Dostrotime

Last updated
Dostrotime
Dostrotime album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Squarepusher
Released1 March 2024
Genre
Length59:14 (Standard)
60:28 (Japanese version)
Label Warp
Producer Tom Jenkinson
Squarepusher chronology
Be Up a Hello
(2020)		Dostrotime
(2024)
Singles from Dostrotime
  1. "Wendorlan"
    Released: 22 February 2024

Dostrotime is the sixteenth studio album by British electronic musician Tom Jenkinson, under the alias of Squarepusher. It was released through Warp Records on 1 March 2024. According to Jenkinson, Dostrotime was inspired by the "novel, eerie, sublime silence" of the COVID-19 lockdown. [1] The album was released on physical formats (CD and LP) as well as digital distribution platforms such as Bandcamp and Bleep. Its release was delayed on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music until later in 2024. A single for the album, "Wendorlan", was released on 23 January 2024, coupled with a music video using an oscilloscope. [2]

Contents

Background

On 21 January 2024, subscribers to Squarepusher's email newsletter received a download for a wav file, titled "XY.wav". When this file was placed into an oscilloscope and the signal properly plotted, the word "Dostrotime" was revealed. [3] On 23 January 2024, the music video for the lead single "Wendorlan" was released on YouTube. The visuals for the music video were made by Jenkinson himself, using an oscilloscope. It was filmed in one take and, according to Jenkinson, he used "custom processing to generate the XY signal from components of track audio and control data". [2] "Wendorlan" was released onto streaming services on 22 February 2024, with both a "Slamstep Remix" and a "XY Code S1575F7.VS050" version, which contained the same audio as "XY.wav".

Jenkinson revealed that the album was majorly inspired by the COVID-19 lockdown, saying "For me, the lockdown of 2020 will always stand out as a remarkable time partly for the viscerality of its terrors, but also because of its novel, eerie, sublime silence. It afforded me (and no doubt other fortunate loners) a respite from the incessant distractions that can get in the way of important things such as doing nothing – or recording music." [2] [4]

Jenkinson also revealed the title of the album itself was inspired by the lockdowns:

The cancellation of all live commitments meant the prospect of a year's worth of itineraries, airport security, hotels and no sleep was erased, and for some time I experienced a simple happiness not familiar in my adulthood.

In a way it reminded me of being a child, where one knows big and awful stuff happens on the horizon but the current moment is a blissful sanctuary. Without customary interruptions, time elapsed differently: Dostrotime. [1]

Release

Dostrotime was released on 1 March 2024 on CD, 2xLP and digitally through Bleep and Bandcamp. The album was not initially released on streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music; Warp Records made a statement saying that "the album will not be available on streaming services initially, but is available on LP, CD and digitally via our store and good shops worldwide." [5] The album was eventually released on streaming services on 5 July 2024. [6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Sputnik Music 4/5 [8]

Dostrotime has been described as IDM, [7] drum and bass, [7] experimental, [9] and jazz. [10] Overall, the album was received positively by critics. Paul Simpson of AllMusic gave the album a good review, stating that "As a whole, Dostrotime is easily one of the most well-rounded Squarepusher albums, displaying his range as an artist while housing some of his nuttiest tracks." [7] John Doran of The Quietus also gave a good review, saying "The album is a pleasingly symmetrical trip through What Squarepusher Solo Can Do In 2024, and, to me at least, it feels like a palate-cleanser [...]" [11] Mark Nelson of Sputnik Music called the album "his best body of work in two decades". [8] Pseudonymous author "Benci" of Igloo Magazine said that Dostrotime "strikes with bold tracks that are not afraid to go all in, whether that'd be with their explosiveness, intricate live playing, or insane drum spasms". [9] Jordan Darville of The Fader also said that "All in all, Dostrotime is pure Squarepusher: even in its familiar moments, you could never really predict it." [10]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings for Dostrotime
Publication/criticAccoladeRankRef.
Bleep Top 10 Albums of 20241 [12]

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Tom Jenkinson.

