Few artists have had a more lasting impact on the shape of electronic music than Richard D. James. If the scene often feels shrouded in mystery, we have him to thank: Born in Ireland in 1971, the Cornwall, UK-based producer best known as Aphex Twin has gone by scads of aliases (Polygon Window, GAK, Power-Pill) and fostered wild speculation—that he lives in a bank vault, or drives a tank. His trickster persona has led to stunts like DJing with sandpaper and spectacles like his terrifying “Come to Daddy” video. But it’s James’ playful spirit and dazzlingly complex programming that have endured the most, spread across the ethereal fantasias of 1992’s u003cIu003eSelected Ambient Works 85-92u003c/Iu003e, the mercurial drill ’n’ bass cadences of 1995’s u003cIu003e...I Care Because You Dou003c/Iu003e, and 1996’s u003cIu003eRichard D. James Albumu003c/Iu003e. Beyond the confines of IDM—that’s “intelligent dance music”—a subgenre that sprouted up around James’ mischievous rave mutations, his influence can be heard in James Blake’s crinkled sound design and Skrillex’s kinetic bass whirlwinds. Following 2001’s restlessly experimental u003cIu003eDrukqsu003c/Iu003e, home to the lovely piano sketch “Avril 14th,” which Kanye repurposed for 2010’s “Blame Game,” Aphex Twin went dark for more than a decade. u003cIu003eSyrou003c/Iu003e, his 2014 comeback, demonstrated a deeper, woozier sound, full of strange detunings and odd, shuddering grooves that have continued to distinguish his work across subsequent releases.