Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy (1997)

Was great to have Tom Jenkinson back in his most famous guise last month.  The new Squarepusher album, Be Up A Hello, is a return to classic form that I can wholeheartedly recommend; Jenkinson's lost none of his genius for intricate programming, way with a good melody and tracks that are just insanely entertaining.  What was missing however were his rubbery bass guitar lines of old (he was apparently nursing a broken wrist), but not to worry.

Plenty of the latter in this classic that's just about to turn 23 years old.  Hard Normal Daddy was Jenkinson's second Squarepusher album, and emerged into an increasingly crowded field as the 90s wore on of the most ambitious producers trying to push the envelope.  One aspect of this, with intricately programmed beats pushed as fast as they could go, became known as drill 'n' bass - see also the Richard D James Album - and the programming on Hard Normal Daddy is one of its lasting treasures, not least on brain-frazzling tracks like Rustic Raver and Chin Hippy.

Much more so than Aphex Twin though, Squarepusher at this time had significant influences from jazz fusion, classic funk and old TV themes, and it's this angle that makes Hard Normal Daddy such a joy for me to return to over and over.  Playing actual bass - and with tons of verve and skill - adds a definite jazzier dimension, as do classic electric piano chords.  The effect, as on the opening Coopers World or on Papalon, is of the languid mid-70s CTI sound or 70s movie music/"cop show" (in Jenkinson's words) TV music being transported to urban London in 1997.  In 2020, it's still a treat to enjoy from end to end.

link
pw: sgtg