Squarepusher
Ultravisitor
Warp 2003
warpcd117
www.warprecords.com
So I am listening to Squarepusher’s seminal classic Go Plastic, which features his 2001 smash hit, My Red Hot Car. Sufficed to say that Ultravisitor, his newest release, is a leap from past work for Tom Jenkinson, a.k.a. Squarepusher. So much so, I’d venture to say, he’s taken a lude. Christ! Most of the stuff is so slow, my nose started to bleed and I found myself nodding in and out of consciousness. Not to say that’s a bad thing, in fact the album rocks.
Take a step back and breathe.
O.K. so for the Squarepusher fans who are devoted to the IDM of old, welcome to the future. Most of the stuff on the album, is dry, but martinis can come dry and they make you feel good, right?
I must say I felt very good whist listening to Ultravisitor. It signals a switch from the PCP induced jittering that has been Squarepusher's classic trademark. Songs like "Andrei", and "Circlewave" are an oasis after the brutal IDM pounding of "Steinbolt", and "Menelec"- both classic formulas from the IDM language book. The album is pure static, but static in multiple waves.
The album is beautiful. Being quite familiar with the Squarepusher catalog, I’d say that Ultravisitor is his most diverse, best-sampled product to date. It represents several years of hard work and experimentation to find just the right balance between chaos and control. If Mr. Jenkinson can do better, then we are all in for a real treat.
-John Southern