Squarepusher
Hard Normal Daddy
(Warp/Rephlex)
Getting your hands on one of this guy's releases used to be kind of a pain in the arse if you live in the US (until he got signed with the Nothing label). Although he's released a great deal of work, quite a bit of it has yet to be released domestically here. Wander into the right music store, however, and you'll probably find someone who's heard of it or is flat out hooked. Admittingly, I had heard a lot about the artist before I even had a listen to the full- length.
The disc itself is a fucked-up sort of mix between lounge, drum and bass, and techno. Thomas Jenkinson (his real name) creates nice, little grooving songs, and then weaves in maniacal snares and other bizarre effects. The result is something that sounds not completely unlike Aphex Twin and U-Ziq, although not nearly the same. Instead of hunkering down with harsher noises, Hard Normal Daddy mainly toys around with lighter sounds. At a couple points, a bit of a hardcore beat comes into play, but for the most part, the disc leans more on keenly focused arrangements and precise builds and falls to make its point. Some very nice experimental electronic music.
Rating: 8.5
