IDM / proggy drum-n-bass / drill-n-bass

This is Squarepusher very much in dark and aggressive DnB mode, although there are a couple jazzy compositional touches on a couple tracks, and the melodies are sometimes a serene anchor even when the rhythm is totally manic. Lots of the weird synth textures you associate with Squarepusher (and sometimes Aphex Twin or Autechre). Lots of intricate rhythm programming and clicky glitchiness, bleeps, bass, etc. Keeps a certain winking playfulness despite all that. Also, this was all recorded live in one take, according to the liner notes (which sounds right considering how similar his recent live sets sound to this).

RIYL: dark/aggro Squarepusher (e.g. Go Plastic), spazzy Aphex Twin (e.g. “Syro”, the AFX stuff), Kid606, mid-90s to early 2000s Autechre

1. big drums, start with funky strut, get skittery. melody comes in, start w/ what sounds like a brief cure interpolation (controversial in the discogs comments), quickly gets warped into something else. drums shift between the initial strut and the crazyness, kicks stay insistent, trip overthemselves in parts. 4:32
2. menacing descending synth line, drums stumble in a bit dubby, keeps halftime DnB skank for a while. halts for a bit just after 1 then crashes back, with lasers in tow. strips back around midpoint, slowly rebuilds. opening melody weaves in and out with variations. drums die about :30 before end. 6:15
3. bright metallic synths and lasers, stuttery punchy kicks, chopped up and furious, like it keeps folding in on itself. lets itself get a little sloppy for moments in parts, but has its own sense of control and restraint throughout. stops on a dime. 4:45
4. spazzy synth noodling with intermittent drums, gets it’s footing :30 in. drums cohere, main synth stays solo-y, but bassline and other stuff provides some grounding. slips right into propulsive 4/4 at midpoint, gets right back to its usual strut after not long. the closest you get to jazzy squarepusher, but don’t be expecting “ultravisitor” here. 3:45
5. airy synth fog gets filled out with richer tones, all relatively bright. drums spazz in at :50, with trails of squelchier synth and some nicely echoed cymbals. another bright floaty synth line added around 1:50, melody lines get nice chorus effect near midway, sweetness cut by buzzsaw synths. turns into DnB workout around 3:00, slowly breaks down and rebuilds once more. 5:20
6. rolling hiccuping drums with bass blurts and rough midrange synth, slow addition of higher melody which becomes increasingly warbly. lose the drums for a bit around 1:15, jungle drums and bassline creep up in background, falls apart again around 2:15. ok, maybe this is the jazziest part in a way? doesn’t come back together till 3ish, when the original components return, more manic. all sorts of other weird change changeups with returns to earlier themes, crazy end, yeah, this is the jazziest one, ha. 6:51
7. sweet melodic callback to track 2, but with spazzy acid synth and nimble DnB percussion, sans big kicks. smeared chimes enter around 1:00. kicks slowly enter before you realize it, intermittent 80s videogame battle sounds. metallic synth flares start around 2:30, grow in intensity and frequency. breakdown around 4:00, slow fall apart and rebuild, original melody comes back, hadn’t even noticed its exit. 6:15
8. big boomy loping kick and shuffling reverby cymbals, with undulating bassline. sputtery acid synth, sawed metal. drums drop out and new menacing acid synth snakes in with rock-y cymbals and 8-bit game mayhem. bassline blurs w/ game sounds. drums leave around 2:30, come crashing back in real slow and deliberate, with static, drums get hectic later, then chill again. hopeful melody eases in around 3:30, old synths get squelchier. beware slightly early fade out. 5:48

recommended: 7, 2, 5, 8, any