Eccentric Techno artist Aphex Twin has again collaborated with director Chris Cunningham to produce the music video for Aphex's Windowlicker single. The video clocks in at just over 10 and-a-half minutes, and is a parody of glitzy rap/hip hop videos with its use of limos, champagne, bikini-clad women, and gold chains. Two "homies" cruise around LA looking to hook up, but Richard D. James (the aphex twin himself) upstages them with his super- stretch limo and Michael Jackson-like dance moves. Cunningham uses a similar technique utilized in his other Aphex Twin video, "Come to Daddy", superimposing Richard's sinister grin onto the faces of various women in the video. It makes for some bizarre imagery. This video is seldom seen on television but is available on VHS. If you're an Aphex fan, you'll love it.
11 Reviews
Greatest Video of All Time
clckwrk7524 February 2002
I am not kidding. This is the best video ever made. Nothing comes close. It is indescribable. You have never seen anything like this. I am sure you can buy a copy online, and if you do you will not be disappointed. I believe that `Being John Malkovich' borrowed a technique that Chris Cunningham uses in this video and his other video masterpiece `Come to Daddy.' I wish Cunningham would hurry up and make something else, because it's obvious to me that he is one of the most talented directors around today.
A twisted vision of the hip-hop video cliché
bob the moo9 January 2006
I was out on New Years Eve 2005 at a club that had several rooms including a small screening room that was showing weird short films and music videos. We didn't sit for very long in this screening room but during the respite from dancing I watched this music video. Opening with a scene of two "gangstas" trying to pick up two black women the film sees their sports car pushed out of the way by a limousine as long as a football pitch. At this point the music started and Aphex Twin himself starts to dance to entice the women into his car. As they are drawn to him, things begin to change and mutate.
It didn't help that I had already had about 3 double gin & tonics by this time, but the nature of the video drew me in with the hip hop standards we see in music videos all the time before breaking them with some horrifically impressive effects. Although the same idea has been done before, I still though it was effective here. The opening scenes are foulmouthed and funny, establishing the genre we think we are in. The arrival of Aphex Twin starts an impressive dance scene that continues as the women are twisted and moulded into his image. On one level it is interesting because it at least does something different with the video genre but generally it works because it is grossly engaging. Cunningham could be accused of being twisted for the sake of being twisted but it continues to work here. The dancing is as good as hip hop videos generally are with Aphex Twin himself being a very good mover, but it is the effects that stick in the mind for ages. The masks are impressive, looking as "natural" as such images can and being so imaginative and horrific that I never found myself looking for the joins or the makeup, but only wondering what sort of mind sees this sort of thing when asked to make a music video.
Overall a disturbing and enjoyable video that plays over a strong track. Twisting the hip hop video, the effects are great while Cunningham has enough in him to produce a video that otherwise matches the standards of the genre with quality dancers. Well worth a look if you get the chance.
It didn't help that I had already had about 3 double gin & tonics by this time, but the nature of the video drew me in with the hip hop standards we see in music videos all the time before breaking them with some horrifically impressive effects. Although the same idea has been done before, I still though it was effective here. The opening scenes are foulmouthed and funny, establishing the genre we think we are in. The arrival of Aphex Twin starts an impressive dance scene that continues as the women are twisted and moulded into his image. On one level it is interesting because it at least does something different with the video genre but generally it works because it is grossly engaging. Cunningham could be accused of being twisted for the sake of being twisted but it continues to work here. The dancing is as good as hip hop videos generally are with Aphex Twin himself being a very good mover, but it is the effects that stick in the mind for ages. The masks are impressive, looking as "natural" as such images can and being so imaginative and horrific that I never found myself looking for the joins or the makeup, but only wondering what sort of mind sees this sort of thing when asked to make a music video.
Overall a disturbing and enjoyable video that plays over a strong track. Twisting the hip hop video, the effects are great while Cunningham has enough in him to produce a video that otherwise matches the standards of the genre with quality dancers. Well worth a look if you get the chance.
The most disturbing thing I have ever seen...
Torgo_Approves15 August 2007
...and I've seen "Baby Geniuses".
What starts off as a parody of numbingly retarded rap music videos soon degenerates (some would say "improves") into some sort of surreal, in-your-face nightmare that straight males won't soon forget. If you thought bearded ladies were scary before, prepare to have your mind royally screwed over. Putting aside how revoltingly twisted the video is, it's also pretty funny, as well as expertly shot and edited. Chris Cunningham gets the glossy visuals of rap videos down to a T and the freaky shots work perfectly to Aphex Twin's captivating electronic song. This is genius.
