True to his name, Squarepusher (aka Thomas Russell Jenkinson) is a real genius and innovator of electronic-based music. By this point, although being firmly successful as a unique and wonderful musical innovator, he decided to take a left turn and create an album that was not at all using samples via samplers, or sequencing for that matter. Therefore, this is a very much live-ish album, according to all reports. Squarepusher was aiming for a more Jazz fusion sound per se on this album and was sick and tired of the norms in EDM genres for using stereotypical Roland retro sounds to make music. Therefore, this is not an album to be ignored in any way, shape or form on paper alone. This is Squarepusher’s third album, being released on Warp Records, a name synonymous with interesting and eclectic Electronic Music releases. Let’s take a listen to this album and hear what it sounds like.

Chunk-S begins with some background chatter, before launching into an interesting and different set of beats and melodies, with the chatter continuing. This is pretty weird sounding, to be fair. After some beeps, we launch into a mad and strange Jazz-based tune. It is certainly unusual, all right. Some wah-wah Fender-styled guitars are present throughout here, and this piece of music sounds excellent. It is completely different to everything else out there to this very day. Some of the most original and unusual sounds are present throughout this track, and it sounds fun, funky and fresh. It eventually leads into the next piece after just over two minutes in length.

Don’t Go Plastic begins with some edited cymbal hits and backward parts, with some other quirky sounds and melodies throughout. A really weird listening experience. A 4/4 drumstick clacks enters, and this launches into the weirdest and strangest Jazz fusion melodies and choppy original Drum and Bass-styled beats you will ever hear. This is incredibly intelligent and enjoyable music, and Squarepusher points himself out as a real genius of original and well-created music. It sounds like Mad Lounge Jazz on LSD. This is extremely intellectual and wonderful music to hear and has not aged at all. Towards the middle, this changes into a more typical Breakbeat with some sonic melodies that sound super cool. A really decent and interesting listening experience. This is obviously a great mixture of IDM, EDM, Jazz, Techno and other interesting genres galore, into one original listening experience. The loose and weird drumming present is really fantastic, and one can hear Squarepusher putting in 110% on this album. Some liquid and sped-up Funk-styled bass guitar work is throughout this tune, and this flies by, never a dull moment of listening here. It wraps up after over four minutes in length. Very, very good.

Dust Switch begins with some glassy sounds, a drumstick-led introduction and this weirded-out tune begins to play. It sounds super discordant and unusual, like something out of a dark, Ambient dream. It does continue the theme of the album nicely, however, and sounds extremely cool. This music is indescribably good for what it is. This breaks down into a strange and rather silent section, before launching into drum sections, complete with reversed drum sounds. Again, this is weird but extremely cool in an imaginative way. This never has a dull moment, even amongst its discordant nature. The drumming by Squarepusher on these tracks is fantastic. This sounds like the sort of thing Miles Davis may have done if his heyday was in the 1990s. Nonetheless, the sounds and precise playing are really fun and fantastic to listen to. This is not your average throwaway 4/4 House Music mix. Instead, it is a joyous listening experience through intellect and imagination to be played at home. Towards the end, there is another breakdown that is brief, before the glassy sounds and loose drumming re-enter. Nonetheless, this is a winner. It’s very weird but that is part of this album’s charm. This track ends nicely with a conclusion of loosely played snare hits and cymbals. Excellent.

Curve 1 begins with some ascending science fiction-styled sounds, before continuing on into a pitch-shifted and glorious listening experience. Very Techno based, Squarepusher is pushing boundaries on this album. This instrumental continues along nicely and sounds very much suitable for a film of sorts that is for outer space travel. The sounds and sonic transformations present are absolutely amazing to hear, and quite unlike anything else in the history of music. This wraps up after two minutes and is pretty cool to listen to.

137 (Rinse) begins with some of the most eerie sounds set to record, and it sounds straight-out odd. This is obviously a very experimental sort of listening experience. Soon enough, rolling Jazz drumbeats and melodies to match emerge, sounding absolutely brilliant. This is a piece of music that is ingenious, inventive and original. The mixture of weirdness and rolling drumbeats makes for an interesting combination throughout. A very cool listening experience overall. There are some digitally modified sounds throughout, including some awesome Jazz slap bass sounds in this tune. A great listen, all the same. It sure sounds quirky. The rolling drumwork continues on nicely, sounding like an updated take on the famous Amen Break. The sounds otherwise are very odd, and this Jazz fusion piece is really quite odd. It gradually wraps up towards the end with a slowdown and concludes with some bubbling water sounds. Different.

Parallelogram Bin begins with some pseudo-Industrial Music sounds and sounds very weird indeed. This is quite irregular musically. It immediately changes into some weird and otherworldly sounds that are super strange. There are no beats or percussion here, just a wacky Ambient piece of music. This continues on nicely for some time and sounds very weird. Strange and otherworldly sounding, this is perfect for those who need to trip to DMT upon listening. Nonetheless, an amazing piece of music, even given its irregularities throughout. Crash cymbals then lead to a short outro, before the next track kicks in.

Circular Flexing begins with another spacey intro, cymbals along with hi-hats and some downpitched robotic voices. Weird, once again, but very futuristic. This is best experienced through headphones and not through loudspeakers as the latter would kill the experience for some. Still, it sounds definitely good for what it is. Some interesting drumming and sounds are present throughout this tune, and this sounds very different to anything else ever recorded, before or since the release of this album. The drumming is all over the place, just like in Jazz Music. Still, one has to give credit to Squarepusher for his originality and creativity on these tunes. Weird, wonderful and wacky, these sounds are fairly discordant. You should not play this around children or people who get scared easily, it is designed to psychologically disturb you. Still, the keyboards, drumming and sonic sounds make for a very interesting listening experience that is quite unforgettable once you hear it. It has a lengthy outro which ends with rolling snare drumbeats and concludes well just before the five-minute mark. It has another spacey sound patch that segues into the next track.

