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Squarepusher - Ufabulum

Redruth

By Redruth
in New & Upcoming Releases

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Guest CraniumXII

Guest CraniumXII

Posted
Posted

what is this i don't even...

dude is almost 50, hits play and waves his arms???

this isn't live right? i mean, live act...

is he taking the piss?

kind of emulating a skrillex gig?

:facepalm:

makes me wonder if it really is him behind the helmet...

 

His live performance took a serious hit with this direction, IMO. It's sad really, cause I enjoyed listening to his improv bass playing during the JAS tours. He did some serious improvements on some old classics... but alas, those times are gone, for now.

 

I still enjoy the album though. I don't have many complaints...

 

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The Glass Road... Check out those chord progressions :squarepusher:

 

OH... n' shout out to Alex Thomas!

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joyeboy Collaborator

joyeboy

Posted
Posted

I don't get the complaint, as far as I know Squarepusher has done 2 kinds of live acts; the electronic one which is basically hitting play and waving around his arms, and the one where he jams on bass over tracks/with backing. At least this time around you get cool synchronized eye-fucking lights...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciphw3kwg4E

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l1fef0rm Community Regular

l1fef0rm

Posted
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After a few more listens, this has some amazing moments but suffers from pacing problems imo, I enjoy Shoba and especially JAS more atm.

really?
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l1fef0rm Community Regular

l1fef0rm

Posted
Posted

I have been reading a lot of dislike for Unreal Square. I'm wondering why. It is a fantastic track. Also, it is sticking in my head like crazy!!

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KovalainenFanBoy Grand Master

KovalainenFanBoy

Posted
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I have been reading a lot of dislike for Unreal Square. I'm wondering why. It is a fantastic track. Also, it is sticking in my head like crazy!!

 

I'd buy an Unreal Square / Dark Steering 7", rather than the whole album

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Guest bitroast

Guest bitroast

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Unreal square shoulda/coulda been the promo video song instead of dark steering. It's so much more immediately enjoyable:)

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Npoess Grand Master

Npoess

Posted
Posted

I like 4001, Unreal Square, Stadium Ice, Energy Wizard and Ecstatic Shock.

 

The rest is not very good I have to say. Don't understand why he picked Dark Steering and Drax 2 as singles.

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psn Grand Master

psn

Posted
Posted

I don't get the complaint, as far as I know Squarepusher has done 2 kinds of live acts; the electronic one which is basically hitting play and waving around his arms, and the one where he jams on bass over tracks/with backing. At least this time around you get cool synchronized eye-fucking lights...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciphw3kwg4E

 

The song is called "Different Styles", btw. :-)

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zupiclone Rising Star

zupiclone

Posted
Posted

[youtubehd]ai1gzCltwok&[/youtubehd]

 

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

ehem sorry but that vids hilarious

 

jee they've got a sonar even in brazil now, its like disneyland all over... dilute distaste

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Guest A/D

Guest A/D

Posted
Posted

For me, it's all about The Metallurgist. Such crazy energy. Delicious. I'd say this is an 8/10 comeback for the Pusher. Lovely use of compression.

 

Stadium Ice actually embarrasses me every time it comes on. Not my thing.

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Guest cult fiction

Guest cult fiction

Posted
Posted

I don't understand the production on this record... it's heavily compressed, but also not very loud? Maybe he had to do so much side chain compression because just about every instrument seems to share the same mid to high frequency space?

 

Was going back and forth between this and Lone Galaxy Garden last week and the Lone record really highlights the stale, quiet, and flat production in Ufabulum.

 

It's rarely a good sign when people feel the need to defend a record by saying it's a parody of modern electronic music, when Tom has never voiced any such intention or seemed sarcastic at all in any interview.

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Guest cult fiction

Guest cult fiction

Posted
Posted

It just sounds dirty. I'm fine with that being the aesthetic. Not everything has to be hi-fi!

 

The production definitely does not have a loud, dirty, balls out feel - to me it sounds like he turned everything up to 7 instead of 11 and then carefully compressed away most of the juice and life that remained.

 

It really fails as a Skrillex/etc. parody as well if that was the idea - if you were playing Skrillex and then put on Ufabulum, you'd have to turn up the volume a lot. It could only be a parody of heavily compressed, loud wub wub music if it was actually loud.

