Selected Ambient Works Volume II

Richard D. James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is an electronic music producer from Cornwall.{{cite news |title=A Classic Aphex Twin Interview. Simon Reynolds Talks To Richard D. James |url=https://thequietus.com/interviews/rocks-backpages/simon-reynolds-interview-with-aphex-twin-melody-maker-1993-warp/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=The Quietus |date=21 June 2010}} After his first release, the 1991 acid techno EP Analogue Bubblebath,{{cite interview |last=Darby |first=Mark |subject-link=Mighty Force Records |title=The Mighty Force from the Bubblebath to Fog City! |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/value-added-facts-22 |publisher=Diamond Publishing Ltd|date=13 March 2018|location=London|work=Record Collector|access-date=15 January 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404143905/https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/value-added-facts-22 |archive-date=4 April 2018}} his first studio album, Selected Ambient Works 85–92, released to critical acclaim in 1992{{r|EOPM}}{{cite journal |title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85{{nbnd}}92 |journal=Q |issue=263 |date=June 2008 |page=156}} with R&S Records.{{r|Savage}} The ambient techno album was a defining factor in the evolution of electronic music{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Ed |title='This is not music': 30 years of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/aphex-twin-ambient-works-b2007593.html |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=The Independent |date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220211133705/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/aphex-twin-ambient-works-b2007593.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Pecoraro |first1=David M. |title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92 |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/223-selected-ambient-works-85-92/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |archive-date=20 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920140017/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/14986-selected-ambient-works-85-92 |url-status=live }} and immediately garnered James an underground following.{{cite magazine |last=Savage |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Savage |date=1993 |title=Machine Soul: A History Of Techno |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/machine-soul-a-history-of-techno |magazine=The Village Voice |access-date=15 January 2025 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924143744/https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/machine-soul-a-history-of-techno |url-status=live}} Arriving at the peak of the "house explosion", the album was in contrast to the era's "hardcore" and "aggressive" electronica{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Mat |title=Spotlight: Aphex Twin - 'Selected Ambient Works 85-92' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/spotlight-aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-85-92/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Clash |date=12 February 2017}} and "proved that techno could be more than druggy dance music".{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/218371/selected_ambient_works_8592 |title=Selected Ambient Works 85{{nbnd}}92 : Aphex Twin |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=12 December 2002 |access-date=15 January 2025 |last=Blashill |first=Pat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525060100/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/218371/selected_ambient_works_8592 |archive-date=25 May 2009}} James signed with Warp Records,{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=1}} where he released albums such as Surfing on Sine Waves under different aliases.{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Polygon Window: Surfing on Sine Waves Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6393-surfing-on-sine-waves/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=18 March 2002}} He also pursued his own record label, Rephlex Records.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=1}} James's EP, On, directly preceded Volume II{{'s}} release.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=51}}

James's enigmatic persona, marked by reticent interviews and outlandish, unverifiable claims, has deepened the mystique around his life and music and blurred facts about his recording process with fiction.{{cite web |last1=Sherburne |first1=Philip |title=Strange Visitor: A Conversation with Aphex Twin |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/9506-strange-visitor-a-conversation-with-aphex-twin/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=15 January 2025 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821215414/http://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/reader/aphex-twin/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Chris |last2=Twells |first2=John |title=10 strange Aphex Twin myths and the truth behind them |url=https://www.factmag.com/2017/04/14/funny-little-man-the-facts-and-fictions-of-aphex-twins-mythology/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Fact |date=14 April 2017 |archive-date=18 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418121000/https://www.factmag.com/2017/04/14/funny-little-man-the-facts-and-fictions-of-aphex-twins-mythology/ |url-status=live }} James has stated that most of Selected Ambient Works Volume II had been recorded in 1993, a year before the album's official release,{{cite magazine |last=Kessler |first=Ted |date=8 January 1994 |title=Swing Your Panzers! |magazine=NME |publisher=TI Media Ltd. |page=28}} in his London and Cornwall home studios.{{cite magazine |date=22 January 1994 |title=Aphex Twin Dreams On |magazine=Melody Maker |page=2}} The track "Blue Calx" was recorded sometime between 1988 and 1990; James has said that it was the last he recorded in his older Cornwall home studio at his parents' house, during a visit back from his studies at Cornwall College.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=53}}{{cite news |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=Aphex Twin Details SAW2 Recordings |url=https://disquiet.com/2017/08/20/aphex-twin-details-saw2-recordings/#:~:text=%3ERecorded%20in%20Linmiri%20[Lannerlog%20bedroom%20studio]%2C%20probably,quite%20fitting%20really%2C%20end%20of%20that%20era. |access-date=21 November 2024 |work=Disquiet |date=20 August 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2100257,00.html|title=College days|last=Murray|first=Janet|date=12 June 2007|work=The Guardian|access-date=14 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626093339/http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0%2C%2C2100257%2C00.html|archive-date=26 June 2008|url-status=live|location=London}} His North London home studio, built in 1993, contained a variety of old EMS, Moog, ARP,{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=419}} and Oberheim Matrix synthesizers.{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=419}} James once specified that track 23 ("Tassels") had been recorded with an EMS Synthi A Mk1 and a Studiomaster Star System. A Yamaha CS-5 was also used in the recording of the album, and was later auctioned with the album's liner notes inscribed.{{cite news |last1=Durston |first1=Tom |title=Aphex Twin's CS-5 synth with Selected Ambient Works Volume II liner notes is up for auction |url=https://inverted-audio.com/aphex-twins-cs-5-synth-with-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-liner-notes-is-up-for-auction/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Inverted Audio |date=17 November 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Scilippa |first1=Phil |title=You Could Own Aphex Twin's Yamaha CS-5 Analog Monosynth |url=https://edm.com/gear-tech/aphex-twin-yamaha-cs5-ebay |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=EDM |date=12 November 2020 |language=en |archive-date=15 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115134341/https://edm.com/gear-tech/aphex-twin-yamaha-cs5-ebay |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://reverb.com/news/recreating-the-synths-of-aphex-twins-selected-ambient-works-ii|title=Recreating the Synths of Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works II"|website=Reverb|date=7 March 2019|access-date=21 November 2024|last=Carr|first=Dan|archive-date=23 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723182409/https://reverb.com/news/recreating-the-synths-of-aphex-twins-selected-ambient-works-ii|url-status=live}}

