Editing Selected Ambient Works Volume II

{{Redirect|SAW II|the film|Saw II}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Selected Ambient Works Volume&nbsp;II
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Aphex Twin]]
| cover      = Selected Ambient Works Volume II cover.jpg
| border     = yes
| alt        =
| released   = {{Start date|1994|3|7|df=y}}
| recorded   = 1992–1993
| genre      =
* [[Ambient music|Ambient]]
* [[dark ambient]]
* [[Electronic music|electronic]]
* [[Drone music|drone]]
* [[minimal music|minimalism]]
| length     = {{Duration|m=156|s=42}} (CD)<br/>{{Duration|m=166|s=53}} (LP/MC)<br/>{{Duration|m=184|s=53}} (Expanded Edition)
| label      = [[Warp Records|Warp]]
| producer   = [[Aphex Twin|Richard D. James]]
| chronology = [[Aphex Twin|Richard D. James]]
| prev_title = [[On (EP)|On]]
| prev_year  = 1993
| next_title = [[GAK (EP)|GAK]]
| next_year  = 1994
| misc         = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Aphex Twin]] album
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[Selected Ambient Works 85–92]]
 | prev_year  = 1992
 | title      = Selected Ambient Works Volume II
 | year       = 1994
 | next_title = [[Classics (Aphex Twin album)|Classics]]
 | next_year  = 1995
}}
}}

'''''Selected Ambient Works Volume II''''' (abbreviated as '''''SAW II'''''<ref name="saw-book">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/paper-trail/9388-aphex-twins-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/|title=Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=25 April 2014|access-date=22 November 2024|last=Richardson|first=Mark|archive-date=9 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209044042/http://pitchfork.com/features/paper-trail/9388-aphex-twins-selected-ambient-works-volume-ii/|url-status=live}}</ref>) is the second studio album by the British [[electronic music]] artist and producer [[Aphex Twin|Richard D. James]] under the alias Aphex Twin. It was released on 7{{nbsp}}March 1994 through [[Warp Records]]. Following James's [[ambient techno]] debut ''[[Selected Ambient Works 85–92]]'', ''Volume II'' features purely [[ambient music]]. James was inspired by [[lucid dream]]ing and likened the album to "standing in a [[power station]] on [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|acid]]."<ref name="DavidToop1">{{cite magazine|title=Lost in Space|magazine=[[The Face (magazine)|The Face]]|issn=	0263-1210|page=54|volume=2|issue=66|date=March 1994|last=Toop|first=David|author-link=David Toop}}</ref> Most of the tracks on ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' were untitled and represented with abstract photographs and [[pie chart]]s. Fan-named, unofficial titles are still widely used today.

The album received mixed reviews upon release; critics mainly criticised its largely beatless composition and the repetition throughout. The record entered the [[Chart Information Network|{{abbr|CIN|Chart Information Network}}]]'s [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]] at No.{{nbsp}}1 and the [[UK Albums Chart|Albums Chart]] at No.{{nbsp}}11.<ref name=MwMar94/><ref name=UKchart/> Retrospective reviews of the album were more positive, and have described its major role in the evolution of ambient music and electronica. In 2016 ''Pitchfork'' picked ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' as the second greatest ambient album of all time, after [[Brian Eno]]'s ''[[Ambient 1: Music for Airports]]''. A remastered and expanded reissue of the album was released in October 2024 with two bonus tracks.

== Background ==
Richard D. James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is an electronic music producer from Cornwall.<ref>{{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}}</ref> After his first release, the 1991 [[acid techno]] EP ''[[Analogue Bubblebath]]'',<ref name=DarbyRC>{{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}}</ref> his first studio album, ''[[Selected Ambient Works 85–92]]'', released to critical acclaim in 1992{{r|EOPM}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=Aphex Twin: ''Selected Ambient Works 85{{nbnd}}92'' |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=263 |date=June 2008 |page=156}}</ref> with [[R&S Records]].{{r|Savage}} The [[ambient techno]] album was a defining factor in the evolution of electronic music<ref name="independent">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 (website)|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 }}</ref> and immediately garnered James an underground following.<ref name=Savage>{{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}}</ref> Arriving at the peak of the "[[house music|house]] explosion",<ref name="independent" /> the album was in contrast to the era's "hardcore" and "aggressive" [[electronica]]<ref>{{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 (magazine)|Clash]] |date=12 February 2017}}</ref> and "proved that techno could be more than druggy dance music".<ref>{{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}}</ref> James signed with [[Warp Records]],{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=1}} where he released albums such as ''[[Surfing on Sine Waves]]'' under different aliases.<ref>{{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 (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=18 March 2002}}</ref> He also pursued his own record label, [[Rephlex Records]].{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=1}} James's [[Extended play|EP]], ''[[On (EP)|On]]'', directly preceded ''Volume II''{{'s}} release.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=51}}

