Music Is Rotted One Note

Squarepusher | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nothing Records
• ASIN: B00000DMOM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,344 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #36 in Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > IDM

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Electronic Jazz as Squarepusher Abandons D'N'B, October 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Music Is Rotted One Note (Audio CD)

Tom Jenkinson (AKA Squarepusher) is that rare bird in Electronica: a performing musician of great talent as well as a wizard with the machinery. His earlier albums and singles have bounced between ultra-high-speed Drum 'n' Bass and Jazz Fusion in the manner of '70s Weather Report--along with some Aphex-Twinnish electronic noodling. His drum-machine programming has always had a "natural" quality (though often at superhuman beats per minute). With this album we hear why: Jenkinson is a jazz drummer of the first order. We've already heard his awe-inspiring fretless basswork on earlier albums, and it, too, is heard in abundance. But what we don't hear is the intricate sequencing of earlier albums; instead, Tom uses drumsticks, not drum machines. Through the wonders of multitrack, he layers his bass (sometimes several deep) and keyboards over those drums. Then he processes the result, sometimes heavily, bending acoustic space and time. The result is highly reminiscent of Miles Davis' more experimental works of the '70s. Punctuating the album are brief bursts of pure tape-based analog electronica, but it all works seamlessly.

Many fans of earlier Squarepusher albums will be turned off by this one. Even fans of his earlier Jazz Fusion tracks might find this far too experimental. And fans of experimental Jazz might resent the audacity of his explorations into their territory. But those who are able to put aside their preconceived notions might find this album to be an amazing work of genius from an artist who (at 23) is just starting what could be a very long and interesting journey.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purely genious, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Music Is Rotted One Note (Audio CD)

Squarepusher's old style is great. His break beat play is incredibly entertaining and his song writing skill is up there also. But this is crazy. I was not expecting this. It is wonderful! Angry, ambient, drugged-up jazz. Upon first listen to have to wonder what he was doing. It sounds like a drunk monkey on crank played a sizable portion of the album (this being a good thing). The drum rolls, the bass play, the processing. Everything gives this album a unique-as-hell fell.

In my opinion it is his greatest accomplishment. A masterpiece. I agree with a review below. I can't believe some people don't get it. It is really a shame. If you like mainstream anything you will not like this album. If you like intelligent, deeply experimental music pick this up NOW.

Best Tracks: Chunk-S, Don't Go Plastic, Rinse(137), Shin Triad

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miles Would Approve, October 30, 2005

By 

directions "neuralbuddhist" (Space Time Foam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music Is Rotted One Note (Audio CD)

Squarepusher revisits Miles' most controversial album "On the Corner" in Music is Rotted One Note. At one time bands would not touch that album, now everyone wants to say they were influenced by it. However, Music is Rotted One Note uses Miles music as a sketchpad for something even darker and disturbing. Unlike Miles this is not a continuous jam. Some tracks are in the vein of dark ambient and one track even sounds like Morton Subotnick. Despite the variety, the album is cohesive. Each track feeds into the next. Though Squarepusher is known for drill 'n' bass, this to me is his best album because it takes Miles' music to new hights that it could have reached.