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Hugh Mughnus Grand Master

Hugh Mughnus

Posted
Posted

It just sounds dirty. I'm fine with that being the aesthetic. Not everything has to be hi-fi!

 

The production definitely does not have a loud, dirty, balls out feel - to me it sounds like he turned everything up to 7 instead of 11 and then carefully compressed away most of the juice and life that remained.

 

It really fails as a Skrillex/etc. parody as well if that was the idea - if you were playing Skrillex and then put on Ufabulum, you'd have to turn up the volume a lot. It could only be a parody of heavily compressed, loud wub wub music if it was actually loud.

 

Never heard anyone refer to this as a parody?

 

Ask anyone that saw the live show they said the sound quality was incredible. Fact of the matter is most home based systems have a completely different EQ curve, and this album came out EQ'ed as if it were to be played live.

 

That's a massive fuckup on the Squarepusher/warp team-front, in my opinion. It's like they released the live version on CD without changing it whatsoever. It stands to reason that there are different freq gains apparent for live performances because of a variety of factors such as size of the room, size of the setup, etc. Just shoddy to release the same version on CD IMO.

 

It is unfortunate that should reflect on the quality of the release, but it does. If SP came out with Ufabulum - remastered (the way he would master it) I think everyone would sing a different tune.

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Guest cult fiction

Guest cult fiction

Posted
Posted

Unreal Square is clearly a pisstake, or a warped Squarepusher-style reimagining of brostep, not an emulation. Plaid kind of did the same thing with Somnl on Scintilli.

 

I agree about the production though, it sounds quite cold. he's been getting sharper and more treble-y since JAS and I'm not sure I like it.

 

 

I get the impression dark steering was a pisstake though, maybe even directed at these forums? It can't be a coincidence that people on here joke about his getup looking like daftpunk, and he makes the first song released on his new album "dark steering", with the motorcycle (light cycle from Tron where daft punk did the soundtrack) samples?

 

Pisstake or not, I thought it was good.

 

Drax = good, fuck.

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Hugh Mughnus Grand Master

Hugh Mughnus

Posted
Posted

Unreal Square is clearly a pisstake, or a warped Squarepusher-style reimagining of brostep, not an emulation. Plaid kind of did the same thing with Somnl on Scintilli.

 

I agree about the production though, it sounds quite cold. he's been getting sharper and more treble-y since JAS and I'm not sure I like it.

 

 

I get the impression dark steering was a pisstake though, maybe even directed at these forums? It can't be a coincidence that people on here joke about his getup looking like daftpunk, and he makes the first song released on his new album "dark steering", with the motorcycle (light cycle from Tron where daft punk did the soundtrack) samples?

 

Pisstake or not, I thought it was good.

 

Drax = good, fuck.

 

I was referring to just the one song being kind of a pisstake, not the whole album. but... I can see where you're coming from.

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baph Grand Master

baph

Posted
Posted

Engaging with and incorporating marginal/maligned pop music styles is something Squarepusher has always done. Always. On every fucking major Squarepusher album. And he's been fucking explicit and ridiculously long-winded about explaining that particular M.O.

 

AND EVERYONE GETS THEIR PANTIES TWISTED EVERY TIME

 

Somehow Andy's jumpers seem to deflect the charges of 'mere pisstake' when he does the exact same thing.

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Guest CraniumXII

Guest CraniumXII

Posted
Posted

Quite an amusing discussion. I'll just say once again, Squarepusher is a Jenkinson. Cheese is in their nature! Sure it sounds pop and playful, it's part of what he's feeling. I think it's a damn strong release. I only really have a problem with the mastering... But I feel he's still kicking everyone's ass. This album has a VERY unique soundscape and vibe. Not many releases have WOW'd me this much since Rushup Edge...

 

I can see how Squarepusher releases might bring about mixed feelings... but I do believe this is some of his strongest material in awhile...whether people like it or not. It's also nice that it's a mixed bag, giving a bit of his pop/shoba nature along with some dark IDM/DnB beats...

 

All I know is that Ecstatic Shock is one of my favorite tracks in awhile. Lovin' it to death... gives me chills.

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