Richard D. James, Aphex Twin himself, plays a big part in the video (apart from providing the titular song, of course) as his characteristic shark grin, as in "Come to Daddy", serves a big part in terrifying the poor viewer. Few musical artists have the screen presence of this guy.
Many will argue that Cunningham's greatest freak-out was his debut video, "Come to daddy", but as stunning as that video is it can't compete with the sheer, basic, and harrowing horror of "Windowlicker". Whether you're a fan of Aphex Twin or not, this video deserves to be seen as it towers miles above most videos of its kind.
What starts off as a parody of numbingly retarded rap music videos soon degenerates (some would say "improves") into some sort of surreal, in-your-face nightmare that straight males won't soon forget. If you thought bearded ladies were scary before, prepare to have your mind royally screwed over. Putting aside how revoltingly twisted the video is, it's also pretty funny, as well as expertly shot and edited. Chris Cunningham gets the glossy visuals of rap videos down to a T and the freaky shots work perfectly to Aphex Twin's captivating electronic song. This is genius.
Richard D. James, Aphex Twin himself, plays a big part in the video (apart from providing the titular song, of course) as his characteristic shark grin, as in "Come to Daddy", serves a big part in terrifying the poor viewer. Few musical artists have the screen presence of this guy.
Many will argue that Cunningham's greatest freak-out was his debut video, "Come to daddy", but as stunning as that video is it can't compete with the sheer, basic, and harrowing horror of "Windowlicker". Whether you're a fan of Aphex Twin or not, this video deserves to be seen as it towers miles above most videos of its kind.
warning: caustic reagent
emessiah8 August 2002
the sophomore effort between aphex twin and chris cunningham continues the proud tradition of putting a face on a once-said-to-be faceless music; richard james'. this is what happens when you take a bloody brilliant director (cunningham) and NME magazine's composer of the 90s (james) and infuse them with spite for the music industry. their last video, come to daddy, seemed to take on the thrasy rock element of popularity spawned by nine inch nails, prodigy's "firestarter", and other clones of such. this time around, they focus on satiring the presence of the half naked woman's place in music video.
the song itself features an amalgamation of chopped up bits of chorus singers, resulting in more of a moaning type melody as opposed to traditional lyrics, on top of typical post-porno-music aphex twin beats. the music is timed up with the transformation of a couple street whores into aphex twin-faced street whores, who are being chased down by two would-be customers. from there, you get to see the visage of richard james making out with himself, then of course, the gratuitious dance and champagne scenes.
it's a pity that richard tends to be more bored with making music than most people, but that's part of the reason why he's special. who's the biggest name in mainstream electronic music these days? fatboy slim? moby? after watching this, come to daddy, and donkey rhubarb and listening to some of his music, it's pretty obvious that aphex twin could have probably been the biggest name in electronic pop music if he put his mind to it, but fortunately for the hardcore fans out there, i don't think it has ever crossed his mind.
the song itself features an amalgamation of chopped up bits of chorus singers, resulting in more of a moaning type melody as opposed to traditional lyrics, on top of typical post-porno-music aphex twin beats. the music is timed up with the transformation of a couple street whores into aphex twin-faced street whores, who are being chased down by two would-be customers. from there, you get to see the visage of richard james making out with himself, then of course, the gratuitious dance and champagne scenes.
it's a pity that richard tends to be more bored with making music than most people, but that's part of the reason why he's special. who's the biggest name in mainstream electronic music these days? fatboy slim? moby? after watching this, come to daddy, and donkey rhubarb and listening to some of his music, it's pretty obvious that aphex twin could have probably been the biggest name in electronic pop music if he put his mind to it, but fortunately for the hardcore fans out there, i don't think it has ever crossed his mind.
Grotesque Delights
injury-6544721 May 2020
This video is everything and should be a must see for music video directors. You can't take your eyes off these gorgeous beauties!
An astonishing blend of horror and parody it's just mind bogglingly good! Not to mention the fact that the track itself is pure perfection and one of Richard James's absolute best pieces. God we should be so grateful that this delicious abomination exists!!!
A bizarre and visceral Music Video.
other-wise-wise23 August 2006
Clocking in at around 10 and a half minutes, one would think they couldn't handle a video this long. There are also the problems with subject matter and music. If your not a fan of tech-no you may not like it, but don't make your decision to fast. And if your not a fan of Bizarre Anatomy curdling images, than this might not be for you, but once again don't make your decision to fast.
