squarepusher Squarepusher - Ufabulum

[cear]

not sure if jazz:

http://boomkat.com/vinyl/423476-conrad-schnitzler-live-72

[syd syside]

Wasn't feeling the first two tracks, Stadium Ice was enjoyable, Energy Wizard had some nice moments, Red In Blue is a strange transition but I think I dig it the most lol. Next is The Metallurgist...

[Friendly Foil]

i would like to hear this.

[syd syside]

Metallurgist was rad, the beginning of Drax 2 was awesome, but I am not sure about the second half of the track. This one might need some time to grow... each track builds to these peaks, it kind of loses its impact I think versus something like Ultravisitor which seemed to take its time a bit more to get to the madness. The melodies being kind of silly also is a weird contrast against the harshness and emotion of the drums.

 

303 Scopem Hard is immense

[syd syside]

Ecstatic Shock has an awesome intro. Feeling this one

[Alcofribas]

worst new music. it's just embarrassing really, basically he just throws every trick he knows into every track without any purpose, so you get all those start-stops, cut out reverbs, buffer overrides (?), virtuoso acid lines, banal melodies, "mean and dark" abrasive sounds, typical beat fuckery and all this stuff you know all too well and heard hundreds of times. oh you and you also get a 303 track and a track that uses square waves which are aptly named and an obligatory short filler track, fuck yeah.

 

lol, best review ever.

 

disclaimer: i have not heard this album

[kichiguy]

worst new music. it's just embarrassing really, basically he just throws every trick he knows into every track without any purpose, so you get all those start-stops, cut out reverbs, buffer overrides (?), virtuoso acid lines, banal melodies, "mean and dark" abrasive sounds, typical beat fuckery and all this stuff you know all too well and heard hundreds of times. oh you and you also get a 303 track and a track that uses square waves which are aptly named and an obligatory short filler track, fuck yeah.

 

lol, best review ever.

 

disclaimer: i have not heard this album

 

In that case how about an Alcofribas Ufabulum review?!

[Guest ruiagnelo]

If there is one thing i love about both D'Demonstrator and Ufabulum is that Tom is able to create completely new aesthetics. There is also other aspect that both have in common: the more pop oriented approach. However with the Shobaleader One project, that approach is clearly stated as an intention and creates the theme for the record, and that's why it is for me such a solid album.

But Ufabulum gets kinda ambiguous in that matter. It seems like Tom is throwing his trademark techniques and abilities with sound but then fails to control them. Yes, it feels uncontrolled at times. And in the other hand, it seems that he is trying to get to a broader audience, or at least sounds like he is influenced by current sound trends. Just listen to Unreal Square. It's like Skrillex hacked Tom's computer and modified the songs that were about to be released to his pleasure. It's HORRIBLE

I like Ufabulum's electrifying atmosphere, but pretty much all the melodies on the album seem to lack work and originality. I am thinking that maybe melody shouldn't have such a presence on this theme. Tracks like Drax 2 or The Metalurgist work really well because they don't really have a melody, but explore this electrifying side of sound.

Overall it sounds uninspired, but i have only listened to the album once, so i hope i get to hear with other ears in the future.

 

I don't know if this makes sense, but i am glad Ufabulum was released, as i got to enjoy D'Demonstrator a lot more. Because there is nothing wrong with having a pop approach, unless it is controlled and focused.

[cloud capture]

worst new music. it's just embarrassing really, basically he just throws every trick he knows into every track without any purpose, so you get all those start-stops, cut out reverbs, buffer overrides (?), virtuoso acid lines, banal melodies, "mean and dark" abrasive sounds, typical beat fuckery and all this stuff you know all too well and heard hundreds of times. oh you and you also get a 303 track and a track that uses square waves which are aptly named and an obligatory short filler track, fuck yeah.

 

wow, looking forward to this album even more. awesome review

[o00o]

http://warp.net/reco...-project-drax-2

 

I like how this kills all venetian snares releases so easily

[Alcofribas]

for legal reasons i cannot write a track by track review but here is a quick highlights review:

 

"Ufablum" by tom. by alcofribas.

 

