Hangable Auto Bulb
1995 EP by AFX
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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.[1]
EP2: 11 December 1995
EP2: 9:04
CD: 34:47
| Hangable Auto Bulb | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
CD release cover | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | EP1: 16 October 1995 EP2: 11 December 1995 | |||
| Recorded | August–October 1995 | |||
| Genre | Drill 'n' bass[1] | |||
| Length | EP1: 25:05 EP2: 9:04 CD: 34:47 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | Richard D. James | |||
| Richard D. James chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Original covers | ||||
 EP1 | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 EP2 | ||||
Overview
Split across two 12" EPs, the second released eight weeks after the first, and each were limited to 1000 pressings. The records marked a significant change in sound from previous AFX and Aphex Twin releases.[2] 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.[1]
The records were 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.[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 8.9/10[1] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[8] |
| Release Magazine | 8/10[9] |
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."[7] 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."[1]
Track listing
12" EPs
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Children Talking" | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Hangable Auto Bulb" | 6:48 |
| 3. | "Laughable Butane Bob" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Bit" | 0:06 |
| 5. | "Custodian Discount" | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Wabby Legs" | 5:29 |
| Total length: | 25:05 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Every Day" | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Arched Maid Via RDJ" | 5:20 |
| Total length: | 9:04 | |
CD
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Children Talking" | 5:22 |
| 2. | "Hangable Auto Bulb" | 6:52 |
| 3. | "Laughable Butane Bob" | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Bit" | 0:11 |
| 5. | "Custodian Discount" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Wabby Legs" | 5:35 |
| 7. | "Every Day" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Arched Maid Via RDJ" | 5:25 |
| Total length: | 34:47 | |
2017 digital bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "get a baby" | 2:27 |
| 10. | "choirDrilll" | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 41:26 | |
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:
- of Analogue Bubblebath: "Laughable Butane Bob"
- of Analogue Bublbath [sic]: "Hangable Auto Bulb"
- of Richard David Jame [sic]: "Arched Maid Via RDJ"
- of Caussttic Ouinnddo [sic] (correctly spelled "Caustic Window"): "Custodian Discount"