"Rjyan" KidwellCex is the work of Ryan Kidwell, an IDM virtuoso beginning at the age of 16. Kidwell came into business with Miguel Depedro (Kid 606) and began Tigerbeat6 records, whose artists (Cex included) stood on the forefront of interesting and dynamic electronica.
Kidwell's first release on Tigerbeat6 is something of a fan favorite, his second full-length, 'Role Model'. The album is an electronic-brain full of ideas, shifting without notice and approaching structure moment-by-moment, flipping foundations with ease.
His 2001 follow-up 'Oops, I Did It Again!' saw him return to form -- often sporadic IDM with little to no vocals. Kidwell was determined to expand his scope though, and on following releases began to experiment more with vocals and rapping.
Truthfully I haven't looked into these later albums (such as the notorious 'Tall, Dark, & Handcuffed'), as his fanbase seems pretty divided on them, but later albums like 'Maryland Mansions' seemed to have won over many of his fans by returning to his roots/arguably better talents.
'Role Model' is one of my favorite electronic albums to put on, really makes you appreciate the endless possibilities of electronic music, likewise the appreciation of someone like Kidwell to make it all digestable. I'd recommend 'Oops, I Did It Again!' too, another quality release.
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