{{Listen

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| description = The third track on the album, known as "Rhubarb". #3 is a soft ambient piece made up of a repeating chord progression.

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Volume II differs significantly from Selected Ambient Works 85–92. Rather than featuring tracks driven by ambient techno and soft breakbeats,{{cite news |last1=Cinquemani |first1=Sal |title=Review: Aphex Twin, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-85-92/ |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=Slant Magazine |date=2 November 2002 |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921061748/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-85-92/ |url-status=live }} Volume II features both quiet and minimal compositions and "chilly" textured soundscapes that have been described as "dark", "forboding" and "empty".{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II|website=Pitchfork|date=5 May 2019|access-date=11 January 2025|last=Sherburne|first=Philip|author-link=Philip Sherburne|archive-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507063754/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/|url-status=live}}{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}}{{cite web|url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/23648|title=Rewind: Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II|website=Resident Advisor|date=7 March 2019|access-date=11 January 2025|last=Hawthorn|first=Carlos|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107231308/https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/23648|url-status=live}} The album makes liberal use of microtonal musical tunings, an interest of James's at the time.{{cite news |last1=Philp |first1=Ray |title=New Aphex Twin song 'Korg Funk 5' surfaces in interview with ex-Korg engineer Tatsuya Takahashi |url=https://ra.co/news/39480 |access-date=10 April 2024 |work=Resident Advisor |date=11 July 2017 |language=en |archive-date=22 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922140627/https://ra.co/news/39480 |url-status=live }}

James credited the album to his lucid dreaming.{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=210}} He said upon waking from sleep in his studio, he would attempt to recreate and record the sounds, though he struggled to fully replicate them.{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=211}} James compared the album with "standing in a power station on acid", feeling the hum and dreamlike presence of the surrounding electricity.

{{Quote box

| quote="I'd go to sleep for ten minutes and write three tracks – only small segments, not 100 per cent finished tracks. I'd wake up and I'd only been asleep for ten minutes. That's quite mental."

| source =—Richard D. James, 1995{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=211}}

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Simon Reynolds commented that, on Volume II, James changed styles "from the idyllic, Satie-esque naïveté of early tracks like 'Analogue Bubblebath' to clammy, foreboding sound-paintings."{{cite magazine|title=Chill: The New Ambient|magazine=Artforum International|volume=33|issue=5|date=January 1995|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Reynolds|page=60|issn=1086-7058}} Reynolds stated that, along with other artists such as Seefeel, David Toop and Max Eastley, James had moved from "rave" into the vicinity of isolationism", a term coined by Kevin Martin to label music that "breaks with all of ambient's feel-good premises. Isolationism is ice-olationist, offering cold comfort.{{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Ambient – The Buzzword of '93 |work=Melody Maker |date=Christmas 1993}} Instead of pseudopastoral peace, it evokes an uneasy silence: the uncanny calm before catastrophe, the deathly quiet of aftermath." Critics elsewhere have referred to the record as dark ambient,{{cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2011/03/25/kevin-drumms-imperial-distortion-on-vinyl/|title=Kevin Drumm's Imperial Distortion on vinyl|website=Fact|date=25 March 2011|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319214635/https://www.factmag.com/2011/03/25/kevin-drumms-imperial-distortion-on-vinyl/amp/|url-status=live}} as well as drone.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/225-drukqs/|title=Aphex Twin: Drukqs|website=Pitchfork|date=25 October 2001|access-date=20 September 2018|last=Seymour|first=Malcolm III|archive-date=18 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318041833/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/225-drukqs/|url-status=live}}

Writer Mark J. Prendergast discussed Volume II for his 2000 book The Ambient Century. Prendergast noted how the general effect of the album on the listener was one that "evoked a sense of awe".{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}} Prendergast described the overall composition of Volume II as "waking dreams, replete with muffled cooing voices and phantom rhythms".{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}} He commented on a variety of tracks of Volume II. Track 3 ("Rhubarb") was described as one that emerged from a "dense fog".{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}} Track 5 ("Grass") was highlighted for its "slow, tribal" beat; Prendergast also noted it had a "kind of discreet Soviet atmosphere".{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}} Track 17 ("Z Twig") contained "keyboard splashes set to various sound frequencies" that Prendergast described as "lovely".{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}}

