Melodies from Mars
Encyclopedia
Melodies from Mars is a collection of unreleased tracks by Richard David James, better known under his pseudonym Aphex Twin
. Although James has never admitted authorship of this supposedly unofficial album, at least two of its tracks are alternate versions (possibly demo
versions) of tracks featured on the subsequently released Richard D. James Album
(1996). According to Mike Paradinas
, the collaboration album Mike & Rich
was partially inspired by Melodies From Mars. Some tracks on the album also bear resemblance to those of Analogue Bubblebath 5
. The Aphex Twin Community claims that "Men in black suits" (Rephlex) asked them to remove MP3 excerpts of this album from their web site. This appears to lend credence to the theory that Melodies from Mars is indeed a work by Aphex Twin. It is commonly believed that Melodies from Mars was given to some of Richard's friends on cassette tapes. Other than these tapes, the only place to find this music is through online P2P
file-sharing.
There is an alternate version of the album, illegally released by Unreal Records solely to Russia, circulating the internet. It is missing the below mentioned version of "Logan Rock Witch." The song title remains, but the audio is to "Untitled 7".
In an interview with Another Man, Richard stated "I’ve got six [albums] completed ... one is Melodies from Mars, which I redid about three years ago." This suggests that the album may eventually be released at some point in the future.
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
. Although James has never admitted authorship of this supposedly unofficial album, at least two of its tracks are alternate versions (possibly demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
versions) of tracks featured on the subsequently released Richard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album
Richard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
(1996). According to Mike Paradinas
Mike Paradinas
Michael Paradinas , who works primarily under the name μ-Ziq in addition to a large number of aliases, is a British musician in the field of electronic music.-History:...
, the collaboration album Mike & Rich
Mike & Rich
Mike & Rich is an ambient-techno album by Mike Paradinas and Richard D. James. It was released in 1996 on Rephlex Records. The album is also known as Expert Knob Twiddlers....
was partially inspired by Melodies From Mars. Some tracks on the album also bear resemblance to those of Analogue Bubblebath 5
Analogue Bubblebath 5
Analogue Bubblebath 5 is an unreleased EP by techno and IDM artist Richard David James.Recorded in 1995, it had been intended for release on James' own label, Rephlex Records, under his alias AFX, as the fifth installment in his Analogue Bubblebath series...
. The Aphex Twin Community claims that "Men in black suits" (Rephlex) asked them to remove MP3 excerpts of this album from their web site. This appears to lend credence to the theory that Melodies from Mars is indeed a work by Aphex Twin. It is commonly believed that Melodies from Mars was given to some of Richard's friends on cassette tapes. Other than these tapes, the only place to find this music is through online P2P
Peer-to-peer file sharing
P2P or Peer-to-peer file sharing allows users to download files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. The "peers" are computer systems connected to each other through internet. Thus, the only requirements for a computer to join...
file-sharing.
There is an alternate version of the album, illegally released by Unreal Records solely to Russia, circulating the internet. It is missing the below mentioned version of "Logan Rock Witch." The song title remains, but the audio is to "Untitled 7".
In an interview with Another Man, Richard stated "I’ve got six [albums] completed ... one is Melodies from Mars, which I redid about three years ago." This suggests that the album may eventually be released at some point in the future.
Track listing
- The version of "Fingerbib" on Melodies from Mars is longer than the version on Richard D. James AlbumRichard D. James AlbumRichard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
. - Versions of tracks 6 and 7 were used in the beginning of David FirthDavid FirthDavid Firth is an English animator, video artist, amateur filmmaker, and musician. As a cartoonist Firth's work is largely distributed via the Internet...
's animation ALAN - The version of "Logan Rock Witch" is different than the version on Richard D. James AlbumRichard D. James AlbumRichard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
. - A version of track 10 was used in David FirthDavid FirthDavid Firth is an English animator, video artist, amateur filmmaker, and musician. As a cartoonist Firth's work is largely distributed via the Internet...
's claymation short Hollowhead. - David FirthDavid FirthDavid Firth is an English animator, video artist, amateur filmmaker, and musician. As a cartoonist Firth's work is largely distributed via the Internet...
has acousticallyAcoustic musicAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
covered Untitled 10. - Track 12 features samples of plucked strings from "Girl/Boy Song" (track 9 on Richard D. James AlbumRichard D. James AlbumRichard D. James Album is an electronic album by Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on Warp Records in 1996. The work features use of software synthesizers and unusual beats. It is his fourth official full-length album. The album garnered high acclaim from music...
), though it does not develop into anything closely resembling the final track.