I've shown this video to over 50 people at this point. some love it to a insurmountable degree like me, and some tell me to turn it off within the first minute of the music start. many of my friends did not like the video initially because of the images, but I had them see it a couple more times and soon they fell in love with it. When you watch this video, your brought into the bizarre and visceral world of Chris Cunningham. The music plays second fiddle to the video or images for that matter. if your not a fan of tech-no you'll realize very soon while watching its not about music. You get lost in what your watching, whether it be for good or for bad. And if the subject matter doesn't appeal to you realize(or try to realize) what a wonderful satire it really is.
Cunningham takes a wonderful stab at the hip hop dynasty. At first you see 2 black men strolling down the road, very interested in picking up some girls. they pull up along side of the road to two black girls. They start expressing their interest in them, very explicitly. The girls are not fond of this at all and want them to leave. Right when you think your not actually watching a music video Cunningham pulls the rug right from under your feet and a giant white limo crashes into the two black man and sends them down the road. Finally out of the limo comes Aphex Twin himself. Being a white man it seems quite out of place, epically when he starts dancing like Michael Jackson to lighting fast beats.
Its at this point the audience will fall love with Cunningham's sick mind, or want to throw the TV out the window. The two women in awe of their new friend actually become so turned on by him their faces morph into his. So ladies and gentleman... you get 2 women with mens faces. Then it cuts to inside a limo and Aphex twin has all these women with his face all over his body, hands rubbing against his chest and theirs legs protruding in every direction possible.
The video carries on with the two original men who were going to pick them up, chasing them around down town Los Angeles. They eventually put on some kind of dance number for them and bathe themselves in champagne a la Aphex Twin. But this is not before they make a startling discovery of their own...
Cunningham employs his talent of synchronizing image and sound amazing, which he proved he could do with his other "Twin" video "Come to daddy". he uses lense flares and puts images out of focus so organically you don't even notice, and it just becomes part of the mood. his cinematography does not really get lost in his first rate editing, every shot is expertly composed and matches superbly to his Busby Berkly like choreography(as sick as a take off it might be).
At the end of this video I felt very weird the first time I saw it. But now, after the 100th or so time I just can't help but get lost with the characters and their environment. There is an obvious lost art of movie editing these days, with it's random cutting and over the top slickness. But Chris Cunningham uses micro editing and every other fast paced technique and yet you still know exactly what your looking at and the tone it generates. He brakes it down to such a science and flow that there's nothing really left at the end of the video, except a feel. and it's this feel you either love or hate. I personally love it. And if you like this video, than there's no stopping you. you'll explore all of Cunningham's Oeuvre within weeks.
A must see for all music video fans and anyone interested in going into the editing or technical side of the entertainment industry.
This video can be found on Chris Cunningham's Directors label DVD from Palm pictures.
I've shown this video to over 50 people at this point. some love it to a insurmountable degree like me, and some tell me to turn it off within the first minute of the music start. many of my friends did not like the video initially because of the images, but I had them see it a couple more times and soon they fell in love with it. When you watch this video, your brought into the bizarre and visceral world of Chris Cunningham. The music plays second fiddle to the video or images for that matter. if your not a fan of tech-no you'll realize very soon while watching its not about music. You get lost in what your watching, whether it be for good or for bad. And if the subject matter doesn't appeal to you realize(or try to realize) what a wonderful satire it really is.
Cunningham takes a wonderful stab at the hip hop dynasty. At first you see 2 black men strolling down the road, very interested in picking up some girls. they pull up along side of the road to two black girls. They start expressing their interest in them, very explicitly. The girls are not fond of this at all and want them to leave. Right when you think your not actually watching a music video Cunningham pulls the rug right from under your feet and a giant white limo crashes into the two black man and sends them down the road. Finally out of the limo comes Aphex Twin himself. Being a white man it seems quite out of place, epically when he starts dancing like Michael Jackson to lighting fast beats.
Its at this point the audience will fall love with Cunningham's sick mind, or want to throw the TV out the window. The two women in awe of their new friend actually become so turned on by him their faces morph into his. So ladies and gentleman... you get 2 women with mens faces. Then it cuts to inside a limo and Aphex twin has all these women with his face all over his body, hands rubbing against his chest and theirs legs protruding in every direction possible.
The video carries on with the two original men who were going to pick them up, chasing them around down town Los Angeles. They eventually put on some kind of dance number for them and bathe themselves in champagne a la Aphex Twin. But this is not before they make a startling discovery of their own...