In a later discussion about the album, Dan Carr of Reverb called the composition of track 3 ("Rhubarb") a "rhythmically shapeless piece" which is based around a "beautiful-sounding chord progression that is repeated throughout the entire song". Carlos Hawthorn writing for Resident Advisor noted the chilling atmosphere of track 22 ("Spots"), which featured a sample taken from a stolen police interview tape with a woman who had murdered her husband.{{cite web|url=https://aphextwin.warp.net/release/68148-aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii|title=Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II|publisher=Warp|access-date=30 January 2018|last=James|first=Richard D.|author-link=Aphex Twin|archive-date=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505054454/https://aphextwin.warp.net/release/68148-aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii|url-status=live}} In a piece for The Quietus, John Doran noted how track 8 ("Blur") and track 9 ("Weathered Stone") featured a "quantized pulse".{{cite news |last1=Doran |first1=John |title=Dread Magnificence: LSD, Selected Ambient Works II & The Psychic Death of Aphex Twin |url=https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-ii-review-reissue/ |access-date=22 November 2024 |work=The Quietus |date=4 October 2024}} A retrospective review for Pitchfork described track 16 ("Grey Stripe") as "pure filtered white noise", like "the dying breath of a distant star". Track 19 ("Stone in Focus") is a slow track that contains a ticking metronome and a "slow swell" fading in and out.{{cite news |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=Aphex Twin SAW2 Countdown: Track 19 ("Stone in Focus") |url=https://gizmodo.com/aphex-twin-saw2-countdown-track-19-stone-in-focus-1509628752 |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Gizmodo |date=27 January 2014}}

File:Selected Ambient Works Volume II Radiator artwork.jpeg

The artwork for the album was designed by Paul Nicholson,{{cite web|url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=38637|title=Aphex Twin logo designer Paul Nicholson shows more unseen sketches|website=Resident Advisor|date=6 April 2017|access-date=14 April 2017|last=Coultate|first=Aaron|archive-date=15 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415201552/https://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=38637|url-status=live}} who was credited as Prototype 21 in the liner notes.{{cite AV media notes|title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|others=Aphex Twin|year=1994|publisher=Warp|id=WARPLP21LTD|last=James|first=Richard D.|author-link=Aphex Twin}}

Most of the tracks on Volume II were not given official titles; rather, each track was instead represented by a photograph in the album's artwork. Nicholson stated in an interview with Resident Advisor that the photographs were taken by James's girlfriend at the time, known only as "Sam", and that most of the photographs were taken in a flat that all three were living in together. According to James, the reason for tracks remaining untitled was due to his synesthesia.{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=211}} Rather than trying to affix tracks with titles, James would opt to identify each composition with colour instead; this was reflected within the artwork.{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=211}}

While most of the tracks were officially untitled, unofficial titles created by fan Greg Eden were adapted and are widely used today.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=68}} These fan titles were derived from the photography seen throughout the record. Eden simply "wrote what the pictures looked like" with little hesitation, i.e., all within a few minutes, and no additional contemplation.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=68}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dummymag.com/news/kanye-west-bjork-j-dilla-and-more-to-be-featured-in-upcoming-33-book-series|title=Kanye West, Bjork, J Dilla and more to be featured in a 33⅓ book series|website=Dummy|date=26 July 2013|access-date=8 February 2016|archive-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315122647/http://www.dummymag.com/news/kanye-west-bjork-j-dilla-and-more-to-be-featured-in-upcoming-33-book-series|url-status=live}} Eden would later go on to work for Warp Records in 1995, before leaving in 2005.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=17}}

The front cover of Volume II was the result of James scratching the Aphex Twin logo onto the back of a leather travel case using a razor and a compass, which Sam photographed.{{cite news |last1=Yalcinkaya |first1=Gunseli |title=Mysterious Aphex Twin logos appear in destinations across the world |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/06/aphex-twin-collapse-logo-paul-nicholson-graphics-design/ |access-date=22 November 2024 |work=Dezeen |date=6 August 2018}} Nicholson said that the pie charts and size of the photographs that represented each track in the artwork corresponded to their duration. The timecodes of a track would be converted into a decimal, then into the percentage of the total length of the side of the record the track is on, and then into a degree to be used on the pie chart.

Discussing the artwork for Bandcamp Daily, Andy Beta described the cover of the album as unfamiliar and alien, and compared the sepia tones seen within the cover art to it being affected by solar radiation exposure.{{cite news |last1=Beta |first1=Andy |title=The Road to Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works Volume II" |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-list |access-date=26 November 2024 |work=Bandcamp Daily |date=16 October 2024}} Beta described the blurry and unfocused nature of the photography and compared the pictures to them being taken on a "distant planet". Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork called the logo on the cover a relic from "some strange future-past", and compared the cover to markings that had been "discovered on some weathered desert pyramid". He also discussed the mysterious nature of the photography seen throughout the album.

