The Line-up Tom Jenkinson. That is all.

The History Squarepusher began releasing music through the Spymania label back in 1995 (these tracks were later released by Warp Records as the Burningn’n Tree album). In 1996, he joined Richard James’s (Aphex Twin) Rephlex label and put out his debut album, Feed Me Weird Things. After this he was taken in by Warp Records, where he has been ever since and this relationship has so far given us the albums; Hard Normal Daddy; Big Loada; Music Is One Rotted Note; Go Plastic; Do You Know Squarepusher?; and Ultravisitor.

The Sound Describing the Squarepusher sound to the uninitiated is not an easy thing. Actually, discussing it with fans is still not exactly straightforward. An unrelenting mix of drum ‘n’ bass and free jazz would almost cover it. The problem is, though, that nothing sounds like Squarepusher and the influences you can guess at from a review are unlikely to be found in the music when you hear it. “I’m just trying to shut myself out of the mediocrity that surrounds us all. You have to when a bit of plastic’s all that represents you in the world,” says Jenkinson of his methods of production, “you have ideas, you get in the studio, the ideas disappear and things start to flow”. This is not obviously structured music, nor is it easy listening.

Live shows have become legendary too, usually selling out on word of mouth alone. Essentially a separate entity from the albums they feature live bass improvised around digitally constructed music. Many of the tracks on Ultravisitor have taken on this feel.

Other Items Of Interest Celebrity Squarepusher fans include The Neptunes (who nominated Do You Know Squarepusher? for the Shortlist Prize in the US), Sofia Coppola (who used a track for the soundtrack of her latest film, Lost In Translation), Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Outkast’s Andre 3000, who said in an interview with Word, “There are two people who really humble me and blow my mind, and it’s [Squarepusher] and Aphex Twin … I wish I could make sounds like those guys.”

Despite all this attention, so unfazed by the trappings of success is Jenkinson that all payments to him from Warp for the sales of 75,000 copies of Hard Normal Daddy in the year it was released had to be return to the label by his accountant because they were out of date by the time he got around to paying them into the bank.

IF Recommends Big Loada (Buy it at Amazon) | Go Plastic (Buy it at Amazon) | Ultravisitor (Buy it at Amazon)

Websites www.warprecords.com | www.bleep.com | www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk