Surfing on Sine Waves is an album by Polygon Window, a pseudonym of electronic music producer Richard D. James, also popularly known as Aphex Twin. Released on January 11, 1993, the album is a part of Warp's artificial intelligence series. At the time, Warp was experimenting with creating music designed to be heard, rather than danced to.
Surfing on Sine Waves stands as one of Richard D. James' earliest full-length releases and his first for Warp. In this album, he set about exploring the outer reaches of techno music, moving away from the genre’s usual dancefloor orientation. The album is popular for its minimalist approach, relying heavily on Roland drum machines, and the profoundly original use of the 303 bass synthesizer.
Tracks such as "Polygon Window" and others exhibit hypnotic beats and house tendencies, with abstract textures and strange sounds. These quirky layers would come to characterize much of James's later work. The album concludes with an abstract piece "Quoth," which deviates from the full album's previous material by exhibiting high-tempo, chaotic percussive elements.
Overall, Surfing on Sine Waves is noted for its innovative use of sound, setting the stage for Aphex Twin's later works full of strange, unique, and complex electronic music, thereby carving him a notable spot in the history of electronic music.
