Squarepusher: Budakhan Mindphone
Warp/Nothing, 1999
Budakhan Mindphone is officially an EP, but really it’s more of a “mini-album,” as the cover suggests. These seven tracks are even more interesting than the jazz experiments on Music is Rotted One Note. First up is “Iambic 5 Poetry,” the most conventional track on the EP. Guitar chords underscore mellow vibes and a haunting melody that builds in intensity. This may well be my favorite Squarepusher track. Though it’s fairly simple, it’s packed with emotional punch. Next up is “Fly Street,” which is surprisingly reminiscent of Hard Normal Daddy-era Squarepusher. There’s the occasional rolling snare and backspin among electronic chirps and a jazzy hook. “The Tide” is more abstract. Rhythm is obscured under stabs of percussion that swirl to the surface out of reverberating depths. You have to be in the right mood to appreciate this one. “Splask” is more straight-forward with beautiful ringing sounds and guitar that sounds like it could fit into Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew.
“Two Bass Hit (Dub),” the fifth track, doesn’t sound like what I normally associate with dub. There’s nothing repetitive here—a lot of the guitar meanderings seem to come out of nowhere. This is purely funky noodling, and I don’t mean anything derogatory by describing it as such. “Varkatope” is outer-spacey in a different way. Things get fast and furious in traditional Squarepusher fasion. This is jazz that grabs listeners by their throats and tingles their scalps. Finally, “Gong Acid” wraps up this Jenkinson masterpiece with, well, lots of gongs. This track is difficult to describe, but I like it a lot. The gong hits are fast, yet I find them relaxing and hypnotic. Budakhan Mindphone is not a release for the faint of heart, but it’s a rewarding listen for those who take the time to let it soak in.
