Aphex Twin has had an enormous influence on electronic music, and now his family will also have an enormous influence on political policy, as his sister Julie James is the Welsh Minister for Climate Change.
Julie James has been in the role since May, but her connection to beatmaker Richard D. James was only just revealed. In an interview with the BBC, she said that her family are "very proud" of Aphex Twin.
She was asked whether she likes his music: "Very much. Not all of it. Some of it's, I think [Black Mirror creator] Charlie Brooker once said, it was like being inside a CT scanner for an hour. But some of it is glorious. He writes beautiful jazz. He did a collaboration with Phillip Glass, which is glorious, and a lot of his ambient stuff is lovely."
She added that, when former Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones stepped down in 2018, she gifted him a vinyl copy of Aphex Twin's Collapse EP.
Julie James has been an elected member of Welsh parliament since 2011. Prior to becoming the Minister for Climate Change, she was the Minister for Housing and Local Government.
Richard D. James has sometimes been known for his eyebrow-raising political views. As pandemic lockdowns began last spring, he issued a message saying, "You are living in a police state." He previously said, "If you believe the ridiculous story that is being pedalled about 9/11 from the mainstream media, then you are absolutely gullible."
Julie James has been in the role since May, but her connection to beatmaker Richard D. James was only just revealed. In an interview with the BBC, she said that her family are "very proud" of Aphex Twin.
She was asked whether she likes his music: "Very much. Not all of it. Some of it's, I think [Black Mirror creator] Charlie Brooker once said, it was like being inside a CT scanner for an hour. But some of it is glorious. He writes beautiful jazz. He did a collaboration with Phillip Glass, which is glorious, and a lot of his ambient stuff is lovely."
She added that, when former Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones stepped down in 2018, she gifted him a vinyl copy of Aphex Twin's Collapse EP.
Julie James has been an elected member of Welsh parliament since 2011. Prior to becoming the Minister for Climate Change, she was the Minister for Housing and Local Government.
Richard D. James has sometimes been known for his eyebrow-raising political views. As pandemic lockdowns began last spring, he issued a message saying, "You are living in a police state." He previously said, "If you believe the ridiculous story that is being pedalled about 9/11 from the mainstream media, then you are absolutely gullible."
