Hangable Auto Bulb is a series of two 1995 EPs by electronic musician Richard D. James, under his alias AFX. The two were re-released by Warp Records as a single album on 31 October 2005. They marked James's first foray into rapid drill 'n' bass style beat programming.
Overview.
Split across two 12" EPs, the second released eight weeks after the first and each limited to 1000 pressings, the records marked a significant change in sound from previous AFX and Aphex Twin releases. Moving away from the analogue sounds of "...I Care Because You Do" (1995), the tracks show James experimenting with computer-arranged breakbeat programming and timestretched samples inspired by drum and bass; this style would become known as "drill 'n' bass, and would become the dominant sound in his work up until the "Analord" releases of 2005.
The records are influenced by the early EPs of fellow Cornish producer Plug (Luke Vibert), as well as other drum and bass movements of the day. The CD cover is by The Designers Republic.
Reception.
In 2005 "The Guardian" called the reissued EPs "pioneering sonically" and stated that "this music still sounds utterly alien as James morphs the fractured volatile beats with ambient melody." Mark Richardson of "Pitchfork" stated that the reissue's "tension, between the otherworldly yet effortlessly tuneful melodies purring along beneath drums that constantly struggle to frame them, is what the ensuing era of James' music is all about, and "Hangable Auto Bulb" is a hell of an intro."
Track listing.
12" EPs.
Hangable Auto Bulb EP (1995)
Hangable Auto Bulb EP.2 (1995)
2017 digital bonus tracks.
The CD lengths are slightly different from the original EPs. On some pressings, tracks 7 and 8 are erroneously reversed.
Samples.
The tracks "Children Talking," "Every Day," and "get a baby" feature samples from the 1961 BBC Radio series titled "Children Talking", in which Harold Williamson traveled the United Kingdom asking children questions about aspects of their lives.
Anagrams.
The album's title is an anagram of "Analogue Bublbath", a reference to James' previous AFX release series, "Analogue Bubblebath".
Also, as on James' previous album "…I Care Because You Do", a number of the track titles are anagrams or near-anagrams:
References.
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