Aphex Twin sleevenotes, scrawled on a vintage synth

It's Vemia auction time again (the private eBay for Vintage Synths And Cool Gear). If you can battle through the javascript errors to this page, you'll find a Yamaha CS5 synth, currently at £140: "This was superficially just a nice-sounding early Yamaha analogue monosynth...Then we turned it over and saw the beautifully-done inscription for an Aphex Twin record release... A little more research, and we found that these were the sleeve notes Richard inscribed and then photographed for one of his major releases ever, if not his biggest ever release: Selected Ambient Works Volume II. As well as the main inscription, there is... a false start on the main inscription, in the gulley at the back right of the bottom of the synth, which reads 'Written and prod'. See the big image here. Seems that Richard James originally asked them to sell the synth anonymously because he'd forgotten about the inscription. Other wonderful lots include: this, this, and the inevitable Synton Syrinx, Yamaha CS80, and VCS3.
UPDATE: Yes, as many people have said, Vemia is served by the Worst Website Ever. It seems to work if you click on the home page first, then on the specific links above. But it might not.

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

Seems to be not there.

# posted by

Humbert H. Humbert : 11:38 am

"for one of his major releases ever, if not his biggest ever release"

ignoring the terrible grammar, ambient works two was definitely not his "biggest ever release".

what the hell does that mean anyway?

come on you c...

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:10 pm

it means whoever is selling it wants an assload more money than its worth

they should have put "aphex twin is kind of famous" in there too

# posted by

Awakened Yeti : 3:07 pm

"it means whoever is selling it wants an assload more money than its worth"

well of course - its not just any CS5, it's aphex's old CS5. thats what happens when famous people sell stuff on. particulary if its actually a really decent underrated monosynth too. if someone was selling the mellotron used on strawberry fields...it would go for a bit more than standard price don't you think?

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:05 pm

Hey, that was my first analog synth.

Wow, I used a synth Aphex used. I feel so... special!

Har Har.

# posted by

msutherl : 5:14 pm

Holy crap!! SAW VolI is one of my favorite albums. This should be in the Ambient Music Hall of Fame if there were such a thing.

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:47 pm

if someone was selling the mellotron used on strawberry fields...it would go for a bit more than standard price don't you think?

i was answering the anon above my post... im clearly aware of the value system attributed to "famous" crap.. which was the genesis of my statement - its too bad you are not clearly aware of the mechanics of discussion, or you could have saved some time ... or possibly you enjoy being a dumbass, which i can easily understand - IT IS FUN!

btw - the beatles have sold a few more records than aphex twin, so its fair to say that one of their original peices of gear would go for more than the standard price

aphex twin - not quite as famous as the beatles... (in case you havent noticed) so the question of additional moneys is much more speculative

# posted by

Awakened Yeti : 8:04 pm

The value of any thing is equal to how much one wishes to pay for it. Personally I'd pay handsomely for that synth, not because it's a musical instrument but because it's a historical curiosity. An heirloom of sorts.

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:31 pm

it kinda makes me sad he wants to sell it.but really should be in a glass case somewhere, come on aphex's stuff pre-95 is fucking pure genius. once he got known, he mad sounds just bout on his own hype, because people can't really listen, can they, listen?

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:38 pm

Yeti makes me laugh more than most things I read on the net these days.

Let's encourage him!

# posted by

Doktor Future : 1:03 am

This comment has been removed by the author.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:16 am

You wont catch me paying silly money for it. I payed a 16th of soap bar for mine.

My mate got a SH101 for a smile. This old hippy said he had a synth for sale. My mate went round and asked how much it was, the bloke said what have you got? he said nothing, how about a smile? Deal done!

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:02 am

Don't be too hard on Yeti, he's not an A-hole, he's a freaking LEGEND!

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:43 pm

own a piece of history!
cheap!!
now you too can have a photo of the back of a synth!!!
rare!!!!
ebay item # 4849713799

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:08 pm

I would disagree. 50% of his music sucks. I remember the Wire magazine article with him. He claims he won't release his best music. There is some genius in something like "windowlicker". One has to believe you have to create alot of crap to create genius.

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:04 pm

yeah, anonymous, it was terrible grammar. wow, terrible grammar on the net? what next?
but i'm still p*ssed off i wrote such crap.
as for the actual thing... i think it's a fascinating item. the all music guide to electronica rates that record in the top ten ambient records ever (and puts aphex twin on the front cover and mentions him first on the back cover).
and there aren't many records which have sleeve-notes engraved on the bottom of a synth by the musician, photographed by the musician.
the weird thing is that he entered the synth in the auction with no special start price, and without mentioning the inscription.

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:27 pm

Never mind the grammar, sort out the frickin javascript

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:30 pm

Ok.. You people are haters. You analogue wannabe's probaly haven't heard the Analord series that was released on vinyl. Amazing stuff, and a incredable collection for the purists at heart.

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:53 pm

50 % of his music sucks? Lets hear your music!. What music to you doesn't suck? Lest you be hudged.

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:46 am

i love being hudged.

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:37 am

I've got one of those synths in my garden shed. It's been fire-damaged, so the keyboard has melted in places.

# posted by

Gavin Lloyd Wilson : 1:52 pm

"I've got one of those synths in my garden shed. It's been fire-damaged, so the keyboard has melted in places."

say the aphex twin melted it and sell it for a million pounds.

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:26 pm

Now there's an idea...

# posted by

Gavin Lloyd Wilson : 8:18 pm

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by

Gavin Lloyd Wilson : 8:18 pm

Looks like it's sold then, 1198 USD?

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:56 am

aphex is a genius, ha ha!
look who has the last word!

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:43 am

yeh me!

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:44 am

Yeti - remember what might seem like
a "lot of money" to you might be absolute
chump change to someone else.

The scales are different for everyone,
so don't be so quick to judge something's
value using only your personal
financial scale.

And I'm not even touching on the fact
that everyone's "worth factor" will
be vastly different.

Anyway, don't be so closed minded. It's unbecoming...

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:27 am

wow, so many humorless bastards on here. what a strange thing for the internetz, lol.

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:31 am