Just before the dawn of the 21st century, EDM was becoming a huge phenomenon across the wider world. Although it had humble beginnings with House Music DJs remixing Disco records back in the mid-1980s, by the 1990s, the wider genre had evolved and diversified to expand the purpose of EDM to be more than simply remixes of older songs. Squarepusher (birth name Thomas Russell Jenkinson) was one of the key innovators in creating a new form of Electronic Music that was unique, intelligent, diverse and more designed for home listening than at a Nightclub or a Rave. Some point out his music as IDM, but really Squarepusher’s work comes into a field of his own. His works are key to breaking down musical barriers and creating a highly individual and unique-sounding form of music that cannot necessarily be pigeonholed for any musical purpose. This is Squarepusher’s fourth official album. It was self-produced and released in November 1999 on the Warp Records label. Warp Records is a historically famous record label in the history of Electronic Music. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear if it is worth it.

The ‘Eye begins with some liquid flanger sound-based effects and enters into a high-frequency sound patch. Very, very weird to hear. Some distant melodies follow, and this gradually gets going. Some loose snare drum hits are present as well. A simple, interesting and different tune to hear. It sounds discordant and freaky throughout as well. This was the era of The Matrix film, released in the same year, where the boundaries for human innovation were thrown down. A very interesting science fiction-based musical piece that sounds very, very good. It wraps up with the whole thing being blown out into outer space. Good.

Square Rave begins with some awesome and spacey liquid sounds, quickly launching into a very Drum and Bass-styled tune. This sounds very sweet, energetic, intelligent and above all, brilliant. A really great and underrated piece of IDM-based Techno, with cut-up drumbeats, this is a real winner. An exploration into the depths and beyond the limits of what sound can achieve, this is a very interesting and exciting listen throughout. Most music sounds nothing at all like this. A really awesome and cut-up piece of neo-Techno Music. In the second half is a brief breakdown, before liquid Roland TB-303 sounds return and this kicks along nicely. A wonderful mixture of sounds and styles throughout, this is a noticeable improvement in Squarepusher’s output from his last few releases. Very cool, it ends with some whooshing sounds.

Time Borb sounds very Jazzy from the start. It has some loose Jazz styled snare drumming, and quickly launches into a sweet, different and awesome tune that has dual tracked liquid melodies. Really very, very cool to listen to and hear, to this very day. This sounds absolutely awesome to hear. It is over after a minute’s length.

Dedicated Loop begins with some strange muttering, and launches into a dark, creepy and discordant-sounding piece of music. This sounds very different. Soon enough, some monumental beats enter to propel this lonely and rather robotic-sounding piece of music. It changes dramatically into a Techno-styled piece of music that sounds very futuristic. A wonderfully creative and sweet listening experience throughout, there are plenty of carefully edited and cut-up digital sounds to make the average IDM fan happy. Even so, this isn’t the best-sounding piece of music from this album. It is extremely intelligent sounding, however, and is likely drug-influenced. A very nicely put together piece of music that sounds very, very good despite the fact that this is not the best cut from this LP. It does sound interesting and is not difficult to sit through. It ends with some more Roland TB-303 loops.

Tomorrow World begins with some Ambient spacey sounds, followed by some cut-up and treated electronic drumbeats. It breaks down into a liquid frenzy and sounds really quite different. This is a melodic and different tune that is a good mixture of IDM, Drum and Bass, Techno and other intellectually minded styles of music. This does sound really well crafted, although the musical vibe and some of the melodies here are a little offputting. The famous Amen Break is used throughout here, and it sounds really genuinely good. All in all, a good tune without being overly memorable or super great. This is the sort of music that you could easily be listening to when coming down or sobering up from that wild night out. A really awesome and nicely edited piece in many ways, especially in the second half with some really nicely cut-up Amen Breaks. Still, this is better than the last album released by Squarepusher. A really great and interesting tune to hear in its own way. It sounds completely original, unique and different compared to the other music of the world. Really good to hear. The outro is super spacey and science-fiction sounding. Decent.

Cool Veil is only 30 seconds long. It is a quick snippet of Jazz-styled music, complete with hollow-bodied guitar sounds and funky Jazzy bass guitar. There is some brief guitar shredding before this track ends.

Schizm Track #1 is an interesting listen from the start, with some loose beats, launching into a pseudo-UB40 groove. This is very different, but again, extremely intelligent music by Squarepusher. It has longevity, artistry and quirkiness throughout that sounds really fresh and amazing. This music is really cool and clever, with various loops, samples and a vocal recording throughout. This is more pleasant to listen to in comparison to some of the earlier tracks on this album. In any case, there are also some interesting Clicks and Cuts EDM subgenre-styled sounds throughout. A great piece of gorgeously melodic music that sounds extremely good to listen to, this sounds interesting, clever and concise throughout. If you are listening to Squarepusher’s music, then clearly you have an IQ level of Albert Einstein proportions. The music here is undeniably catchy and great all the same. A joyous romp throughout EDM/IDM sounds and a piece of music that has lasted the test of time, this sounds super quirky and amazing throughout. Very different and a digital monument of musical sound throughout. All in all, this does sound really quite awesome to hear. Worth listening from start to finish.

Freeway is another short piece that sounds like a pseudo-Deep Purple or Yes based jam in a Jazzy way from the start. A very unusual and different-sounding tune that has attitude throughout, this is certainly a short, sweet and impressive sort of listen. In the second half are racing breakbeats that sound extremely cool. This whole tune sounds very, very good. A sweet listen for something so short.