== Recording and composition ==

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.<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 (UK magazine)|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 }}</ref> James has stated that most of ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' had been recorded in 1993, a year before the album's official release,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kessler |first=Ted |date=8 January 1994 |title=Swing Your Panzers! |magazine=[[NME]] |publisher=TI Media Ltd. |page=28}}</ref> in his [[London]] and [[Cornwall]] home studios.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=22 January 1994 |title=Aphex Twin Dreams On |magazine=[[Melody Maker]] |page=2}}</ref> 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 (England)|Cornwall College]].{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=53}}<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> His North London home studio, built in 1993, contained a variety of old [[Electronic Music Studios|EMS]], [[Moog synthesizer|Moog]], [[ARP Instruments|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 AKS|EMS Synthi A Mk1]] and a [[Studiomaster]] Star System. A [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] CS-5 was also used in the recording of the album, and was later auctioned with the album's [[liner notes]] inscribed.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref name="reverbsawii">{{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.com|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}}</ref>

{{Listen
| filename = Aphex Twin - Track 3 ("Rhubarb").mp3
| title = "#3"
| description = The third track on the album, known as "Rhubarb". #3 is a soft ambient piece made up of a repeating chord progression.
| pos = right
}}

''Volume II'' differs significantly from ''Selected Ambient Works 85–92''. Rather than featuring tracks driven by [[ambient techno]] and soft breakbeats,<ref>{{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 }}</ref> ''Volume II'' features both quiet and minimal compositions and "chilly" textured soundscapes that have been described as "dark", "forboding" and "empty".<ref name="pitchfork">{{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 (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}}</ref>{{sfn|Prendergast|2000|p=420}}<ref name="ra">{{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}}</ref> The album makes liberal use of [[Microtonal music|microtonal]] [[musical tuning]]s, an interest of James's at the time.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>

James credited the album to his [[lucid dream]]ing.{{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.<ref name="DavidToop1"/>

{{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}}
| width= 30em
| align= left
| salign= left
}}

[[Simon Reynolds]] commented that, on ''Volume II'', James changed styles "from the idyllic, [[Erik Satie|Satie]]-esque naïveté of early tracks like '[[Analogue Bubblebath]]' to clammy, foreboding sound-paintings."<ref name="artforum">{{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}}</ref> Reynolds stated that, along with other artists such as [[Seefeel]], [[David Toop]] and [[Max Eastley]], James had moved from "rave" into the vicinity of [[Dark ambient#Isolationism|isolationism]]", a term coined by [[Kevin Martin (British musician)|Kevin Martin]] to label music that "breaks with all of ambient's feel-good premises. Isolationism is ice-olationist, offering cold comfort.<ref name="melodyreynolds">{{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Ambient – The Buzzword of '93 |work=Melody Maker |date=Christmas 1993}}</ref> Instead of pseudopastoral peace, it evokes an uneasy silence: the uncanny calm before catastrophe, the deathly quiet of aftermath."<ref name="artforum" /> Critics elsewhere have referred to the record as [[dark ambient]],<ref name="reverbsawii" /><ref>{{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 (UK magazine)|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}}</ref> as well as [[drone music|drone]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/225-drukqs/|title=Aphex Twin: Drukqs|website=[[Pitchfork (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}}</ref>

