Squarepusher: Untitled

Tom Jenkinson has an over-active brain. His ‘Go Plastic’ LP, released earlier this year, was a peerless harmonisation of mind and machinery, which showcased more concepts in 50 minutes than some of his imitators have so far managed over the course of their entire careers.

So to round off 2001 – and just to prove that he didn’t reach his zenith on ‘Go Plastic’ – Squarepusher goes one step further, and squeezes every idea he’s ever had into one untitled five-minute track.

Why? Because he can. The result is genuinely unclassifiable. While it pilfers from recognisable genres, this record is a gene-splice which never stands still long enough to establish a familiar identity.

Is it Garage? Drum ‘n’ Bass? Drill ‘n’ Bass? Pop? It’s certainly got elements of all these. Throw in a hint of hip-hop, a touch of R ‘n’ B, and consider this: If it’s virtually impossible for most of us to comprehend the complexity of this track when listening to it, what sort of person actually attempts to MAKE music like this?

Truly remarkable.