The Tuss - Aphex Twin Speculation

Aphex Twin Speculation

The Guardian newspaper printed rumours that The Tuss is a possible pseudonym of Aphex Twin (see Aphex Twin's discography), or a collaboration featuring him. A newsletter from Warp comparing Confederation Trough's sound to that of an Analord release along with an article in The Guardian supports the theory that The Tuss is Richard D. James. The use of a Yamaha GX1, an exceptionally rare and expensive (even at the time of release) analog synthesizer also seems to suggest that Brian or Karen Tregaskin is Aphex Twin, as he is one of the few owners of such a synthesizer in the United Kingdom. James also played a track from Rushup Edge during live sets in Mayrhofen, Austria, and Turin, Italy, in 2005 and in Manchester (two years before the release of Rushup Edge), although he played tracks by Squarepusher, Cylob, and Luke Vibert live as well.

Further evidence that Richard D. James is at least a member of The Tuss is provided by the fact that all Tuss tracks are published in the BMI Repertoire under the name JAMES RICHARD DAVID (BMI). For example, the track "Alspacka" from the Confederation Trough EP has JAMES RICHARD DAVID listed as the Songwriter/Composer.

Additionally, the digital releases sold on the Rephlex website are tagged with Richard D. James as the composer. Richard D. James has commented on the ambiguous nature of his own releases and the speculation that surrounds many anonymous artists working in electronica: "a lot of people think everything electronic is mine. I get credited for so many things, it's incredible. I'm practically everyone, I reckon—everyone and nobody".