the album starts with track one:"4,000" i'm on the phone with my mom still, she's trying to convince me to move out or at least come up from the basement to talk to her in person. thus, i wasn't really able to focus on this one. i'd have to say though, from what i heard it was not very good. in the usual fashion this is followed by a second track, unreal square. kind of an arrogant title! the beat on this one starts really fast, like the song "vletrmx21" but fast. tom utilizes an 808 snare, a 909 kick and the rest of the drums are all samples from 808/909 as well. the beat comes in after 15 minutes at which point i'm nodding off a little. i don't even remember the first 14:58 mins or so. anyway, like i said this is fast. it includes a video which is of one of the guys from daft punk texting on a stage in front of some 8 bit pixel thingy. i must say the fastness of the song is the best part. perhaps the weirdest track is the ballad stadium ice. at first i figured this would be like a fucking mental snare rush-filled hockey song, like one of those anthems they play when some one hits the puck or whatever. so at first i thought he was signing "bam! zamboni" but alas, turns out the real lyrics as printed in the lyrics sheet are "i am so lonely." pretty emo if you ask this listener. when i listen to it i still pretend it's the zamboni thing which is easy to do because of all the vocodor/talk-box/game-genie effects. after some boring as fuck bass wankery we come to track 7: drax 2. SERIOUSLY? a "drane 2" cover? come on! oh wait, i wrote that before the song started. far and away the best song is dork steering:now this one is fucking pretty good. amen breaks everywhere, like 20 at least, all chopped up and played fast and shit. i was like "oooh shiiit" because honestly this got pretty heavy. a song by beethoven played in the back (like a string quartet or maybe even a septet!) but really quiet so i had to keep replaying this song with the volume louder and louder until i was convinced i could hear it. actually, i'm not sure that's what i was really hearing. i've been on this thing where i listen for beethoven influences on contemporary music...it's for a paper for my music teacher. so, like i was saying, the beats are glorious. non of that like "dubstep" vibe. more just like, mental. wicked. this one is live and you can actually hear people screaming and having orgasms when he plays the bass solo from that "cum on my selector 16" track from way back one -- the one with the video where the chinese puppy escapes from prison. by the time i reach the last song i'm feeling pretty lush. but it starts with a bubbling synth arpeggios, kinda oneohtrix point nevery. then a single note is played on a 303 acid bass with a 7 minute reverb, very minimal. honestly, i don't get it.

 

energy wizard. skipped this. i am a grown man. "energy wizard?" fuck off, mate.

 

4/5

[Silent Member]

lol

[cear]

fun addictive album

[Guest ruiagnelo]

 

(Ufabulous review)

 

 

that sounds fair

[cear]

lol alcofribas

 

[kinski]

two last tracks add up to the steinvord mystery as they both sound like based on the steinvord ideas. whole album kinda sounds like that. maybe tom is just a fan.

 

anyway, my favourite squarepusher since the 2002 album. loving this. although i don't always see the point of avoiding the amen break when he's clearly recreating the feeling with drum machines.

[Guest CraniumXII]

Damn... Some of these tracks are just electronic brutality. The drums are a bit "meh" at times... but the soundscape is sofa king unique. I'm actually hearing a ton of originality. He was definitely going for this juxtaposition of having lighter melodies along with extremely harsh electronic tones on some tracks. It works well, IMO.

 

I haven't heard the whole album yet, but so far I am only a bit let down by Unreal Square and Energy Wizard. The radio version of Energy Wizard sounded better, IMO; the leak sounded a more timid and too compressed. Unreal Square isn't terrible, shows a bit of his cheesy, playful side, which is a staple of the Jenkinson Bros. I'm on Dark Steering at the moment and I know the last two are bangers, so a fockin' solid release, IMO. The second half of the album really takes off... happy to have it.

 

Still have the EP to look forward to

[vamos scorcho]

"Unreal Square" is great.

[kichiguy]

lol i didnt think you would actually come through alcofribas!

[goDel]

Listening to 4001 now, I'm seriously thinking Armin van Buuren walked into the studio and added some trance melodies to an otherwise OK track.

 

I'm either listening to a fake leak, or he's trying to reach a bigger audience with his new album.

[Guest teetime]

Listening to 4001 now, I'm seriously thinking Armin van Buuren walked into the studio and added some trance melodies to an otherwise OK track.

 

I'm either listening to a fake leak, or he's trying to reach a bigger audience with his new album.

 

It was previewed on radio already. Yes this is real. The worst thing about the trance chorus, apart from being generic as hell, is its lenght. A bit of aletdown. :/ The drum intro with syncopations is a winner for me thougt. ..But the buffer override in the second half seems a bit tedious as well. Hoping for 4002... with a real bass solo

[Friendly Foil]

two last tracks add up to the steinvord mystery as they both sound like based on the steinvord ideas. whole album kinda sounds like that. maybe tom is just a fan.

based on steinvord ideas? wtf?

 

steinvord is one of the biggest SP ripoffs of all time.. not a single unique idea to be found in that stuff.

[kinski]

my phrasing is off i come from land of no english.

 

but in all seriousness, steinvord sounds like ufabulum demos/outtakes. not saying IT IS but it caught me off guard. 's all.

[Hugh Mughnus]

two last tracks add up to the steinvord mystery as they both sound like based on the steinvord ideas. whole album kinda sounds like that. maybe tom is just a fan.

 

steinvord is one of the biggest SP ripoffs of all time.. not a single unique idea to be found in that stuff.

 

That's because they're both the same person.

[Friendly Foil]

my phrasing is off i come from land of no english.

 

but in all seriousness, steinvord sounds like ufabulum demos/outtakes. not saying IT IS but it caught me off guard. 's all.

I guess I just misunderstood what you were saying.. my fault.

 

two last tracks add up to the steinvord mystery as they both sound like based on the steinvord ideas. whole album kinda sounds like that. maybe tom is just a fan.

 

steinvord is one of the biggest SP ripoffs of all time.. not a single unique idea to be found in that stuff.

 

That's because they're both the same person.

no