When Drukqs was released in 2001, the music press largely disliked it, commonly considered to be a bloated, shapeless record, a sidestep that didn't evolve Aphex Twin's sound and whose attempts at emotivity weren't successful. At a time when the identity of Richard D. James as a musician was firmly on the ground of a snide jokester, the idea of an intimate record collecting his musical exploits without a sarcastic facade was one which didn't convince the majority of its effectiveness. 25 years later, it is widely considered to be a masterpiece, filled with both incredibly emotive, and incredibly impressive tracks.

It is 30 tracks whose order, importance, or reason isn't immediately clear, it bounces from acoustic instrument experimentation, synthesizer sound experimentation, drill n' bass, personal snippets into Richard D. James' life, acoustic instrument compositions, ambient, and everything in between, in widely differing sound palettes. Such sequences as 'Cock/ver10' into 'Avril 14th' into 'Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount' shouldn't work. Two aggressive drill n' bass tracks with differing sonic vocabularies, one of the chopped drum break tradition, one of the tight drum machine sequencing tradition, bridged together by a dulcet piano piece played by a Disklavier, somewhat uncanny in its robotic MIDI qualities juxtaposed by the sounds of a real grand piano, yet there is a common subconscious link together, you can tell they were made by the same person in a strange abstract way, and this bridge works somewhat like the country roads that separate two large cities, a short tranquil repose before being plunged back into a frenetic environment.

The record provides an intimate view into Richard D. James' musical experimentation. While it may provide actual views into his own life, such as the birthday voicemail 'Lornaderek', its honesty and intimacy is better demonstrated in the manner with which he earnestly demonstrates what he loves in music and what made him tick. There is no facade, no sarcasm, the drill n' bass tracks lose the nursery rhyme backdrops of 1997's Richard D. James Album, and are more intent on following the raver, hard jungle tradition of short vocal quips and hard-hitting synth lines. A track such as 'Cock/ver10' feels like a love letter to hard dancefloor jungle; fast drum breaks, an acid bassline and synthesizer pads, with the function to make you bang your head to its fast tempo. This earnestness can also be seen in the acoustic tracks, piano piece and album closer 'Nanou2' is a deeply bittersweet track that feels personal and intimate, softly melancholic as it slowly plays chords answered by a single note, it simply attempts to transmit emotions without an ulterior motive. Richard D. James wants to transmit to the listener personally, emotions being sent unfiltered, appearing like a personal look into what he likes, what he has been playing with, and what he wants to do in the future, there is no attempt to deceive, it simply is a portrait of himself at that point in the early 2000s.

It is a record whose enjoyment is amplified via the hindsight of 25 years of future development, wherein, from a bird's eye view, it all makes sense. In its original virgin state in 2001, it appeared more like a sidestep of incremental development, a little, seemingly randomized, selection of tracks spread throughout two CDs worth of music, with a curious attempt at making more intimate music. A chapter of his career that only makes sense when you have heard the following ones, this was the first time he showcased what he loved in music without hiding behind irony, something which he has continued doing for his following records. Whilst the joker has remained in him, it has not impeded emotion and connection with the listener.