Warp released Selected Ambient Works Volume II on double CD, double cassette and triple LP on 7 March 1994 in the United Kingdom,{{cite web|url=http://warp.net/records/releases/aphex-twin/selected-ambient-works-volume-ii|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II|publisher=Warp|access-date=7 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118192738/http://warp.net/records/releases/aphex-twin/selected-ambient-works-volume-ii|archive-date=18 November 2009|url-status=dead}} followed by 12 April on double CD through Sire in Australia, Japan and the United States.{{cite news|title=Progressive Retail|location=Great Neck, NY|editor-last=McLoughlin|editor-first=Megan|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/CMJ/IDX/CMJ-New-Music-Report-1994-03-21-IDX-21.pdf|work=CMJ New Music Report|publisher=College Media Inc.|date=21 March 1994|access-date=4 September 2022|archive-date=4 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904214900/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/CMJ/IDX/CMJ-New-Music-Report-1994-03-21-IDX-21.pdf|url-status=live}} The 19th track is omitted from all versions of the original release's CD pressings due to space limitations.{{cite news |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=Aphex Twin SAW2 Countdown: Track 19 ("Stone in Focus") |url=https://gizmodo.com/aphex-twin-saw2-countdown-track-19-stone-in-focus-1509628752 |access-date=25 November 2024 |work=Gizmodo |date=27 January 2014b}} It entered the Chart Information Network's Dance Albums Chart at No.{{nbsp}}1 and remained in the top five for six weeks.{{cite news |title=Dance Albums|editor-last=Redmond|editor-first=Steve|location=London|page=22|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Week-IDX/IDX/1994/Music-Week-1994-03-19-IDX-30.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730154053/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Week-IDX/IDX/1994/Music-Week-1994-03-19-IDX-30.pdf|archive-date=30 July 2024|url-status=live|work=Music Week |publisher=Spotlight Publications |date=19 March 1994}}{{cite news |title=Dance Albums|editor-last=Redmond|editor-first=Steve|location=London|page=30|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Week-IDX/IDX/1994/Music-Week-1994-04-23-IDX-38.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730154028/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Week-IDX/IDX/1994/Music-Week-1994-04-23-IDX-38.pdf|archive-date=30 July 2024|url-status=live|work=Music Week |publisher=Spotlight Publications |date=23 April 1994}} It entered the Albums Chart at No.{{nbsp}}11.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/|title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|website=Official Charts|location=London|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=20 September 2018|archive-date=3 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403164659/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27567/aphex-twin/|url-status=live}} By July 1994 the album had sold more than 60,000 copies outside the United States.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA131|title=Ambient Figureheads|magazine=Billboard|volume=106|issue=30|date=23 July 1994|access-date=2 May 2018|last=Pride|first=Dominic|page=131|archive-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613230018/https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA131|url-status=live}}

Before its release on Volume II, the track "Blue Calx" had been featured on a 1992 compilation titled The Philosophy of Sound and Machine, published by Rephlex Records.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=53}}{{cite web |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=Aphex Twin SAW2 Countdown: Track 13 ("Blue Calx") |url=https://gizmodo.com/aphex-twin-saw2-countdown-track-13-blue-calx-1514195004 |website=Gizmodo |date=2 February 2014c |access-date=10 October 2024}} An original version of track 2 ("Radiator") with added percussion was released as a part of 26 Mixes for Cash, under the title of "SAW2 CD1 TRK2, Original Mix".{{cite news |last1=Beta |first1=Andy |title=Aphex Twin: 26 Mixes for Cash Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/227-26-mixes-for-cash/ |access-date=21 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=10 April 2003}} The track was later officially named "Radiator (Original Mix)" within Peel Session 2.{{cite web |last1=Grech |first1=Aaron |title=Warp Records Announces WXAXRXP Sessions Box Set Featuring Boards of Canada's One and Only Radio Session, Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus and More |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2019/09/18/news/warp-records-announces-wxaxrxp-sessions-box-set-featuring-boards-of-canadas-one-and-only-radio-session-aphex-twin-flying-lotus-and-more/ |website=MXDWN |date=18 September 2019 |access-date=9 October 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Keeling |first1=Ryan |title=Various - WXAXRXP Sessions |url=https://ra.co/reviews/24415 |website=Resident Advisor |access-date=9 October 2024}}

On 6 March 2012 Selected Ambient Works Volume II was reissued on vinyl by record label 1972 Records.{{cite web |last1=Spice |first1=Anton |title=Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II given limited triple vinyl repress |url=https://thevinylfactory.com/news/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-vinyl/ |website=The Vinyl Factory |access-date=10 October 2024 |archive-date=9 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309181133/http://thevinylfactory.com/news/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-vinyl/ |url-status=live }} The master for this release was made from a US CD copy however, which omitted both the 4th and 19th tracks.{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twins_selected_ambient_works_volume_ii_to_get_vinyl_reissue|title=Aphex Twin's 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' to Get Vinyl Reissue|website=Exclaim!|date=13 January 2012|access-date=8 February 2016|last=Hughes|first=Josiah|archive-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307062335/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twins_selected_ambient_works_volume_ii_to_get_vinyl_reissue|url-status=live}} James added the album to his own web store in 2017 with a 26th track, "th1 [evnslower]", and the 19th track, which was its first digital availability since its inclusion on the 1994 ambient music CD compilation Excursions in Ambience: The Third Dimension.

In June 2024, Warp announced an expanded edition of the album on digital, triple CD, 4xLP and double cassette formats,{{cite news |last1=Muk |first1=Isaac |title=Warp reissues an expanded version of Aphex Twin's seminal album, 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' |url=https://crackmagazine.net/2024/06/warp-reissue-aphex-twin-album-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/ |access-date=25 November 2024 |work=Crack Magazine |date=18 June 2024}} remastered by Matt Colton.{{Cite AV media notes |title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) |title-link=Selected Ambient Works Volume II |first=Richard |last=D. James |author-link=Aphex Twin |date=2024 |page=12 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=Warp Records |id=WARPCD21R}} A 4xLP deluxe boxset came in a hinged oak case topped with an etched copper plate and accompanied by a booklet of design sketches.{{cite web |last1=Duran |first1=Anagricel |title=Aphex Twin announces 30th anniversary box set of classic 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/aphex-twin-announces-30th-anniversary-box-set-of-classic-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-3766729 |website=NME |date=18 June 2024 |access-date=27 September 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Buckle |first1=Becky |title=Aphex Twin announces expanded 30th-anniversary reissue of 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' |url=https://mixmag.net/read/aphex-twin-unveils-30th-anniversary-edition-of-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-news |access-date=25 November 2024 |work=Mixmag |date=19 June 2024 |archive-date=27 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127230156/https://mixmag.net/read/aphex-twin-unveils-30th-anniversary-edition-of-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-news |url-status=live }} The cassettes were originally released as type II chrome cassettes,{{cite web |last1=Byrne |first1=Niall |title=Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Volume II expanded edition announced |url=https://nialler9.com/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-expanded-edition-announced/ |website=Nialler9 |date=18 June 2024 |access-date=27 September 2024}} which were limited to 250 total copies.{{cite web |last1=Coney |first1=Brian |title=Aphex Twin announces 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' vinyl reissue and expanded edition |url=https://djmag.com/news/aphex-twin-announces-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-vinyl-reissue-and-expanded-edition |website=DJ Mag |date=19 June 2024 |access-date=27 September 2024}}