Ill Descent continues with some screaming, spacey sounds and loose percussion which sounds completely weird. This is not for the faint-hearted at all, it isn’t exactly easy listening music. Regardless, this sounds really cool and different musically. Some loose snare drums are here, along with some otherworldly sounds. This is the sort of music that one could try to contact aliens with, it is that freaky. A great tune nonetheless, which sounds super cool in its own way. It gets loud and intense towards the end, with multiple sounds galore. It ends soon enough, with some xylophone styled sounds. Cool.

My Sound begins with a count in, and some lush chords on the keyboard, along with some metallic hi-hats. This is a well-loved piece of music from Squarepusher that is over six minutes in length. It is a slow burner. Soon enough, Fender Stratocaster-styled guitars enter in the left channel, alongside the keyboards and slow, moody drumming. This is a good effort for what it is, regardless of its quirkiness. It sounds really top-notch and awesome throughout and is quite a winner musically. This is futuristic Lounge Jazz Music for EDM heads who want to hear something just a bit different. Loose and delayed drumbeats are present throughout, and this tune sounds really quite cool. It’s as smooth as your favourite alcoholic drink, or a Gin and Tonic for that matter. A very interesting listen, with the sounds and melodies being constantly modified throughout. It sounds intelligent, interesting and spacey. Even if you are not a huge fan of intellectually driven music, you may enjoy this tune very much. Fans of instrumental music and artists like Pink Floyd may feel at home listening to this one. The musicianship and performances are fantastic, especially given that this is not your average throwaway EDM mix that has a shelf life of six months. An explorational tune that is rotted deeply into Jazz Music, there are many super subtle edits and great playing from Squarepusher. The guy is a genius. Period. This eventually wraps up with a prominent bass guitar, loud drums and textures galore that are superbly unique and beautiful. It ends with drums alone, nice job man.

Drunken Style begins with some weird beeps and bleeps and is less than a minute long. Very, very wacky. There is a strange, out-of-tune trombone here as well. An odd intermission piece, this sounds wacky. It ends with a male voice murmuring, very out there.

Theme From Vertical Hold begins with a count-in and launches into more loose and eccentric flavoured Jazz-styled Music. Still, for all its weirdness, this is super cool to listen to. It sounds like something very much otherworldly because it is. Some super robotic male vocals are in the background on this tune, adding a unique flavour to this music. Unusual melodies and textures thrive in this particular tune, and it does sound really excellent and cool. A fun and refreshing listening experience that sounds deep and dark, this sounds a lot like mad Jazz that is artistically and (likely) drug-driven. Some interesting guitars galore are throughout here, and the Fender Stratocaster-styled guitars sound really quite nice. A very underrated and deep listening experience from this track, and indeed the rest of the album. There is a breakdown in the second half, followed by some interesting and treated percussion, with some deep and dark bass-styled melodies present. A very deep and interesting listening experience for many IDM-based fans to enjoy. This continues on nicely right through to the ending of the tune, and it ends abruptly.

Ruin begins with a bunch of robotic noises, before launching into one of the outright weirdest pieces of music you will ever hear. Strange, all right. This is a freeform piece of music that is dark, dense and oddball. It sounds like something directly out of a science fiction/horror film. Less than two minutes long, but memorable enough that it sounds disturbing musically. It fades out at the end.

Shin Triad begins with another count in, some brief sounds and fragments of music that are very much like Clicks and Cuts, musically speaking. There are a multitude of psychotic drum rolls throughout, along with some freaky Ambient Music-styled sounds. This sounds really unusual and nightmarish musically. In the midsection, this launches into a very loud and strange jam that is typical of this album, but really odd to hear. A good listen, although the weirdness of this album is wearing out to hear everything by this point. Some weird and pitched shifted sounds conclude this tune, which segues into the next track.

Step 1 sounds just like the sort of music one would hear on an alien spacecraft. It is very cold, dark and minimal, without drums or percussion present. Weird beyond all description, this music is perfect for those of you who seek to hear the darkest Electronic Music of the late 1990s. Some robotic noises swing in between the two channels, sounding very unusual. A psychologically mindblowing listen. It ends in just under two minutes in length.

Last Ap Roach is the final track on this album. It begins with more outer space and cold noises, with a repeating thud on a modified kick drum sound. This is outright strange listening to it. Nothing quite like it has been made, for the most part, before or since. There are some interesting sounds mixed into the background as well, which sound quite odd. This is more enjoyable to the listener who likes Experimental Music of sorts. There are no traditional musical structures in this album. This track is rather repetitive, which although isn’t usually an issue, is very noticeable here. In any case, this is Music for those of you who like their Electronic Music dark and creepy. Unfortunately, this track is noticeably repetitive and doesn’t hold a great deal of appeal. Seemingly, the worst musically was left until last on this album. This gradually wraps up with some unusual sounds and a rush of noise in the outro to conclude this album.

This is a very good album that, although is not a Classic Album outright, has some deep, dark and experimental sounds to maintain your interest. It’s some of the most intelligent and weird music out there. Points go to Squarepusher for making an Electronic Music album that did not rely on sampling and sequencing, which must have taken a great deal of effort. Should you listen to this album? If you dig very dark, Ambient-based Music with freeform Jazz textures and Music that is surprising, this is the way to go. Having said that, this is definitely an acquired taste and most people into more mainstream Music will not enjoy this. It’s still very good, however.

A strange set of sounds and music throughout to twist your mind.

7/10