brettworks

Released in 1994, Richard James/Aphex Twin’s “#3”, sometimes referred to as “Rhubarb”, is a beautiful, almost disinterested piece of music. Anchored by a five-chord pad sequence, the track runs seven minutes thanks to repetition, a modular structure, and some beguiling Aphexian details. The structure is broadly in seven parts. It begins with the main chords, then (0:29) a bass part enters, marking some but not all of the chords in the sequence, followed by (0:45) a higher register organ-ish lead melody. As this continues for some two minutes, you notice a faint cello-like line appear (2:15), the timbres blurring together, and a lingering, droning pitch that may be reverb sustaining the sequence’s second chord. Next (3:13) a mid-register, darker toned melody appears, joining the first organ-ish lead. Soon (4:06) the track begins to slow ever so slightly, and then (4:30) the main chords exit, the bass part’s tuning seems to go slightly flat, and the two lead melodies continue, until (5:12) only the mid-register line remains. By the time (6:00) you notice how pleasingly repetitive “#3” has been thanks to its combinations of parts swapped in and out of the arrangement, the main chords and the high lead have returned. We’re back where we started and the music slowly fades out (6:45-7:30). While “#3” has an overall floating feel, it’s a tightly structured changing same. The music feels like stasis, yet something musically, timbrally, or atmospherically new is happening almost every moment.

Around 2011 James recorded a live version of “#3” with orchestral musicians and a choir, which was not released (but discussed here ). And in 2024 he reversed this unreleased recording and included it on the expanded edition of Selected Ambient Works Volume II as “Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev”, showing how far a piece of music can travel over thirty years.