Squarepusher - Budakhan Mindphone (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

Oooh, very nice . .

04/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It seems Mr. Jenkinson did things backwards. This mini-album would have been a nice segue from "Big Loada" to "Music Is Rotted One Note." As it is, "Music . ." came out first and was quite a jarring contrast. I've tried to give "Music . ." a chance, and can honestly say I like it a lot, although it's not nearly as enjoyable per se as "Big Loada."That's where "Budakhan Mindphone" beats the previous ablum hands down. It still retains the experimental jazz touches ("The Tide," "Gong Acid,") but most of the tracks mingle the noodling with a strong beat and some very nice melodies. The best tracks here, "Iambic 5 Poetry," "Fly Street," and "Varkotope" rank with the best TJ has released. The rest is solid. All in all, a very tasty release, and probably the one I would recommend to the curious.This album and the original UK "Big Loada" make nice arguments for 'mini-albums' in general. You don't have to set aside a full hour of your time to digest them, and yet you still get a full range of the Squarepusher sound. I'd rather pay $8-9 for a good 30 minute release than $14+ for a mind-numbing 75 minutes. "Budakhan Mindphone" pulls the double coup of being high quality and the right length. Dandy."

A Short Album That Needs Time

braindata | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 03/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Iambic 5 Poetry" is sheer beauty. It IS the standout track, and at first I thought it was going to be the only one. This mini-album takes several listens to get engrossed and to appreciate all that it offers. At this stage, I can say that I'm thoroughly satisfied with this album. It uses some of the more accoustic jazz style of Music Is Rotted One Note, but this time it's less dark in tone. In fact, it's rather uplifting. There is more electronic sequencing involved here, but it is quite subtle in its execution.The aforementioned track is the big melody track. Others are more experimental and free-form in nature, but easy to enjoy and complement the overall feel of the mini-album."

Mindphone Initiated

Kgar | SF, CA | 01/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Budakhan Mindphone was my first introduction to the work of Tom Jenkinson aka Squarepusher. For someone new to Squarepusher this might actually be a good place to start. Although his catalog is wildly diverse and this album could be labeled "experimental" (then again almost all SP work could be), I think the listenablity and clearly identifiable Squarepusher aesthetic make this as good a place as any to start your SP collection. Although much is made of Mr. Jenkinson as a "drill'n bass God" his approach to music seems to share alot with improvisational jazz. There are plenty of electronic elements in Budakhan Mindphone, but one need not be a fan of electronic music (or any of it's sub-genres) to enjoy this album. For Squarepusher fans this album is, of course, a must.

Like others have stated, Iambic 5 Poetry is a standout track. Fly Street is another great, undefinable track. Varkatope is an awesome subteranean riff that explodes to life a minute or so into the track. The slap-happy bass in in Two Bass Hit is another favorite. There are no tracks that don't belong, and ultimately the album gels well as a whole. Not an easy task for music this diverse, but Squarepusher does it again, brilliantly."

A strange hybrid of old and new squarepusher

Kgar | 03/15/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although some previous reviews have claimed that Budakhan Mindphone is really Music is Rotten One Note part II, I really cannot agree. Although B.M. certainly takes a large cue from Music Is Rotted One Note, it also brings back some of the beats of Big Loada and Hard Normal Daddy, although admittedly in a strange new form. Iambic 5 poetry is a very pretty song that is reminiscent of Tortoise; Two Bass Hit is a lopsided bass jam; and Fly Street and Varkatope hearken back to older Squarepusher sounds, while retaining the strange minimalism of more recent Squarepusher efforts. I could do without the tunelessness of The Tide and Gong Acid, but the tuneful-to-tuneless ratio here is much higher than on Music Is Rotted One Note, thus providing a more enjoyable listening experience. This is the sound of Mr. Jenkinson beginning to reconcile the old-school Squarepusher drill 'n' bass sound with the free jazz of his last effort, and it is a worthwhile excursion."

Is the vein of 'Music is Rotted One Note' tapped?

Kgar | 03/04/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Very much akin to Mr. Jenkinson's last dive into acid jazz fusion, 'Music is Rotted One Note', Squarepusher has yet again returned to the seemingly lo-fi jazz statement against drum n bass in 'Budakhan Mindphone'. The last album was hailed as genius by some and a triffle by others, and this mini album will definitely garner the same reviews by critics: divided. Though some of this disc does delve back into the world of drum n bass for short sections, some of the songs get monotonous and weighed down by the jazz touch (the final song 'Gong Acid' for instance is a trail of percussion hits). My personal favorite track on here is 'Two Bass Hit'. If you enjoyed Jenkinson's last excursion, then this is the disc for you and if this is your first time listening to Squarepusher's latest material, this may be a cheap sampler to his full length release."

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	Squarepusher Budakhan Mindphone Genres: Dance & Electronic, Pop Track Listings (7) - Disc #1 Iambic 5 Poetry Fly Street The Tide Splask Two Bass Hit [Dub] Varkatope Gong Acid Seven track EP for 1999 from Englishman Tom Jenkinson, the acclaimed avant-garde drum'n'bass artist better known as Squarepusher. Standard jewel case.
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