Drukqs (sometimes styled as drukQs) is a studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 22 October 2001, through Warp Records. It is a double album that includes a variety of contrasting styles, from meticulously programmed beats inspired by jungle and drum and bass, to classical-style, prepared piano, ambient, and electroacoustic pieces. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th", one of James's best known recordings.
James released Drukqs to pre-empt a potential leak after he accidentally left an MP3 player containing his music on a plane. It was intended to be his final release with Warp, in accordance with his label contract. The record entered the Dance Albums Chart at No.1, remaining in the top 10 for five weeks, and entered at No.22 on the Albums Chart. It received polarised reviews from critics: many dismissed it, focusing on its perceived lack of innovation and similarity to James's previous works, while others praised it as an accomplished work.
Background and release
James released Drukqs to circumvent a potential leak after he accidentally left an MP3 player containing 180 unreleased tracks on a plane while travelling to Scotland. According to James: "I thought, 'They're gonna fucking come on the internet sooner or later so I may as well get an album out of it first. It was released as a double CD album on 22 October 2001. The record entered the Dance Albums Chart at No.1, remaining in the top 10 for five weeks, and entered at No.22 on the Albums Chart. In 2015, James released the EP Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2, featuring further computer-controlled instrumental tracks, as a sequel to Drukqs. James has stated that the title is not related to drugs, and is "just a word [he] made up." Drukqs includes music in the genres of drill 'n' bass, jungle, It contains tracks dating back "seven or eight years", according to James, though most of the album was relatively new. While acknowledging similarities with his records, James said that "I haven't done something in so much detail before."
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score =
| rev2 = Alternative Press
| rev2score = 8/10
| rev3 = Dotmusic
| rev3score = 10/10
| rev4 = The Guardian
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| rev5 = Los Angeles Times
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| rev6 = NME
| rev6score = 9/10
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7score = 5.5/10
| rev8 = Playlouder
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| rev9 = Q
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| rev10 = Rolling Stone
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| rev11 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide
| rev11Score =
| rev12 = Spin
| rev12score = 5/10
Drukqs is among James's most divisive releases, with Oli Warwick of Crack noting that it provoked "widespread indignation amongst music critics, whose primary criticism seemed to be that James had delivered something reminiscent of previous releases, rather than some bold new mode of electronic expression." At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 66 based on 21 reviews.
Social media use
In 2024, "QKThr" has seen widespread use as a TikTok sound, primarily in relation to the "subtle foreshadowing" trend, where a video's unfortunate ending is slowed down and spliced throughout the video itself. The viral popularity of "QKThr" on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts contributed to an increase in the popularity of James's music online; in January 2026, reports noted that Aphex Twin had surpassed Taylor Swift in monthly YouTube Music listeners (448 million vs 399 million monthly listeners), which was largely attributed to the track's use in short-form content. The Guardian described James as having become "the soundtrack to gen Z life online", noting that "QKThr" had been used in nearly eight million TikTok posts, while other tracks from Drukqs, including "Avril 14th" and "Jynweythek", also became widely used in "-core" and aesthetic-edit videos.
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for Drukqs
! scope="col"| Chart (2001)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
| 87
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! scope="row"| UK Dance Albums (OCC)
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Certifications
Notes
References
External links
- Drukqs.net – The official Drukqs Web site: free MP3s and information (Flash Player-enabled browser required for access).
- Drukqs at the Warp Records discography
- Drukqs on Discogs