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.com|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".<ref name="reverbsawii" /> 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.<ref name="ra" /><ref name="field recording">{{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 (record label)|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}}</ref> In a piece for ''[[The Quietus]]'', John Doran noted how track 8 ("Blur") and track 9 ("Weathered Stone") featured a "quantized pulse".<ref name="Dquietus">{{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}}</ref> A retrospective review for ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' described track 16 ("Grey Stripe") as "pure filtered [[white noise]]", like "the dying breath of a distant star".<ref name="pitchfork" /> Track 19 ("Stone in Focus") is a slow track that contains a ticking [[metronome]] and a "slow swell" fading in and out.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Artwork==
[[File:Selected Ambient Works Volume II Radiator artwork.jpeg|thumb|An example of the photography seen throughout ''Volume II'' to represent its tracks. This image represents track 2 ("Radiator").]]
The artwork for the album was designed by Paul Nicholson,<ref name= "art interview">{{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}}</ref> who was credited as Prototype 21 in the liner notes.<ref name="sleeve-vinyl">{{cite AV media notes|title=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|others=[[Aphex Twin]]|year=1994|publisher=[[Warp (record label)|Warp]]|id=WARPLP21LTD|last=James|first=Richard D.|author-link=Aphex Twin}}</ref>

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.<ref name="reverbsawii" /> 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.<ref name= "art interview" /> 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.<ref name="saw-book" />{{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}}<ref name="dummy">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="saw-book" /><ref>{{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}}</ref> Nicholson said that the pie charts and size of the photographs that represented each track in the artwork corresponded to their duration.<ref name= "art interview"/> 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.<ref name= "art interview"/>

Discussing the artwork for ''[[Bandcamp#Bandcamp Daily|Bandcamp Daily]]'', Andy Beta described the cover of the album as unfamiliar and alien, and compared the [[sepia tone]]s seen within the cover art to it being affected by [[solar radiation]] exposure.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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".<ref name="pitchfork" /> He also discussed the mysterious nature of the photography seen throughout the album.<ref name="pitchfork" />

==Release==
Warp released ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' on double [[compact disc|CD]], double [[Cassette tape|cassette]] and triple [[Phonograph record|LP]] on 7 March 1994 in the United Kingdom,<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name=warp-release>{{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 (record label)|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}}</ref> followed by 12 April on double CD through Sire in Australia, Japan and the United States.<ref name=CMJmar94a>{{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#CMJ New Music Report|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}}</ref> [[Stone in Focus|The 19th track]] is omitted from all versions of the original release's CD pressings due to [[Compact disc#Physical details|space limitations]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> It entered the [[Chart Information Network|{{abbr|CIN|Chart Information Network}}]]'s [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]] at No.{{nbsp}}1 and remained in the top five for six weeks.<ref name=MwMar94>{{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}}</ref><ref name=MwApr94>{{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}}</ref> It entered the [[UK Albums Chart|Albums Chart]] at No.{{nbsp}}11.<ref name=UKchart>{{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}}</ref> By July 1994 the album had sold more than 60,000 copies outside the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA131|title=Ambient Figureheads|magazine=[[Billboard (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}}</ref>

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}}<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{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 (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=10 April 2003}}</ref> The track was later officially named "Radiator (Original Mix)" within ''Peel Session 2''.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Keeling |first1=Ryan |title=Various - WXAXRXP Sessions |url=https://ra.co/reviews/24415 |website=Resident Advisor |access-date=9 October 2024}}</ref>

On 6 March 2012 ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' was reissued on vinyl by [[record label]] 1972 Records.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> The master for this release was made from a US CD copy however, which omitted both the 4th and 19th tracks.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="field recording"/>

===Expanded edition===
In June 2024, Warp announced an expanded edition of the album on digital, triple CD, 4xLP and double cassette formats,<ref>{{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}}</ref> [[remaster]]ed by [[Matt Colton]].<ref name=2024linernotes>{{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}}</ref> A 4xLP deluxe boxset came in a hinged oak case topped with an etched copper plate and accompanied by a booklet of design sketches.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> The cassettes were originally released as [[Compact Cassette tape types and formulations#Type II|type II chrome cassettes]],<ref>{{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}}</ref> which were limited to 250 total copies.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