In September 2024, James released "th1 [evnslower]" for streaming platforms.{{cite web |last1=Lindert |first1=Hattie |title=Aphex Twin's 'th1 [evnslower]' gets first official release |url=https://ra.co/news/81220 |website=Resident Advisor |access-date=26 September 2024}} It had previously appeared in James's SoundCloud archive in 2015. The composition of "th1 [evnslower]" was described as both slow and dark.{{cite news |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=2 New Aphex Twin Tracks |url=https://disquiet.com/2024/06/18/th1-evnslower-rhubarb-orc/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Disquiet |date=18 June 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Ross |first1=Gemma |title=Previously unreleased Aphex Twin track 'th1 [evnslower]' lands on Warp Records |url=https://mixmag.net/read/unreleased-aphex-twin-track-th1-evnslower-warp-records-news |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Mixmag |date=5 September 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Duran |first1=Anagricel |title=Check out previously unreleased Aphex Twin track 'th1 [evnslower]' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/check-out-previously-unreleased-aphex-twin-track-th1-evnslower-3790944 |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=NME |date=5 September 2024}} On the same day of the release, Warp Records and James announced that listening parties for Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) would take place at record shops across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland.{{cite news |last1=Guttridge-Hewitt |first1=Martin |title=Aphex Twin's 'th1 [evnslower]' released on streaming for the first time: Listen |url=https://djmag.com/news/aphex-twins-th1-evnslower-released-streaming-first-time-listen |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=DJ |date=5 September 2024}}{{cite tweet |author=Warp Records |user=warprecords |number=1831339633663455728 |title=Sign up for updates on forthcoming album listenings in select locations.}} After the success of the chrome cassettes, Warp began production of a cassette variant made with ferric tape instead.{{cite web |last1=Ross |first1=Gemma |title=Previously unreleased Aphex Twin track 'th1 [evnslower]' lands on Warp Records |url=https://mixmag.net/read/unreleased-aphex-twin-track-th1-evnslower-warp-records-news |website=Mixmag |access-date=27 September 2024}} In October 2024, James released the single "#3 / Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev" onto streaming platforms.{{cite web |last1=Yopko |first1=Nick |title=Aphex Twin Reimagines Track From 1994 Album, "Selected Ambient Works Volume II": Listen |url=https://edm.com/music-releases/aphex-twin-rhubarb-orc-19-53-rev |website=EDM |date=2 October 2024 |access-date=9 October 2024}}

On 4 October 2024, Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) was officially released{{cite tweet |author=Aphex Twin |user=aphextwin |number=1842232901712199771 |title=SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS II (EXPANDED EDITION). RELEASED TODAY.}} and included both bonus tracks and the previously excluded 19th track.{{Cite web |title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition), by Aphex Twin |url=https://aphextwin.bandcamp.com/album/selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-expanded-edition |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Aphex Twin |language=en |archive-date=22 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922140627/https://aphextwin.bandcamp.com/album/selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-expanded-edition |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Torres |first=Eric |date=18 June 2024 |title=Aphex Twin Announces Selected Ambient Works Volume 2 Expanded Edition |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/aphex-twin-announces-selected-ambient-works-volume-2-expanded-edition/ |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US |archive-date=22 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922140627/https://pitchfork.com/news/aphex-twin-announces-selected-ambient-works-volume-2-expanded-edition/ |url-status=live }} James dedicated the re-release to his mother, Lorna, who had died in 2022. Another listening party took place at the Tate Modern in late October.{{cite web |last1=Cetin |first1=Marissa |title=Aphex Twin 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' free listening party announced for London's Tate Modern |url=https://djmag.com/news/aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-free-listening-party-announced-londons-tate-modern |website=DJ Mag |date=8 October 2024 |access-date=9 October 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Muk |first1=Isaac |title=Free listening party for Aphex Twin's expanded reissue of 'Selected Ambient Works Volume II' announced at Tate Modern |url=https://crackmagazine.net/2024/10/free-listening-party-aphex-twin-selected-ambient-works-tate/ |website=Crack Magazine |date=8 October 2024 |access-date=9 October 2024}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev1score = C{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1994/04/15/selected-ambient-works-volume-ii|title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=15 April 1994|access-date=7 February 2016|last=Aaron|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Aaron|archive-date=18 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118190252/https://ew.com/article/1994/04/15/selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/|url-status=dead}}

| rev2 = Rolling Stone

| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/aphextwin/albums/album/122902/review/6067432/selected_ambient_works_volume_ii|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=30 June 1994|access-date=7 February 2016|last=Wiederhorn|first=Jon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222163323/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/aphextwin/albums/album/122902/review/6067432/selected_ambient_works_volume_ii|archive-date=22 February 2008|url-status=dead}}

| rev3 = Select

| rev3score = 4/5{{cite magazine|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II|magazine=Select|issue=46|date=April 1994|last=Collis|first=Clark|page=89}}

| rev4 = The Village Voice

| rev4score = B−{{cite news|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv594-94.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|date=31 May 1994|access-date=13 February 2016|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|archive-date=25 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125100026/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv594-94.php|url-status=live}}

}}

Volume II received mixed reviews from critics upon release.

