squarepusher Crot EP / Stereotype EP / Bubble and Squeak EP

[superstix]

Hello everyone!

 

Here we begin Week 1 of our journey through the Squarepusher discography with 3 EPs released under "Tom Jenkinson" between '94-'96. "Crot", "Stereotype", and "Bubble & Squeak".

 

It's always fun to listen to an artist's earliest works to hear how far they've come in both style and production technique. Though the first two releases are rooted in acid for the most part, Tom reveals upfront that he likes it hard and fast, with only the tiniest hints of what would become his "signature" sound starting to creep out through the cracks. Bubble & Squeak introduces his bass guitar, and the rest (as they say) is history.

 

Enjoy and post all your thoughts! (I'll be sharing mine on Tuesday)

 

[bubbhasdance]

Squarepusher - Crot

It seemed he had a playful vibe in his early years, where he wasn't tied down to trying to surpass album after album, etc. His earlier music may not be the best in his discography, but I really enjoy the honesty of it all, just fun beats all around.

 

The Burglar - This track reminds me so much of UI, it's not even funny. Before I heard this EP, I had no idea that Tom was so rooted in the realm of acid techno. This is a nice one, runs a little long, but that's the point, meant for dance-floor mayhem.

 

The Burglar Pt. 2 - I've always been unsure of what's going on in the intro of this one. I think it's got the randomness and intricacies that albums like Go Plastic have, but in a more subdued format. Then it really picks up, with that scare-people-off-the-dancefloor feel. I really like this one, probably more than Pt. 1. Old-school acid lines are great! Definitely runs long, but for the same reason. The ending of this is FIRE!

 

The Procrastinator - Starts off hard, no build-up at all. You hear a little of his bass noodling beginning to creep in this one, a sign of what's to come. I can just imagine a young Tom creating hardcore acid beats, in his age he's calmed down some. This track is decent, probably the weakest track on the EP, imo. It never seems to come to a peak, constant build-up but never goes anywhere. I like the percussion on this, though. The ending of this is the best part, cut-up cymbals FTW!

 

The Procrastinator Pt. 2 - More rough beats. By this time, I'm a little sick of the hard techno-style kicks, but I'm enjoying his drum work. Even then, he had that flair for that rhythmic precision. This seems to go places where Pt. 1 apparently decided not to go, and I like this more for it. Not exactly perfect for the dancefloor like the two Burglar tracks were, but I could kind of see it working out in places.

 

Overall review: Very reminiscent of UI, it may have been what he was even going for, who knows. I think UI did it better overall though...but hard beats, rough acid, crunchy breaks, deep kicks...what is there not to love?

Best tracks: Burglar Pt. 2

Rating: 7/10

 

Will do Stereotype and Bubble/Squeak at some point this week!

[Retape]

I love Crot A2. that kick is the hardest shit ever.

[awesomeperson]

He must have been really proud of the bassline in Whooshi to repeat it for over 16 minutes.

[Guest Calx Sherbet]

Stereotype is so long, but i like the way it is

[beerwolf]

I doubt you will get much response on this. I've never even heard of these! I shall seek them out, so that in itself you have achieved something.

 

But keep Pushing forward.

[NI64]

Bubble & Squeak is some of his best material ever. Is it jazz with D&B interludes, or D&B with jazz interludes? At any rate I could listen to both these tracks 1000 times and never get tired of them. The begininng of Squeak gets me every time, so fucking relaxed.

[chassis]

I have to stream these online because I dont have them. Will someone post the complete track lists of them so I can make sure Im listening to all the tracks and in the right order.

[benc812]

I have to stream these online because I dont have them. Will someone post the complete track lists of them so I can make sure Im listening to all the tracks and in the right order.

 

Crot

1. The Burglar

2. The Burglar Part 2

3. The Procrastinator

4. The Procrastinator Part 2

 

Stereotype

1. Whooski

2. 1994

3. O'Brien

4. Greenwidth

5. Falling

6. O'Brien (Darkness)

 

Bubble & Squeak

1. Bubble

2. Squeak

[Guest Jimbob]

I bought Bubble & Squeak from Discogs a couple of years back, quality quality record, Bubble especially

[Guest Calx Sherbet]

i heard it once long ago, don't even remember it. gotta get it again

 

Crot it underrated!!

[bubbhasdance]

Going to listen to Stereotype tonight, pumped! 16-minute Whooski!

[chassis]

Ive already listened to Whooski twice today, but not the rest of the EP.

[awesomeperson]

Whooshki

[chassis]

Listening to the Stereotype EP and I must say I'm proper fucking in love with this EP.

[benc812]

Listening to the Stereotype EP and I must say I'm proper fucking in love with this EP.

 

i feel the same way. 'whooski' is a tour de force, but i think 'o brien' might be might favorite on this one.

 

the only slight misstep on here is '1994'.

 

but then again, this stuff is righteous.