In September 2024, James released "th1 [evnslower]" for streaming platforms.<ref>{{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}}</ref> It had previously appeared in James's [[Aphex Twin SoundCloud demos|SoundCloud archive]] in 2015. The composition of "th1 [evnslower]" was described as both slow and dark.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 shop]]s across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |author=Warp Records |user=warprecords |number=1831339633663455728 |title=Sign up for updates on forthcoming album listenings in select locations.}}</ref> After the success of the chrome cassettes, Warp began production of a cassette variant made with ferric tape instead.<ref>{{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}}</ref> In October 2024, James released the [[Single (music)|single]] "#3 / Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev" onto streaming platforms.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

On 4 October 2024, ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition)'' was officially released<ref>{{cite tweet |author=Aphex Twin |user=aphextwin |number=1842232901712199771 |title=SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS II (EXPANDED EDITION). RELEASED TODAY.}}</ref> and included both bonus tracks and the previously excluded 19th track.<ref name=":0">{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> James dedicated the re-release to his mother, Lorna, who had died in 2022.<ref name="2024linernotes"/> Another listening party took place at the [[Tate Modern]] in late October.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev1score = C<ref name="ew">{{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}}</ref>
| rev2 =  ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="rs-review">{{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}}</ref>
| rev3 =  ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev3score = 4/5<ref name="select review">{{cite magazine|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II|magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]]|issue=46|date=April 1994|last=Collis|first=Clark|page=89}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev4score = B−<ref name="christgau">{{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}}</ref>
}}

''Volume II'' received mixed reviews from critics upon release.<ref name=mixed>
* {{harvnb|Doran|2024}}: "Strictly speaking SAW2 had "mixed" reviews."
* {{harvnb|Sherburne|2019}}: "SAW II was not initially greeted as an epochal event ..."
</ref> ''[[Spin (magazine)|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".<ref name="spin-review">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GJOt0bM2-YC&pg=RA1-PA74|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Part II|magazine=[[Spin (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}}</ref> ''[[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".<ref name="rs-review" /> Wiederhorn concluded that the album played a significant part in the evolution of ambient electronic music.<ref name="rs-review" /><ref>{{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 }}</ref> Clark Collis of ''[[Select (magazine)|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.<ref name="select review" /> 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.<ref name="select review" />

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.<ref name="christgau" /> ''[[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]].<ref name="ew" /> However, Aaron also wrote about how the album often times contained "chamber music for humorless cyber-nerds".<ref name="ew" />

''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' was discussed by [[David Toop]] in 1995's ''[[Ocean of Sound (book)|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 [[Polaroid film|Polaroid]]s 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}}

==Legacy==
===Retrospective reviews===
{{Music ratings
| subtitle = Retrospective reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{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}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="EOPM">{{cite book |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|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}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev3score = 10/10<ref name="pitchfork" />
| rev4 = ''[[Resident Advisor]]''
| rev4score = 5/5<ref name="ra" />
| rev5 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="rs-guide">{{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]}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev6score = 8/10<ref name="spinguide">{{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}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Tom Hull - on the Web]]''
| rev7score = B<ref name="hull">{{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}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="q">{{cite magazine|title=Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Vol. II|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=365|date=November 2016|page=100|issn=0955-4955|oclc=21893115}}</ref>
}}
At the end of the decade ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' was included on several publications' lists of [[List of 1990s albums considered the best|top albums of the 1990s]], including ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Spin''.<ref name="spins90slist" /><ref name="rs-1990s" /> [[Hyperreal.org]], a rave culture site which hosted an influential [[Intelligent dance music|IDM]] [[electronic mailing list|mailing list]],<ref name="pitchfork" />{{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.<ref>{{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.org|Hyperreal]]}}</ref><ref>{{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.org|Hyperreal]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name="spins90slist">{{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 (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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="rs-1990s">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="spinguide" /> Reynolds also stated that the tracks within ''Volume II'' had a "petrified and petrifying beauty".<ref name="spinguide" /> Philip Sherburne of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' gave the album a 10/10, discussing the album's long-term influence on electronica and stating how it "changed ambient music forever".<ref name="pitchfork" /> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' gave the album 4/5 stars, discussing how James doubled down on his enigmatic persona with the release of ''Volume II''.<ref name="q" />

''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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=Pitchfork-top>{{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 (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}}</ref> 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]]''.<ref name="Best">{{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 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="ra"/>

