This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
That title is no typo — at least not mine.
On the two-CD Drukqs, his first Aphex Twin disc in five years, electronica envelope-pusher Richard D. James plays fast and loose with his typewriter, coughing up unpronouncable titles like Vordhosbn, Bbydhyonchord and Beskhu3epnm. In a way, they go with the sui generis brand of twisted genius that James brings to these sonic constructs, which toggle between bouts of abrasively hyperactive techno — generated by a relentless onslaught of thwacking, syncopated beat-boxes, thrumming, humming effects and squiggling synthesizers — and interludes of eerie, neo-classical ambience. Too bad neither variation offers many surprises. After the genius of CDs like I Care Because You Do, Drukqs is a bit of a retread, with James reworking and revisiting ideas that anyone familiar with his work has already heard. Still, even for second-string Aphex Twin, Drukqs is still some of the most challenging, exciting and — to borrow James’ typewriter — magnificently fukqed-up music you’ll hear.
