Here’s where our rules about what separates a compilation from a proper full-length record get a little dicey, as Chosen Lords is essentially an album of previously released material. But for those of you splitting hairs with me at home, allow me to elaborate. The Analord series, which gives Chosen Lords its 10 boisterous productions, was sporadically issued at the whim of Rephlex with little or no warning, is difficult to obtain in its entirety (the box set currently goes for around $1,000), and is available only on vinyl. So not only was Chosen Lords necessary as a condensed version of AFX’s 42-track, three-and-a-half-hour acid opus, it was also the only way to hear the music on a non-vinyl format. And, yes, its press materials stated verbatim, “AFX himself has distilled the tunes into a cohesive album, as it was intended to be heard.” This was the closest thing the world could get to a proper Richard D. James full-length five years after Drukqs.

As the press release goes on to detail, Chosen Lords offers 10 productions that are “among his very best classics.” I’m not saying you can put “Klopjob,” “Reunion 2,” and “PWSteal.Ldpinch.D” up against “Girl/Boy Song,” “We Are the Music Makers,” or “Flim,” but as far as RDJ’s acid-focused techno is concerned, this whole tracklist is untouchably stellar. “Fenix Funk 5″ jumps out of the gate with its excitable robo-funk, “Crying in Your Face” is masterful electro with a slyly emotive edge, and AFX makes quick work of synthesizing his ambient proclivities and dancefloor intentions on cuts like “Boxing Day” and “Pitcard.” And if it’s strictly some Aphex acid you’re looking for, you can do no better than “Cilonen”‘s fidgety sequences and the striped-down hardware workout on his aptly titled “Batine Acid.” Chosen Lords is an ideal starting point for anyone looking to dig into the more esoteric ends of Richard D. James’ unmanageable catalog.