Squarepusher

Ufabulum

This review originally ran in AP 287.

Squarepusher, aka Tom Jenkinson, has been making twitching, grand mal-inducing electronic music for 16 years and helped launch a few subgenres (cf. drill & bass, breakcore). But after years of embracing his fierce punk ethos, even Squarepusher diehards think much of his recent output is better in theory than it is coming through the speakers. We’re pleased to report Ufabulum changes all of that, offering his patented Uzi-fire beats, as well as a wide range of unchartered sonic universes that can be moody (“Red In Blue”), gloriously migraine-inducing (“Energy Wizard”) and sinister (“Drax 2”). On “Unreal Square,” Jenkinson seamlessly mashes up retro-’80s synthesizer presets, dubstep wobbles and 8-bit chiptune shenanigans, like he was playing catch-up for his previous missteps. Fans waiting for the true follow-up to 2001’s Go Plastic may now warm their souls by the heat of his hard drive.

Warp http://warp.net/

“Unreal Square”