• {{harvnb|Doran|2024}}: "Strictly speaking SAW2 had "mixed" reviews."
• {{harvnb|Sherburne|2019}}: "SAW II was not initially greeted as an epochal event ..."

Spin gave the album a positive review, with critic Simon Reynolds acknowledging the album's "euphoric" and "majestically melancholy" tracks, but also describing the album's eerie aspect and that it could leave listeners "spooked out".{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GJOt0bM2-YC&pg=RA1-PA74|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Part II|magazine=Spin|volume=9|issue=12|date=March 1994|access-date=13 June 2020|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Reynolds|editor-last=Marks|editor-first=Craig|page=74|issn=0886-3032|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423053921/https://books.google.com/books?id=-GJOt0bM2-YC&pg=RA1-PA74|url-status=live}} Rolling Stone{{'}}s Jon Wiederhorn wrote about how artists similar to James in sound had been producing music that lacked emotion akin to elevator music, while James was able to use the ambient genre to explore "spooky, textured sound" and to confront his "shadowy demons". Wiederhorn concluded that the album played a significant part in the evolution of ambient electronic music.{{cite web |last1=Beta |first1=Andy |title=Richard D. James: 10 Essential Releases |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9512-richard-d-james-10-essential-records/ |website=Pitchfork |date=29 September 2014 |access-date=26 October 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026201214/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9512-richard-d-james-10-essential-records/ |url-status=live }} Clark Collis of Select pointed out how listeners expecting an album in the style of Selected Ambient Works 85–92 would be surprised due to Volume II's beatless structure. Collis noted the album did not give into typical conventions of electronica, but worked well as an ambient album and was a record that required attention from the listener.

Other reviews were less favourable. Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, negatively expressed how James's music was incomparable to that of Brian Eno, Jon Hassell or Harold Budd and commented on the lack of richness in Volume II's composition. Entertainment Weekly critic Charles Aaron stated that Volume II resembled an avant-garde soundtrack to a "postapocalyptic" piece of theater, similar to the compositions of Philip Glass. However, Aaron also wrote about how the album often times contained "chamber music for humorless cyber-nerds".

Selected Ambient Works Volume II was discussed by David Toop in 1995's Ocean of Sound: Aether Talk, Ambient Sound and Imaginary Worlds.{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=208}} Toop called the album a "serene, disembodied, episodic collection", and compared the album to an auditory equivalent of "a photo album filled with Polaroids of sunsets and seascapes".{{sfn|Toop|1995|p=209}} Mark Prendergast's The Ambient Century on the history of ambient music, said that Volume II managed to remain enjoyable and exciting throughout.{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}}

{{Music ratings

| subtitle = Retrospective reviews

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/selected-ambient-works-vol-2-mw0000111038|title=Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2 – Aphex Twin|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=7 February 2016|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|archive-date=17 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117100224/https://www.allmusic.com/album/selected-ambient-works-vol-2-mw0000111038|url-status=live}}

| rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |location=London |publisher=Omnibus Press |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=PA1982-IA139 1982] |edition=5th concise |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8 |chapter=Aphex Twin}}

| rev3 = Pitchfork

| rev3score = 10/10

| rev4 = Resident Advisor

| rev4score = 5/5

| rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book|chapter=Aphex Twin|last=Frere-Jones|first=Sasha|author-link=Sasha Frere-Jones|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/21 21–23]}}

| rev6 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev6score = 8/10{{cite book |chapter=Aphex Twin |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |location=New York City |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=15–16}}

| rev7 = Tom Hull - on the Web

| rev7score = B{{Cite web |last=Hull |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Hull (critic) |date=September 2012 |title=Recycled Goods (#100) |url=https://tomhull.com/ocston/arch/cg/cg12-09.php |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=tomhull.com}}

| rev8 = Q

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Vol. II|magazine=Q|issue=365|date=November 2016|page=100|issn=0955-4955|oclc=21893115}}

