Already a pillar in the pantheon of electronic musicians, British artist Tom Jenkinson, better known to fans as Squarepusher has returned. He never left, but his shape shifting style and crossovers into different genres over the past two decades have had some fans puzzled and confused at his various structures, while others have been dazzled and amazed by his instrumental and compositional virtuosity. Squarepusher now enters 2012 with a work that will send a bright LED beacon to lure fans curious of his whereabouts back from the peripheries.

Arguably one of the finest bass guitar players alive, his speed, precision, and tonal range remain practically unparalleled in a world where bass, in much of popular music, means playing backup to a lead singer and keeping rhythm with the drummer (Squarepusher’s bass work is more aptly displayed on 2004’s Ultravisitor and on the 2009 Solo Electric Bass 1). Some of Squarepusher’s more loyal fans might be disappointed in the lack of his traditional musicianship and the fact that no organic instruments are on the record; however, their discontent won’t be long found. For every missing organic instrument and misstep from a road of traditionalism on Ufabulum, fans will find an improvisational spirit and jazz influence replacement, similar to nearly that of every other Squarepusher release. But here is where the exception develops from other such recordings and quite the remarkable one — all of the music is generated purely from programming and is virtuously electronic and completely derivative from the computer. Nothing on it is live at all.

While that might sound depriving at first, one would do best to listen to the entire record regardless — as most Squarepusher fans, being aficionados of electronic music, will do anyway — for Squarepusher’s experimental nature, venturing from style to style, demands a more flexible listener. But be forewarned, this isn’t really the type of music one would throw a party to or put on when someone’s doing housework. In fact, the work displayed here is less amorphous than his previous efforts and is a much more focused and richly detailed sonic entry. Music created in this manner, solely from binary code in essence, is deeply admirable when one realizes all the hard work that goes into it. The programming seen on the album is arguably giving birth to new sounds that the earth has never witnessed; a standard that electronic music holds higher than any other form of composition. One would have to compare it to the early days of the electric guitar to really find an equivalent voyage, where new effects pedals were being designed and the days of Les Paul and his experiments with tape delay and phasing were just beginning to emerge. Impossible to forget in this is the work of Dr. Robert Moog and his Moog synthesizer as well as the genesis of electronic music itself. Every blip, bleep, block, and not to mention, every rolling bass wave is custom generated, and it is that level of artistic craftsmanship that is challenging to not find inspiring in and of itself.

The texture and arrangement of the various synthesized sounds create a universe unto themselves. For any fan of electronic music, one of the most interesting parts of listening to Ufabulum is trying to determine how and why Squarepusher makes the exact aural notes he does, considering that like a painter crafting a new color or a writer inventing their own language, there’s nothing quite like witnessing an electronic musician in stride. Many electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, though not Squarepusher specifically, have claimed synesthesia and lucid dreaming as influential of their art and it is that almost incommunicable individual perceptiveness that will permeate every listener’s take on Ufabulum. Some will feel the warmth in Squarepusher’s deep undulating bass while others may find coolness in the higher pitch synth layers reminiscent of a guitar filtered through a chorus pedal. Squarepusher seems to create the quintessential audio ink blot test where no two people will have the same vision of what they’re witnessing.

The album’s first three tracks are very inviting to new listeners and will please old fans as well. “4001,” “Unreal Square,” and “Stadium Ice” at their core possess a simple but deeply rhythmic center that’s like a basic two’s and four’s rock song, with tempos slow enough not to alienate any neophytes that happen to come across the record. They follow some of the standard electronic orthodoxy in that regard where they fall into a realm of the welcoming exotic. Enjoyable and almost danceable music, with a quick but not outpacing speed, that’s different enough to stand out but not bizarre enough to frighten or confuse.

For those who have come to know the Warp Records veteran, or any artist on the influential electronic/experimental labels roster, everything and anything can change at a moment’s notice. Squarepusher changes all the speeds and gears at some point while still maintaining a very concentrated work. Those who favor slower, more ambient and without a beat songs, the record offers that with the hypnotic track “Red in Blue” as waves of synths wash up, out of the speakers, like tidal waves. Fans of this kind of atmospheric Aphex Twin-like work (reminiscent of Aphex’s Selected Ambient Works Vol. II), will find that their only gripe will be that Squarepusher doesn’t give more of it.

The work achieves a striking balance with the slower tracks in the beginning, in combination with a faster beat, therefore, those who love Squarepusher’s hyper-paced drum-and-bass compositions, the high speed, and the high BPM compositions, won’t be disappointed either. There’s that section of Squarepusher fans certain to exist that want to see how frenzied and chaotic the rhythms get while still being defined as rhythm. It gets fast, very fast, but Squarepusher doesn’t leave anyone behind. The tracks “Ecstatic Shock” or “303 Scopum Hard,” for instance, have the machine gun beats per minute rate to supercharge listeners, but have an undertow of slow rolling, oscillating bass lines, somewhat dub step, which weave through each percussive note, leaving the tracks very concrete and graspable.

The strangest thing about the record though is the choice for the album’s first single; the dream influenced “Dark Steering.” An entrancing and enjoyable song, it remains, nonetheless, the most esoteric track on the album with asymmetrical and fractured beats together with a spellbinding synth and several bass lines. Accompanied by a video with pulsating and vivacious waves and blocks of LED lights and LED laced clothing that will give fans a sure feeling of déjà vu of Daft Punk, it’s not a bad choice. However, it is thought provoking that Squarepusher would spearhead his new release with the most cryptic song on the record instead of releasing one of the catchier ones. Currently on tour to support the new album with a very vibrant live show, and known for often performing solo with a fretless bass and a computer, one could only fathom to see some of these tracks performed live by Squarepusher and with organic instruments infused into them. In addition, for a number of years now, he has incorporated LED light visuals (which compose the cover image of the record) which react to the tones and notes played at that moment and bathe the audience in radiant light.

It’s a relief to see one of music’s most challenging and talented individuals back with a solid release and to see that Squarepusher is pushing forward. He casts a wide net with Ufabulum that is sure to win back lost fans, thrill loyal devotees, and entice some new music fans as well. With a profile as trailblazing and at some times as intimidating as his, Ufabulum is a remarkable feat that creates simultaneously a complex and cerebral work while keeping the most primal and visceral parts of music that allows fans to enjoy the work both instinctually and intellectually.

Cincopa WordPress plugin