Squarepusher – Be Up A Hello

For the new album, Tom Jenkinson relied for the first time in many years on the same digital and analogue hardware with which he defined his trademark sound in the early 1990s. The use of vintage synthesizers and effects (including a Commodore Vic-20) marks a radical turnaround for the Briton, who on the previous album "Damogen Furies" still relied completely on modern tools and the latest software, programmed and optimised by himself over the course of 15 years.

The result sounds especially exuberant when Tom unleashes straight breakbeat tunes like "Nervelevers" and "Terminal Slam" - classic dancefloor material. Meanwhile, dark tracks like "Vortrack" and "Mekrev Bass" prove that he still has a soft spot for perfectly balanced psych overload.

All in all, "Be Up A Hello" harks back to the era of DIY raves in Essex, whose ecstasy, exuberance and lack of inhibition were to leave a lasting mark on Tom's whole approach.