}}

At the end of the decade Selected Ambient Works Volume II was included on several publications' lists of top albums of the 1990s, including Rolling Stone and Spin. Hyperreal.org, a rave culture site which hosted an influential IDM mailing list,{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=63}} conducted polls that ranked the all-time ambient records; Volume II was placed as the first in 1996, and the second in 2001.{{cite web |last=Renick |first=Kevin|date=January 2002 |title=Classic Ambient Recordings: The 2001 Survey|url=http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/2001_classic_ambient.html|archive-date=3 February 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203001010/http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/2001_classic_ambient.html|website=Epsilon |publisher=Hyperreal}}{{cite web |last=Roy |first=Darryl Stephen|date=1 September 1996 |title=Ambient Albums|url=http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/1996_recommended_ambient.html|archive-date=30 June 2010|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630084328/http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/1996_recommended_ambient.html |website=Epsilon |publisher=Hyperreal}} Commenting on the audience's reaction of the album in 1999, Simon Reynolds stated that many fans of James were confused by Volume II, and that fans continually divided in discussion about the album.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bGjsvmNt8UgC&pg=PA148|title=The Greatest Albums of the '90s — 56. Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85–92 / Selected Ambient Works Volume II|magazine=Spin|volume=15|issue=9|date=September 1999|access-date=13 June 2020|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|page=148|issn=0886-3032|archive-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219231435/https://books.google.com/books?id=bGjsvmNt8UgC&pg=PA148|url-status=live}} David Fricke, Rob Sheffield, and Ann Powers of Rolling Stone stated that James had created a perfect soundtrack for recuperating after a loud night at a club, and that it was a dance album that focused on rhythm within one's head.{{cite magazine|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works, Volume II|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=812|date=13 May 1999|last1=Sheffield|first1=Rob|author-link1=Rob Sheffield|last2=Powers|first2=Ann|author-link2=Ann Powers|last3=Fricke|first3=David|author-link3=David Fricke|page=79|issn=0035-791X}} Within the Spin Alternative Record Guide, Simon Reynolds gave Volume II a positive review, acknowledging that while the album wasn't as engaging as Selected Ambient Works 85–92, it was still as impressive. Reynolds also stated that the tracks within Volume II had a "petrified and petrifying beauty". Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork gave the album a 10/10, discussing the album's long-term influence on electronica and stating how it "changed ambient music forever". Q gave the album 4/5 stars, discussing how James doubled down on his enigmatic persona with the release of Volume II.

Spin and Pitchfork both placed the album in their lists of the 1990s best albums; Pitchfork placed Volume II at number 62, while Spin placed Volume II and its previous volume both at number 56, calling it "an awe-inspiring feat of avant-techno texturology".{{r|spins90slist|Pitchfork-top}} Alex Linhardt of Pitchfork discussed how Volume II was responsible for one of the great trajectories of pop music in the 1990s, influencing the sound of artists such as Radiohead, notably for their album Kid A, and Timbaland.{{cite news |title=Between the Grooves of Radiohead's 'Kid A' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/radiohead-kid-a-tracks-atr-2496119578.html/5 |access-date=21 January 2025 |work=PopMatters |date=2 October 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/4/|title=Top 100 Albums of the 1990s|website=Pitchfork|date=17 November 2003|access-date=8 February 2016|last=Linhardt|first=Alex|archive-date=24 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324114606/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/?page=4|url-status=dead}} It was later ranked second on the website's 2016 list of the best ambient music albums, after Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports.{{cite web |last=Sherburne |first=Philip |title=The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9948-the-50-best-ambient-albums-of-all-time/?page=5 |website=Pitchfork |date=26 September 2016 |access-date=21 April 2023 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920044343/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9948-the-50-best-ambient-albums-of-all-time/?page=5 |url-status=live }} Carlos Hawthorn of Resident Advisor gave the album a 5/5 for its 25th anniversary, writing that Volume II created atmospheres made up of vivid textures and sounds.

Critics such as Tom Hull and Sasha Frere-Jones criticised the repetitive nature of the composition of tracks within the album. Frere-Jones wrote about how the album could be beautiful at points, but was generally repetitive throughout. In a biography discussing James in the 2001 edition of the All Music Guide to Electronica, John Bush referred to the album multiple times as a "joke on the electronic community" due to its minimal composition and its difference in sound from Selected Ambient Works 85–92 and On.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=13}}{{cite book |last1=Bogdanov |first1=Vladimir |title=All Music Guide to Electronica |date=2001 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=978-0-87930-628-1 |page=17 |url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidetoe00vlad/mode/2up |access-date=10 January 2025}} In the same guide, reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote about the album's mysterious and difficult nature for most listeners, while also stating that many would find it fascinating.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=13}}{{cite book |last1=Bogdanov |first1=Vladimir |title=All Music Guide to Electronica |date=2001 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=978-0-87930-628-1 |page=18 |url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidetoe00vlad/mode/2up |access-date=10 January 2025}} Marc Weidenbaum discussed how there were continued rumours of Volume II being a joke or prank, and that it was used supposedly to exploit the popularity of Selected Ambient Works 85–92.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=54}}

Mark Richardson of Pitchfork noted that Selected Ambient Works Volume II was "a very early example of a record being anticipated, experienced, and, ultimately, analyzed in minute detail through online communication." Pitchfork noted that the electronic mailing list titled IDM had a profound influence on how the album would be received in the future, noting the community's influence in relation to the album's mysterious non-titles. Weidenbaum noted how the fan titles coined by Greg Eden still see mass use today, with the titles being used within the iTunes store listening for Volume II and being used throughout publications and James's fanbase.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=68}} Simon Reynolds wrote that the album signalled a shift in techno and ambient music toward a darker sound reminiscent of Brian Eno's notion of "environmental music".{{cite book|title=Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture|last=Reynolds|first=Simon|author-link=Simon Reynolds|publisher=Soft Skull Press|year=2012|isbn=978-1-5937-6407-4|page=178}}

Track 19, unofficially titled "Stone in Focus", became one of the most best known tracks from Volume II.{{cite news |title=The 50 best Aphex Twin tracks of all time |url=https://www.factmag.com/2017/04/14/best-aphex-twin-songs/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=Fact |date=14 April 2017 |archive-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704175541/https://www.factmag.com/2017/04/14/best-aphex-twin-songs/ |url-status=live }} The Guardian ranked the track halfway among James's 20 best songs.{{cite news |last1=Dayal |first1=Geeta |title=Aphex Twin's best songs – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/28/aphex-twin-best-songs-ranked |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=28 February 2019 |archive-date=3 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503172858/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/28/aphex-twin-best-songs-ranked |url-status=live }} Geeta Dayal noted how a YouTube upload of the track had gained a large number of views, as well as thousands of comments that discussed "everything from the vastness of the universe to monoliths and existential despair". Fact ranked the track at 41 in a list of the 50 best songs by James, calling it one of the "most disarming and memorable tracks" from Volume II.