Snake Pass is a longer piece at three and a half minutes in length. It quickly launches into action with some pounding and straightforward drum machine beats, which sound really great to hear. This is a very, very good listening experience which is an intelligent man’s take on Techno Music. All in all, this does sound interesting, exciting and fantastic. Squarepusher himself obviously knows how to make interesting and different Electronic Music of all kinds. This is definitely a standout track on the album, although it does get fairly repetitive throughout. Having said that, the short length of the track is good enough for what this is. In any case, this is a very awesome and exciting listen for all those who dare to take the journey through the intense world of Squarepusher’s IDM-styled music. Regardless, this is a real winner of a listen. Towards the end, the layered melodies are very intense. Simple and enjoyable music to get stuck into. At the end is a distant sound processed breakbeat loop, which quickly fades out. Decent.

Yo is a short piece at less than 30 seconds which is another outtake of Jazz based music. It sounds very interesting and different throughout and is a great example of the innovative musical nature of Squarepusher.

Mind Rubbers is perhaps a reference to condoms? It begins with some bleeps and beeps and launches into a fantastic drum loop cut-up sample, which sounds really awesome to hear. This music is inspired, interesting and intricate all the way. Certainly, a tripped-out and a wonderful listening experience, this is lively, punchy and powerful to hear. This track is mostly percussion-based, and it sounds really trippy and futuristic in its own way. A vocal sample that sounds creepy is near the middle of this track before it launches back into a percussion-based frenzy. Really cool and interesting music to hear, this sounds electrifying and eclectic. A really awesome tune to listen to, this sounds punchy, loud and powerful throughout. This is no doubt likely the best track on the entire album, and it showcases the innovative nature of Squarepusher during this time. A great listen, and something bizarre and leftfield that you can put onto a Spotify playlist of choice. It never stops with the frenzied beats throughout and is a great example of four minutes of blissful listening. It ends suddenly.

Tesko is an interesting 20-second piece which is more weird Jazz Music with some weird vocal overdubs. It ends very quickly, of course.

Acid Tape Track is a longer piece that begins with the sound of distant rushing waves, and quickly launches into another cut-up frenzy of beats and sounds. It sounds really excellent and brilliant throughout and is super cool to hear. Some Roland TB-303 Acid based sounds emerge, to make this track a little more exciting. Very good, but music of an acquired taste, not necessarily for the mainstream of music lovers, even today. This does sound very fantastic throughout, and is a wonderful listening experience, even with its dark overtones. This is like taking a spaceship through the Milky Way galaxy during the year 3000. If anything, this intelligent music is light years ahead of other forms of music. It also sounds really great. A wonderful and interesting piece of music throughout, but more for home listening rather than an actual nightclub or rave, so to speak. Very good nonetheless, and worth your time. It has a brief break towards the end with distorted vocals before the track wraps up just before four minutes in length. Excellent.

8 Bit Mix #1 begins with some sparse sounds that are very different. Soon into it, some truly weird instrumentation enters this short one-minute piece. It sounds really, really overall. Very odd and unusual to hear, and it is very odd. It finishes quickly.

8 Bit Mix #2 is even shorter and it samples some distant sounds, before returning to the weird sounds on the track before it. This isn’t really necessary on this album and is just junk, really. It does not sound good but is skippable if you want to do so.

Schizm Track #2 Mix sounds eerie from the start. It has some unusual melodies and sampled sounds, which are really freaking weird. This sounds oddball and creepy throughout, like something out of the musical equivalent of a nightmare. Soon enough, cut-up beats and bleeps gradually segue into this odd tune. Nonetheless, this is a really good listening experience once the beats come in. It sounds completely different to most forms of music out there to this very day. It is a bit of a surprise towards the end of this album. In the midsection are some 4/4 beats and liquid Acid melodies over the dark and creepy sounds on this album. The second half is quite catchy and awesome, with some incredibly cool sounds that are a good hybrid of Drum and Bass and other EDM genres. This is good, but unlikely great. Still, no denying that this is better than most albums being released today. This mixture of yelps, breakbeats and liquid Acid House-styled sounds concludes just before four minutes are up.

Ceephax Mix is the final track on this album and is over six minutes in length. It begins with some spacey and delayed sounds which start and stop. This quickly evolves into a downtempo and science fiction Techno Music-styled piece. Indeed, it does sound freaky. Soon enough, loose drum machine beats enter and this piece gets moving along very nicely. There is a ton of intelligent editing on this tune, and the music throughout is decent and uplifting, in the strangest of ways. Definitely best when at home on a good sound system, or through high-quality headphones more than any other scenario musically. Towards the middle, the beats conclude for a bit, before more liquid Techno-styled melodies enter into the tune. This is very, very good to hear. It reveals Squarepusher to be understanding of the dark side of music, and this is very clear on this album that this is so. Still, the drum machine beats indicate that he understood the need to mix both rhythm and melody into a track, rather than just focus on one or another. It does sound really excellent to listen to, all the same. This sounds also just like it has been heavily under the influence of psychedelic drugs. Regardless, this is an interesting finish to a good album that, although predicts the musical future of humanity, is not a great album. The loose and cut-up drumbeats towards the end are pretty cool, all the same. This does sound, quite frankly, very very good for all its flaws. The track launches into an Ambient Music-styled finish and gradually wraps up after six minutes have passed. Decent.

As stated, this is a very good album. However, it is clear that this is not a perfect album by Squarepusher compared to his other albums that came before at the beginning of his own career. It is however a decent mixture of the best elements of IDM, Drum and Bass, Techno, Acid House and Ambient Music as well. Therefore, this is still listenable and enjoyable to this very day. Should you listen to this album? If you like EDM which is more intelligent and designed for home listening, this is a good pick for you. Outsiders to Electronic Music may not enjoy this album, however.

Decent but with a few flaws musically.

7/10