Squarepusher: Solo Electric Bass Volume 1
Squarepusher: Solo Electric Bass Volume 1
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By Matt Fortune. |  |
Monday, 17, Aug 2009 01:45
Warp, out now .
In a nutshell...
Self-indulgent jazz wing out
What's it all about?
Solo Electric Bass 1 is the first release detailing Squarepusher's skills on the bass guitar. The man maybe an electronic deviant but he's also a virtuoso when it comes to plucking the four-string. This set is a collection of 'pieces' from a live show performed in Cite de la Musique, Paris in September 2007. It's Squarepusher, a small amp, a bass and his jazz hands.
Who's it by?
Squarepusher aka Tom Jenkinson is notorious in electronic circles for his love of drill core, acid and teeth-nashingly strong techno. His other passion is for showing off his intimate knowledge of the bass guitar.
Over the years his electronic and musical leftism has made him stand out as one of the weirder and more eccentric artists on Warp records, which is saying something as the whole roster makes up a pretty peculiar bunch. The label itself is steeped in all things which go bleep at night while Squarepusher rivals Aphex Twin in terms of idiosyncracies and his penchant for being more than a little obtuse.
Likelihood of winning a trip to the Grammys?
If you get the nod for bringing serious bass mayhem then he's in with a chance here...
What the others say
"Naturally, every good masturbation session requires a climax, and that's where he falters. The tracks on Solo Electric Bass 1 are all build-up, no pay off. Nothing ever really goes anywhere. There are little peaks and troughs, but the songs often end up heading down blind alleys and frittering into nothing. As such, it's somewhat consistent with his other recorded output." - Drowned in Sound
"As the naming convention and out-of-order tracks suggest, the songs blend into each other. It creates an album weighed toward showcasing masterful execution that leaves a pretty muted general impression. Unless you're predisposed toward technical prowess and solo bass recordings, it's probably going to come off as more of a clinic than a collection of great songs." - Pitchfork
So is it any good?
If you're expecting My Red Hot Car you'd best avert your ears. In a nutshell, this limited release features 12 pieces of intense bass noodling. Perhaps watching the 'pusherman' throw these jazz shapes in the flesh in Paris would be a pretty mesmerising experience. His earnest plucking is interjected with a fair amount of crowd baying going on but maybe someone stuck two fingers up behind his head while he was reaching a particularly sick riff. Or they were just grateful for him coming to an end.
There's no question that Jenkinson is well skilled in the art of bass. He's wrings every last drop of music out of his poor instrument, but unfortunately on cd the whole thing sounds flat, dull and resembles a poor quality bootleg. Even a completist may be hard pushed to find it in their heart to love this. Even more surprisingly, Warp missed a trick on sticking out a dvd of the whole gig, which may have helped make the Squarpusher live experience almost sensical rather than the beardy, chin stroking, humourless jazz fest. I'd recommend giving this a wide bass-shaped berth and checking out Go Plastic, Just a Souvenir or Hello Everything instead...
3/10
Jim Ottewill