person rubbing hands with caption 'Flies for no reason:' (l) Alberto echo fart remix with caption 'CapCut and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race' 'day 2 of asking for Alberto balsam echo fart remix' (c) person raising hand with funny look on face with caption 'Guys raising their hands in class' with THAT ONE SOUND FROM TIKTOK logo in top right corner

@lordtrunks/TikTok @phonographicmaterial/TikTok @skylard02/TikTok

‘Every time I listen to this song now I can only hear farts’: An Aphex Twin remix cuts loose on TikTok

'I'm just glad it's putting Aphex Twin in front of new audience.'

 

Audra Schroeder

Internet Culture

Posted on Mar 10, 2023   Updated on Mar 8, 2023, 2:47 pm CST

That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.

TikTok discovering a musical act or song can be revelatory, for both the audience and the act. This week, we look at how an Aphex Twin track became a subject of discussions about gatekeeping, fandom, and cringe.

The sound

In September 2021, the account phonographicmaterial replied to a follower request to remix Aphex Twin’s “Alberto Balsalm” with an “echo fart” sound. And so, that is essentially the sound: a chill beat punctuated by a reverberating fart.

@phonographicmaterial Reply to @willdeely why #albertobalsam #aphextwin #capcut ♬ original sound – phonographicmaterial

The TikTok has more than 1.8 million views, and the sound has been used in more than 56,000 videos. Earlier trends were a little more literal with it, then there was a hand-raising trend and the sound was used to illustrate other behaviors. North West used the sound last fall.

@skylard02

Just dropped the kids off at school! 😀my favorite time of day 🤣😂👍🏻 off to run some errands! 😜

♬ original sound – phonographicmaterial
@backupfarzy Proper pointer finger etiquette by the brownie. #fyp ♬ original sound – phonographicmaterial

The creator, who’s based in New Zealand and goes by Dion, tells the Daily Dot that the “story here is the lack of story, honestly.” It was a simple remix request, and you can see from his account, which has more than 66,000 followers, that he’s deep into record collecting.

“Why it’s this popular, or why people seem to be able to convey a wide spectrum of emotions and feelings over the top, is just a display of this app’s users’ creativity,” he says.

Where’s it from?

“Alberto Balsalm” is a track from the 1995 album …I Care Because You Do, by Aphex Twin (producer and musician Richard D. James).

It seems a younger generation is discovering Aphex Twin via TikTok; this isn’t the only remix of “Alberto Balsalm.” And another Aphex Twin song, “QKThr,” has been used in more than 88,000 TikToks.

@lewkhaki Back in the classic location someone in the comments said the last sound sounded like MF DOOM so I made it a reality #fyp #xyzbca #music #musictok #MFDOOM #doom #meatgrinder #aphextwin #aphextwinmoment #albertobalsam #remix #mashup ♬ DOOMberto Balsalm – ThirdAph℮xTwin
@phonographicmaterial Reply to @comradebug #korn #aphextwin #memes #capcut #albertobalsam ♬ original sound – phonographicmaterial

People have commented that they can’t hear the song any other way now.

@itsmr.westbrook Am I the only one? 😂😂😂 #fyp #albertobalsam #foryoupage ♬ Alberto Balsalm – Aphex Twin

Sound off

In January 2022, Dion posted about pissing off “every single gatekeeping dick that told me to ‘not bring Richard to tiktok.'”

@phonographicmaterial Reply to @gasp2k ♬ original sound – phonographicmaterial

But in the comments of the original TikTok, a few people claim this is what got them into Aphex Twin. Dion says he’s “just glad it’s putting Aphex Twin in front of new audience.”

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*First Published: Mar 10, 2023, 6:00 am CST