Aphex Twin

Considering how contemptuous Richard D. James is of, well, just about everyone else involved in the music industry, it's always been a wonder why he agreed to share his skills and hipster cred via remix work Well, he's answered that burning question with the Aphex Twin compilation, 26 Mixes for Cash. He offers up an always-interesting collection of tracks that have actual names and often a clear-enough song structure to hold to repeated listening by non-Aphex fans. He brings Phillip Glass's neo-classical interpretation of Bowie's "Heroes" into a baroque future world, makes Jesus Jones almost interesting again, tries to give Mike Flowers Pops a bit of an IDM edge and does a number on Nine Inch Nails' "The Beauty of Being Numb" and "At The Heart of it All" - the latter two being "created" by Aphex Twin since all he used was some of the original samples. "I never heard the originals," he's admitted sourly. "I still haven't. I don't want to either, or my remixes, for that matter." James seems to have more fun remixing cats from his own label Rephlex, as well as reworking a few of his own tracks ("Windowlicker" and "Saw2") but in general, the quality of the music he does for money is nearly as high as the tracks he does for love.