Polygon Window

𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 1993, 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙊𝙣 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙪𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙥’𝙨 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙀𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 3 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙀𝙋.

Polygon Window was one of Richard D. James’ earliest aliases following the breakthrough of AFX with the Selected Ambient Works and Analogue Bubblebath volumes, and has since become a fan favourite. The name first appeared on the Artificial Intelligence compilation under his Dice Man moniker, later spawning a pair of 12”s and this full-length, celebrated for advancing his then-signature blend of trippy rave techno and bittersweet downbeats.

The original nine tracks are now joined by Iketa, Quoth (Wooden Thump Mix) and Bike Pump Meets Bucket, providing a clear bridge between the ambient depths of SAW II, released the same year, and the more intricate experiments of Hangable Autobulb and his mid-’90s golden run of albums.

Titled by Warp co-founder Rob Mitchell, Surfing On Sine Waves debuted at #2 on the UK dance charts and introduced some of James’ most enduring work, including the icy ambient house of If It Really Is Me, the industrial techno archetype UT1-Dot, the raw acid jack of Untitled and the spectral echo of SAW II in Quino-Phec. The album also leaves subtle traces back to the Celtic landscapes of his native Cornwall, evoking the quiet creeks, valleys and ancient sites that continue to shape the timeless and uncanny aura of his music.