The Tuss - Rushup Edge (Rephlex)
4/5
By: Charlie Potter
First of all, of course The Tuss is Aphex Twin. It just is. People comparing an artist's most recent release to their previous output is usually considered a burden, but some artists are forward thinking enough to realise that they can use the context of their other work to not only play with peoples expectations, but to create a structural and sometimes narrative interplay (for example the Flying Luttenbachers' 8 albums about a giant robot built to survive the human holocaust that escapes into infinity) that lasts much longer than one album. So the fact that everyone knows that this is Aphex Twin doesn't matter. I'm sure if he really wanted to, he could keep his identity a secret. There are enough pointers as to his authorship all over this. The real point is that although this will be undoubtedly compared to other Aphex Twin pieces, Richard D. James has said this is something outside of what he considers to be Aphex Twin. So we should think of it as such.
But that's difficult, despite this being clearly the best stuff he has ever released outside the Aphex Twin name. It is for the most part more like the 'Analord' stuff than anything else he has released, but this is a much more honed, less tied down version of that sound, something which comes across very much as if he has used everything that he has learned from 'Analord' to have some fun mashing it through a computer.
There is not much you can say about Aphex Twin without reflecting on the fact that he really is one of the best composers to have ever lived. It seems like a really obvious thing to say, like something an idiot might splurt out, but that is only because it is clear to idiots and intellectuals alike that this man is the closest thing to fitting most of the accepted connotations of the word genius we have. Anyone who thinks there is some sort of simple formula to his music is sadly mistaken, in fact the more you listen to his music or try to emulate it, you realise just how different every little composition he does is, how each has been approached from a very different structural angle.
It would seem that Aphex Twin has tried a vast chunk of the infinite techniques available to someone using machines to make music. I imagine he's quite a deft keyboard player as well. But this is not even the point - there are a long list of artists that I could list that are very experimental with structure, the point is that Aphex, Richard, The Tuss, whatever, uses these different approaches in the same tracks and manages to play them off each other perfectly whilst still at the end turning out music that is really rewarding to listen to. Read 'Silence' by John Cage, realise what a good book it is, then try to think of someone who fits his criteria better than Aphex Twin. I grant you Stockhausen, and probably few others.
One great feature of 'Rushup Edge' is that almost every track seems to have a little reprise as a sort of bonus treat. These small sections of music, where often he will turn all the melodies on their head but in a way that still has a lot to do with the original melody, are possibly the most interesting on this 45rpm triple vinyl (yeah booyeee). The melodies on this record are actually pretty key. One thing that puts more on the side of the analogue over digital (in that never ending argument) is that there are a lot of chordless melodies that go as far as being catchy using just one synth sound - these melodies are present on his computer generated music, but they are often split between sounds and also often merge into the percussion. Here, nothing of the sort happens. In fact, the percussion and the melodies are much more separated out, far closer to what I guess you could call 'normal music'.
One of the truly original things about 'Rushup Edge' is the sheer sounds 'The Tuss' generates. There is something so incredibly well thought out about each of these sounds and the arrangements in which they are utilised that it really makes this sound like the music of the future. If so, the future is bright.
Artists in this article: The Tuss
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