[chassis]

Ye O Brien is actually brilliant. I like 1994 though, its crazy.

[baph]

I'm listening to all of this early Tom for the first time, and have not formulated an opinion thus far other than

 

Thanks for doing this, Superstix. I probably wouldn't have sought these out otherwise.

[chassis]

I'm listening to all of this early Tom for the first time, and have not formulated an opinion thus far other than

 

Thanks for doing this, Superstix. I probably wouldn't have sought these out otherwise.

 

Yeah same, cheer superstix. I'd not heard of these before this.

 

I was blown away by how good Stereotype is. I like that all the tracks are so long, it lets me trance out to them.

 

I wasnt very impressed with crot I have to say, may have to give it a few more goes.

 

Im really lovin' Bubble right now.

[superstix]

Hey no problem guys, glad there are so many of you who wanted to do this with me.

 

Crot EP is hardcore dance wankery plain and simple, so pretty much the only time I can imagine getting a lot of enjoyment out of these 4 tracks is at the end of the night on the dancefloor. I will say however that I was having a pretty shitty day yesterday and when I put on Crot then, it finally hit me in a good way. Something about those serious 4-on-the-floors that channeled the anger/frustration out. I think young Tom just wanted to create something he'd love to rave to, and this was it.

 

Stereotype EP was a bit of a grower for me. At first the repetitiousness left me a bit fidgety, but once I started to "trance out on them" like chassis mentioned, I began to hear/feel/appreciate some amazing stuff. Whooshki is great to gel to, even though it probably goes on about 5 minutes longer than it should. I lol'd @ vasio saying Tom must have been proud of the bassline... so true. 1994 had potential to epic like its siblings, but it feels a little underdeveloped. Some of the sounds he used are awesome but it doesn't really go anywhere for me. I agree that O'brien really is a masterpiece, as well as its evil twin O'brien (Darkness), which I prefer out of the 2. Greenwidth is great and Falling has some interesting kick patterns layered under a nice neverending chord build. It's hard to pick standout moments here because this EP for me is all about vibe. You can really hear "Squarepusher" being born out of this album, especially in O'brien (Darkness) which is kinda cool in retrospect.

 

Bubble & Squeak EP And then there was bass guitar! Tom lets out his jazz beast and here we have the classic Squarepusher sound. Doesn't the intro to Bubble before the bass guitar comes in remind you a little of Gentle People? It sooths. I don't care for the dated, flat-sounding snare he uses in the beginning of this, but after the first build he switches to a more organic sounding one that saves the day. The beginning of Squeak makes me feel like I'm sitting in an office waiting room which is kinda' funny, but then that deep kick comes in and rumbles the floor. Very cool track showcasing some technical percussion that would go on to become part of Squarepusher's legacy.

 

Overall I really dig Stereotype and Bubble & Squeak the most, and I like that they are stylistically so different. It's fun to hear Tom experimenting with these sounds and styles for the first time, and these EPs are a great foundation for what's next in the coming weeks!

[bubbhasdance]

Squarepusher - Bubble & Squeak

 

Bubble - Bass guitar in prototype form! His drum rhythms were still light at this point, but they were way ahead of their time, and still lively today! The melody on this track is so lighthearted and fluffy, it makes me smile. The drums pick up after some time, and show some inklings of the madness we'd get soon. Man, I forgot how good these drums sounded! Gives off of very experimental feel, for it being so old, that's impressive. You can tell he's just having a good ol' time in this one, wanking about with drums and melodies, but it somehow ends up great! Love the ending!

 

Squeak - The melody on this one is even more lighthearted than Bubble, and Superstix is right, I do feel like I'm in a dentist's office or something, haha. I've only heard this once before so it's great to hear Tom in such a honest, playful form. The drum programming is extremely impressive here, more so than Bubble. The slight changes in melody are very welcome, help keep the track from being too plain. This track explodes at one point, sounding very much like North Circular in sections (especially from 3:00-4:30ish)....maybe some early edits? Awesome track though

 

Overall: Nice little 12", impressive work for back in the early '90s, and very listenable even today. I thought I liked Crot more for some reason, but this one is a little more impressive to me :D

Rating: 7.5/10

[chassis]

Stereotype EP: 8.5/10

 

Crot: 5/10 (not impressed)

 

Bubble and Squeak: 7/10

 

Very good week, never heard any of these before so I'm happy with this. Stereotype is now in my car.

[Guest Calx Sherbet]

impressed with all of them. i'm a little late, but i'm glad i checked them out again. better than i remember, especially crot

[chassis]

Bump this thread to say Whooshi and Obrien and two of my favourite SP tracks. Raw and acidy :braindance:

[kanarie]

The stereo ep already had a couple of days of playing time here, but i had never heard these crot and bubble&squeak ep's. Thanks for pointing them out!

 

edit:

He must have been really proud of the bassline in Whooshi to repeat it for over 16 minutes.

 

i would too