anyway, there’s a lot more pseudo-intellectual jibber jabber I could say about this project, but basically I just hope people enjoy listening to it, because it was really fun to make. I learned about making mashups while working on it, and I came to appreciate these two songwriters even more than I already did. I would be open to marrying either of them.
Thanks!
—D.R.”
“This summer I decided to make an album of Aphex Twin / Taylor Swift mashups. I am a big fan of both these artists — I think they’ve each written some thrilling pop hooks and their production is amazing. I also just wanted to see if it could be done. (Plus I thought “AphexSwift” passed the threshold of catchy titles for mashup projects, which is half the battle.)
I actually think Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) and Taylor Swift have a lot in common besides their songwriting talents — or, at least, they each have characteristics more commonly associated with the other.
For instance, Taylor Swift made her name by writing big-hearted confessional songs for tween girls. But a lot of Aphex Twin’s music (especially on the Richard D. James album, from which most of these tracks are culled) is also super romantic — saccharine, even. Sometimes I wonder if his impossibly complex, inhuman drum patterns are just serving as a layer of sonic indie-cred to make the heart-on-your-sleeve melody and delicate timbres of (say) Girl/Boy song more palatable for “cool” people. Or, on a more personal level, it’s like he’s protecting his bleeding heart behind a crazy tangle of barbed-wire snare rolls. AND WHO AMONG US HASN’T DONE THAT?
So part one of my thesis is: APHEX TWIN IS AS BIG A ROMANTIC CORNBALL AS TAYLOR SWIFT
And then, on the other hand, we’ve got to acknowledge that Taylor Swift is sort of terrifying. Aphex Twin is famously camera shy, and employs a lot of cryptic/creepy imagery in his videos. Of course, I wouldn’t describe Taylor Swift as camera-shy … but her incredible poise and superhuman competence are, to me, just as alien and intimidating as Aphex Twin’s photoshopped leering ghoul-faces. It’s a cliche to describe a celebrity as controlled and masterful as Taylor Swift as robotic, but I think there’s some truth there, especially in an age when we assume — rightly or wrongly — any pop singer who hits a high note did it with the help of a computer. There’s also the matter of her lyrics, which can be sorta cruel and sarcastic in a classic “mean girl” way. For all her blinding smiles and Subway commercials and wholesome concerts, I do think there’s a dark side to Taylor Swift. She is what happens when Skynet becomes self-aware.
And so part two of my thesis is: TAYLOR SWIFT IS AS SCARY AS APHEX TWIN
Anyway, there’s a lot more pseudo-intellectual jibber jabber I could say about this project, but basically I just hope people enjoy listening to it, because it was really fun to make. I learned about making mashups while working on it, and I came to appreciate these two songwriters even more than I already did. I would be open to marrying either of them.
Thanks!
—D.R.”
https://soundcloud.com/david_rees/sets/aphex-swift