Critics such as [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]] and [[Sasha Frere-Jones]] criticised the repetitive nature of the composition of tracks within the album.<ref name="hull" /><ref name="rs-guide" /> Frere-Jones wrote about how the album could be beautiful at points, but was generally repetitive throughout.<ref name="rs-guide" /> 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}}<ref name="AMguide">{{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}}</ref> 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}}<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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}}

===Influence===
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."<ref name="saw-book" /> ''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.<ref name="saw-book" /> 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".<ref name=Reynolds-Energy-Flash>{{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}}</ref>

Track 19, unofficially titled "Stone in Focus", became one of the most best known tracks from ''Volume II''.<ref name="factSIF">{{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 (UK magazine)|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 }}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' ranked the track halfway among James's 20 best songs.<ref name="grank">{{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 }}</ref> 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".<ref name="grank" /> ''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''.<ref name="factSIF" />

Music from ''Volume II'' has been used in various pieces of media, such as in the 2002 documentary film, ''[[Devil's Playground (2002 film)|Devil's Playground]]''.{{sfn|Weidenbaum|2014a|p=98}}<ref>{{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 }}</ref> 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 (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''.<ref>{{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 (website)|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 }}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline = ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II'' track listing
| title_width = 40%
| all_writing = Richard D. James<ref name="sleeve-vinyl"/>
| 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.<ref name="2024linernotes"/>}}
| 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
}}

==Personnel==
Credits adapted from liner notes unless noted.<ref name="sleeve-vinyl"/>
* [[Aphex Twin|Richard D. James]] – writer, producer, liner notes, photography
* Prototype 21 [Paul Nicholson] – designer
* "Sam" – photography [uncredited]<ref name= "art interview"/>

Expanded Edition credits:<ref name="2024linernotes"/>
* 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

== Charts ==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II''
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|UK2|11|date=19940313|rowheader=true|access-date=22 March 2024}}
|-
!scope="row"|UK [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]] ([[Official Charts Company|CIN]])<ref name=MwMar94/>
|align="center"|1
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 2024 chart performance for ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II''
! scope="col"| Chart (2024)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2024-10-14|title=ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart|publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association]]|date=14 October 2024|access-date=11 October 2024}}</ref>
| 46
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|5|artist=Aphex Twin|album=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|26|artist=Aphex Twin|album=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|rowheader=true|access-date=13 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|14|artist=Aphex Twin|album=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|13|id=23478|artist=Aphex Twin|album=Selected Ambient Works Volume II|rowheader=true|access-date=11 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Ireland|97|M|url=http://www.irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Albums|title=Irish Albums Chart: 11 October 2024|publisher=[[Irish Recorded Music Association]]|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Oricon|37|date=2024<!-- keep YYYY-MM-DD -->-10-14/p/4|rowheader=true|access-date=9 October 2024}}
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Hot Albums (''[[Billboard Japan]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2024&month=10&day=14|title=Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of October 9, 2024|website=[[Billboard Japan]]|language=ja|access-date=9 October 2024|archive-date=9 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009045356/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2024&month=10&day=14|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 50
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|7|date=20241011|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2024}}
|-
! scope="row"| Swedish Physical Albums ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/234?dspy=2024&dspp=41|title=Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 41|publisher=[[Sverigetopplistan]]|access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref>
| 14
|-
{{album chart|UK2|21|date=20241011|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2024|refname=UK2024}}
|-
{{album chart|UKDance|1|date=20241011|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|UKIndependent|5|date=20241011|rowheader=true|access-date=12 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|135|artist=Aphex Twin|rowheader=true|access-date=15 October 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardDanceElectronic|3|artist=Aphex Twin|rowheader=true|access-date=15 October 2024}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{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}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

{{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}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs master|481|Selected Ambient Works Volume II}}

{{Aphex Twin}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aphex Twin albums]]
[[Category:1994 albums]]
[[Category:Warp Records albums]]
[[Category:Sire Records albums]]
[[Category:Ambient albums]]
[[Category:Sequel albums]]
[[Category:Drone music albums by Irish artists]]
[[Category:Drone music albums by British artists]]
[[Category:Minimal music albums]]