Cunningham employs his talent of synchronizing image and sound amazing, which he proved he could do with his other "Twin" video "Come to daddy". he uses lense flares and puts images out of focus so organically you don't even notice, and it just becomes part of the mood. his cinematography does not really get lost in his first rate editing, every shot is expertly composed and matches superbly to his Busby Berkly like choreography(as sick as a take off it might be).
At the end of this video I felt very weird the first time I saw it. But now, after the 100th or so time I just can't help but get lost with the characters and their environment. There is an obvious lost art of movie editing these days, with it's random cutting and over the top slickness. But Chris Cunningham uses micro editing and every other fast paced technique and yet you still know exactly what your looking at and the tone it generates. He brakes it down to such a science and flow that there's nothing really left at the end of the video, except a feel. and it's this feel you either love or hate. I personally love it. And if you like this video, than there's no stopping you. you'll explore all of Cunningham's Oeuvre within weeks.
A must see for all music video fans and anyone interested in going into the editing or technical side of the entertainment industry.
This video can be found on Chris Cunningham's Directors label DVD from Palm pictures.
Where Do I Begin ?
Theo Robertson12 January 2004
It`s difficult to describe what this music video is about . It starts off with a couple of home boys driving through an American street and their dialouge is ...how can I put it ? Well it makes the dialouge of the violent prison drama OZ sound like the TELETUBBIES in comparison . The homies spot a couple of chicks who try to whoo them with their romantic words and then ... and then ... and then things start getting seriously strange and downright disturbing as we see sexy bikini clad dancers with bearded faces shaking their booty to some techno beat
This seriously weird stuff but I can`t help watching it everytime it`s on a music channel . I also wish to point out that here in Britain it`s frequently played on the cable TV music stations though it never gets played before 11 pm . If you`ve seen WINDOWLICKER you won`t be suprised to know that
Oh and if there`s any home boys out there wanting to meet girls then get yourself a decent haircut first
This seriously weird stuff but I can`t help watching it everytime it`s on a music channel . I also wish to point out that here in Britain it`s frequently played on the cable TV music stations though it never gets played before 11 pm . If you`ve seen WINDOWLICKER you won`t be suprised to know that
Oh and if there`s any home boys out there wanting to meet girls then get yourself a decent haircut first
This music video is the best thing I've ever seen when it comes to music videos.
maverock-2102918 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
You ever just watch something that makes you think, "Did I just dose a whole ton of meth without knowing it?" That's this video. The basic premise is that Aphex Twin (not the actual aphex twin, a dancer) screws up two homies' attempt to woo some women to have the sex with them, and takes them, but also making his face their face, which is not surreal at all, then does some stuff with them. They drive around and then they all end up at a beach. We see Aphex dancing with a bunch of other women (presumably with his face) and the homies trying to woo this one girl. She turns around and reveals she has the most beautiful face in the world! (Not really.) The two homies however think this (very ugly) beautiful face is disgusting and then Aphex sprays a bottle of champagne on the women as they all dance in ways that will give you a very confusing boner, and also leave you either utterly confused and laughing out of your mind or terrified and aroused.
The song is also great, but this video just makes it better. (a portion is cut out, it's the part after we see the face but before the hardcore part/totally not slightly pornographic dancing.)
I give it a 10000000/10.
Fairly forgettable
Horst_In_Translation12 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I am not really familiar with Aphex Twin, but if I understood correctly, this is a music video for his newest song from almost 15 years ago. I really cannot see why this is so popular. i guess it has to do with the director's popularity and because he worked with Madonna and Björk already, although the latter is nothing special either really. Anyway, this 11-minute film here obviously spoofs the black rap-music and hip-hop culture. However, it is never really funny while doing that. Female faces transform into male faces and I guess this has such a high rating because of how odd the entire thing is. The only part I found somewhat funny was the limousine that passed by the girls and apparently would never end. Other than that, there's nothing memorable about this one here. The song is also rubbish. Not recommended and there is a reason why Chris Cunningham is not Spike Jonze.
Funny, Scary, Windowlickin' good
joseantoniosimoeslourenco2 May 2024
When os there gonna be a music video compared to this (other than Come to Daddy)? Aphex Twin's 'Windowlicker' music video is a mesmerizing masterpiece, earning a perfect 10/10 across the board. Its quality is unmatched, boasting cutting-edge visuals and impeccable production. The writing, though minimal, is thought-provoking and complements the music perfectly. The timing is impeccable, with every beat and transition expertly synchronized. As for entertainment, it's off the charts - from its surreal imagery to its tongue-in-cheek humor, 'Windowlicker' keeps you captivated from start to finish. A true gem in the world of music videos.
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