Music from Volume II has been used in various pieces of media, such as in the 2002 documentary film, Devil's Playground.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=98}}{{cite news |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=Highlighting Selected Ambient Works Volume 2 |url=https://disquiet.com/2018/02/04/highlighting-selected-ambient-works-volume-2/ |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=Disquiet |date=4 February 2018 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328145428/https://disquiet.com/2018/02/04/highlighting-selected-ambient-works-volume-2/ |url-status=live }} Tracks such as "Cliffs" were used for the intro and outro of the documentary. Reid W. Dunn, known by the alias Wisp, released a selection of remixes of tracks from Volume II in 2004 for the album's tenth anniversary.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=58}} Weidenbaum discussed how the composition of the "Cliffs" mix in particular was enhanced by "the clanking of what seems to be a manual typewriter".{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=58}} In 2008, the orchestra Alarm Will Sound released a live performance album, Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin, featuring two tracks from Volume II: "Blue Calx" and "Cliffs".{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=83}}

James drifted from ambient music after Volume II with his subsequent EP Ventolin and other releases.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=121}} One critic likened James's following album, ...I Care Because You Do, to an "industrial scream" against the "pastoral whisper" of Volume II.{{cite news |title=The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10011-the-50-best-idm-albums-of-all-time/?page=4 |access-date=11 January 2025 |work=Pitchfork |date=24 January 2017 |archive-date=8 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508163544/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10011-the-50-best-idm-albums-of-all-time/?page=4 |url-status=live }}

{{Track listing

| headline = Selected Ambient Works Volume II track listing

| title_width = 40%

| all_writing = Richard D. James.

| extra_column = Unofficial title

| extra1 = cliffs

| length1 = 7:27

| extra2 = radiator

| length2 = 6:34

| extra3 = rhubarb{{efn|name=expanded|Track 3, "Rhubarb", was officially named within the Expanded Edition liner notes.}}

| length3 = 7:44

| extra4 = hankie

| note4 = {{efn|Track 4, "Hankie", is omitted from all original US CD pressings and the 2017 vinyl repress. It is present in the 2024 Expanded Edition.}}

| length4 = 4:39

| extra5 = grass

| length5 = 8:55

| extra6 = mould

| length6 = 3:31

| extra7 = curtains

| length7 = 8:51

| extra8 = blur

| length8 = 5:08

| extra9 = weathered stone

| length9 = 6:54

| extra10 = tree

| length10 = 9:58

| extra11 = domino

| length11 = 7:18

| extra12 = white blur 1

| length12 = 2:43

| title13 = Blue Calx

| length13 = 7:20

| extra14 = parallel stripes

| length14 = 8:00

| extra15 = shiny metal rods

| length15 = 5:33

| extra16 = grey stripe

| length16 = 4:45

| extra17 = z twig

| length17 = 2:05

| extra18 = windowsill

| length18 = 7:16

| extra19 = stone in focus

| note19 = {{efn|Track 19, "Stone in Focus", is omitted from all original CD pressings due to capacity limits of the format and the 2017 vinyl repress because the masters for the pressing were based on the US CD release. It is present in the 2024 Expanded Edition.}}

| length19 = 10:14

| extra20 = hexagon

| length20 = 5:58

| extra21 = lichen

| length21 = 4:15

| extra22 = spots

| length22 = 7:10

| extra23 = tassels

| length23 = 7:30

| extra24 = white blur 2

| length24 = 11:27

| extra25 = matchsticks

| length25 = 5:41

| total_length = 166:53

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2024 Expanded Edition bonus tracks

| title_width = 80%

| title26 = th1 [evnslower]

| length26 = 11:07

| title27 = Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev

| note27 = {{efn|"Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev" is a reversed orchestral rendition of track 3, ("Rhubarb").}}

| length27 = 6:41

| total_length = 184:53

}}

Credits adapted from liner notes unless noted.

• Richard D. James – writer, producer, liner notes, photography
• Prototype 21 [Paul Nicholson] – designer
• "Sam" – photography [uncredited]

Expanded Edition credits:

• Marek Moś – conductor, arranger (on "Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev")
• AUKSO Tychy Chamber Orchestra – performer (on "Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev")
• Octava Ensemble – performer (on "Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev")
• Matt Colton – remastering

{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for Selected Ambient Works Volume II}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Aphex Twin|title=Selected Ambient Works – Vol Ii|award=Silver|certyear=2020|relyear=1996|id=16386-2691-2|access-date=1 May 2020}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last1=Weidenbaum |first1=Marc |title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II |date=2014a |series=33⅓ |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London/New York |isbn=9781623567637 |url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/aphex-twins-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-9781623568900/ |access-date=10 January 2025 |archive-date=30 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530152039/https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/aphex-twins-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii-9781623568900/ |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |last1=Toop |first1=David |author-link=David Toop |title=Ocean of Sound: Aether Talk, Ambient Sound and Imaginary Worlds |year=1995 |publisher=Serpent's Tail |location=London |isbn=9781852423827}}
• {{cite book |last1=Prendergast |first1=Mark J. |title=The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby – The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age |date=2000 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-1-58234-134-7}}

{{refend}}

• {{Discogs master|481|Selected Ambient Works Volume II}}

{{Aphex Twin}}

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