Surfing on Sine Waves
Surfing on Sine Waves is a studio album by Polygon Window, a pseudonym for the English electronic music producer Richard D. James, better known by the alias Aphex Twin. It was originally released on 11 January 1993 by Warp. It is the second release in Warp's "Artificial Intelligence" series. The 2001 reissue edition includes the previously unreleased tracks "Portreath Harbour" and "Redruth School". Background. The cover of the album features a photograph of Chapel Porth beach in Cornwall, where James spent time with his sisters as a child; James thanks the seaside village in the  liner notes. The title "Surfing on Sine Waves" was chosen by Warp founder Rob Mitchell after James mentioned that "loads of people I knew growing up in Cornwall were poser surfers and I didn't wanna hang around with them." Reissue track "Redruth School" references James's alma mater, while "Portreath Harbour" references the Cornwall port. Critical reception. Ned Raggett of AllMusic praised "Surfing on Sine Waves" as "a great collection of abstract electronic/dance madness, caught somewhere between the driftiness of his more ambient works at the time and the rave-minded nuttiness of 'Digeridoo.'" Mark Richard-San of  Pitchfork wrote, "Catchy, melodic and memorable tracks are what made the Aphex Twin so wonderful at his best; "Surfing on Sine Waves" has a handful of these, albeit in rough, embryonic form." In 2012, "Fact" placed "Surfing on Sine Waves" at number 26 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the 1990s". In 2017, "Pitchfork" placed it at number 26 on its list of the "50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Writing for "Pitchfork", Andrew Nosnitsky said, "These days, "Surfing" doesn't get mentioned as often as the louder, more ambitious, 'proper' Aphex records that would follow , but it's easily as refined on a technical level—and maybe even more emotionally rewarding." Personnel. Credits adapted from liner notes.