Ufabulum

Squarepusher | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: May 14, 2012
• Label: Warp Records
• Copyright: 2012 Warp Records Limited
• Total Length: 51:20
• Genres:
  • Alternative Rock
  • Dance & DJ > Electronica
• ASIN: B0082C90DQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,911 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Today's Most Prevalent Musical Genres, Finally Done Right May 17, 2012

By Mitchell Bliss

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I can't believe this album has been out for 2 days (legally) and I'm the first to write a review.

For starters, I am and have been a huge fan of Squarepusher for a little under a decade. I'm not going to make a mindless blanket statement about how all of Tom's work blows my mind; I could do without "Music is Rotted One Note" and a lion's share of "Selection Sixteen". With that said, every album Square releases is exceptionally different from all of his other albums. He has the uncanny ability to draw from/combine/concentrate on so many genres of music. Each time I catch wind of a new SP album, I truthfully have no idea what the f*** to expect.

Ufabulum is an exceptional album, front to cover. It houses 10 solid tracks that all have a common sound palate, without recycling the same exact synths and samples. Each song (with the exception of the airy track "Red In Blue") is exceptionally versatile and smoothly transitions through a number of different electronic music genres, with a Squarepusher twist... obviously. The most prominently featured styles include: ambient, down-tempo, and drum+bass. A nice portion of the synths have this fuzzy tone that gives me this warm feeling like I've had one glass of wine too many. Unfbulum includes (as expected) some really neat MIDI-bass work and the percussive layer(s) have obviously been sequenced by a master. I recommend this album to all Squarepusher fans as this has already become one of my favorite works in his portfolio. I also recommend this album to any fan of electronic music. Skrillex is fine and all; but shouldn't be treated as a best-in-class artist.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Headphone Commute Review June 28, 2012

By Headphone Commute

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I suppose Tom Jenkinson requires no introduction. Any child of electronica should be familiar with his contribution to the evolution of music since his debut, "Feed Me Weird Things" (Rephlex, 1996). And even though, Jenkinson joined the Warp family in 1997, way after Autechre and Aphex Twin, his Squarepusher sound is still one of the staple commodities of the British label, and electronic music itself. Those who somehow missed the era of Squarepusher's Amen breaks and broken glitchy drums, need only to dig through his vast catalog to catch up. Among these, I highly recommend "Hard Normal Daddy" (1997), "Big Loada", (1997), "Selection Sixteen" (1999), "Go Plastic" (2001), "Venus No. 17" (2004) and my personal favorite, "Do You Know Squarepusher" (2002).

I would have preferred to stay away from regurgitating Jenkinson's vast discography, especially since I consider him an artist prominent enough for you to know, but in this case the storyline is important to revisit, to traverse his ample sonic arc. At the peak of this curve, we find Squarepusher tweaking the knobs of destructive DSP boxes and slicing up drum loops into a dizzying typhoon of collapsing beats, to what back then, as a precursor to breakcore, felt to be the most mind-warping, accelerated music I have ever heard. With an added sprinkle of AFX-like banter, as is the case with one of my all-time favorite EPs, "My Red Hot Car" (2001), Squarepusher was unstoppable and without a doubt at the top of his game.

Around 2004, for his "Ultravisor" release, Jenkinson began experimenting with live sound, layering many juxtaposed pieces with Spanish guitar and his very special fretted bass. The music began approaching future jazz territory, until in 2008, "Just A Souvenir" found Squarepusher's sound all but unrecognizable among the leftfield, fusion, and art-rock riffs. For the latter, Jenkinson walked away from the computer monitor and performed all live takes, recording the instrumentals for entire tracks all the way through. The 2010 follow-up, in which Squarepusher introduced Shobaleader One`s "d'Demonstrator", left many fans confused, at times scratching their heads at the brand new chapter that Jenkinson began to write with his electro retro funk. Many walked away disheartened, leaving the album in a pile of flustered shameful dust.

I managed to stay focused, following Jenkison's development as a musician, always challenged with self-reinvention. Throughout these incredibly unique albums, I navigated every unanticipated turn with mild fascination, marvel and awe, until all of my feelings matured into a total appreciation of his sound. Yes, after admittedly numerous listens, I fell in love with the progression of Squarepusher, eventually doubting, like many others, that he would ever relapse to his [now old-skool] electronic ways. But with the release of his fifteenth studio album, my patience finally paid off!

On "Ufabulum" Jenkins performs an acrobatic somersault, returning to his roots, while managing to fuse all of the taken detours together. The drills and breaks are back; the analog bass and digital effects are back, the synths and acid lines are back; even the titles of the tracks, like "303 Scopem Hard" all but flashback to the `original' Squarepusher! Although the world's fascination with dubstep does not appear to have deeply penetrated Squarepusher's sound, the 16-bit arcade style lo-fi bleeps and plops comfortably settle beneath his yesteryear cutting edge sound.

Jenkins maintains his tongue-in-cheek trance stabs and dark humor IDM just above the surface of serious commitment to intelligent programming and visionary sound design. The seemingly toy-like melodies on "Unreal Square" get drowned in simplistic drum machine patterns and dehydrating saw-tooth bass, until that almost-familiar lead line draws a parallel between two worlds, builds in a snare roll and ruptures into a cut-up post-break drum'n'bass, connecting one Squarepusher to the other. It's Squarepusher remixing Squarepusher, if you will, combining all of the invented elements of the past, with not yet discovered production of the future.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I hope this album gets the praise it deserves in the coming months... May 20, 2012

By D. Pearman

Format:Audio CD

...Because it blew me away from the very first listen.

Immediately, the album kicks off with the atmospheric yet constantly moving track "4001". It features some of the catchiest drums I've ever heard, ever. They sound very sporadic, yet controlled. The way the music flows with the drums as it approaches is stunning, and the sounds themselves are very emotional and atmospheric, seeming to place me on a huge docking bay of some distant planet that only Squarepusher has visited. The second track, "Unreal Square" is also a gem. It mixes sounds characteristic of Dubstep (bass and all) and turns them into something truly unique. I'm the kind of guy who usually runs in disgust at the sound of Dubstep, but this track is really something special. It flows seamlessly from the more-catchy-than-I-thought-was-possible "main melody" into a rather beautiful and peaceful (possibly even a little sad sounding) section, and then blends the two elements later on in the track. Towards the end, the drums speed up and elements of Dubstep, drum-n'-bass, and even ambient are all mixed together and it sounds great the whole time. This is truly some innovative stuff going on here.

I won't go into too much detail about the rest of the tracks, because I want the early audience to experience it for themselves and form their own interpretations, but I thought the whole thing was a classic worthy of being called a masterpiece. There are some moments where he uses ambient breakdowns to connect parts of songs that don't sound at all ambient... And it works. My favorite Squarepusher release so far.

Also, I feel like I should briefly mention the track "Dark Steering" which gained some attention on YouTube not too long ago. Tom said that this song was inspired by dreams he had of the world being destroyed by nuclear missiles and then escaping in a spacecraft... And if you really listen to the track, there's a point you can hear the ship starting up, hovering, taking off, and then, well, steering (though that part is pretty hard NOT to notice). Just thought I should point that out for others who would like to try to hear what I've been hearing. Combined with the music it gives me chills. I would call this the most "epic" track on the album for sure. Not better or worse than the other tracks (this release really works as an album), but I actually consider it a musical epic.