Dostrotime track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Arkteon 1"3:00
2."Enbounce"6:30
3."Wendorlan" (Original Mix)6:19
4."Duneray"6:29
5."Kronmec"4:37
6."Arkteon 2"2:33
7."Holorform"4:44
8."Akkranen"5:29
9."Stromcor"5:01
10."Domelash"6:18
11."Heliobat"3:47
12."Arkteon 3"4:21
Total length:59:14
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleLength
1."Heliobat" (Tokyo Nightfall)1:14
Total length:60:28

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warp Records</span> British record label

Warp Records is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon. It is currently based in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squarepusher</span> British musician

Thomas Russell Jenkinson, known professionally as Squarepusher, is an English electronic musician, record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. His music spans several genres including drum and bass, IDM, acid techno, jazz fusion, and electroacoustic music. His recordings are often typified by a combination of complex drum programming, live instrumental playing, and digital signal processing. Since 1995, he has recorded for Warp Records as well as smaller labels, including Rephlex Records. He is the older brother of Ceephax Acid Crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Paradinas</span> British musician

Michael Robert Paradinas, better known by his stage name μ-Ziq, is an English electronic musician from Wimbledon, London. He was associated with the electronic style intelligent dance music (IDM) during the 1990s, and recorded on Rephlex Records and Reflective Records. His critically acclaimed 1997 album, Lunatic Harness, helped define the drill 'n' bass subgenre and was also his most successful release, selling over 100,000 copies. Paradinas founded the record label Planet Mu, begun in 1995, where he has championed genres such as juke, IDM and footwork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceephax Acid Crew</span> British electronic musician

Andrew David Jenkinson, known professionally as Ceephax Acid Crew, is a British electronic musician and record producer who works primarily in the acid house and drum and bass subgenres. Jenkinson is also known simply by the pseudonym Ceephax, which is a reference to the BBC teletext service Ceefax. He is the younger brother of Squarepusher.

<i>Feed Me Weird Things</i> 1996 studio album by Squarepusher

Feed Me Weird Things is the debut studio album by English electronic musician Tom Jenkinson under the alias Squarepusher. It was released on 3 June 1996 through Rephlex Records.

<i>Hard Normal Daddy</i> 1997 studio album by Squarepusher

Hard Normal Daddy is the second studio album by English electronic musician Tom Jenkinson under the alias Squarepusher, released on 28 April 1997. The album was Jenkinson's first studio album as Squarepusher for Warp. A single for the track "Vic Acid" was released in 1997 prior to the album's release.

<i>Ultravisitor</i> 2004 studio album by Squarepusher

Ultravisitor is the seventh studio album by English electronic musician Tom Jenkinson, under the alias of Squarepusher. It was released on 8 March 2004 through Warp Records. In September 2024, Jenkinson announced a remaster of the album to commemorate its 20th anniversary, as well as an expanded and remastered edition of Venus No. 17, which was released on 25 October 2024.

<i>Big Loada</i> 1997 EP by Squarepusher

Big Loada is an EP by English electronic musician Squarepusher. It was released on 21 July 1997 by Warp in the United Kingdom. It was later released, with an expanded track listing, on 13 October 1998 by Nothing Records in the United States.

<i>Go Plastic</i> 2001 studio album by Squarepusher

Go Plastic is the fifth studio album by British electronic musician Tom Jenkinson, under the alias of Squarepusher. It was released through Warp Records on 25 June 2001. It peaked at number 100 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Do You Know Squarepusher</i> 2002 studio album by Squarepusher

Do You Know Squarepusher is the sixth studio album by Squarepusher, released on Warp in 2002. It peaked at number 35 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. It includes a cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart". The CD version of the album includes an additional disc of live recordings, titled Alive in Japan.

<i>Selection Sixteen</i> 1999 studio album by Squarepusher

Selection Sixteen is the fourth studio album by English electronic musician Squarepusher, released on 8 November 1999 by Warp. According to the CD, the cover art is from a film called Acid Trayners 4, which seems to be different pictures of an oscilloscope. Throughout the album, the bass, hooked to an audio/midi converter, plays an important part in the composition of synth and drum parts.

<i>Venus No. 17</i> 2004 EP by Squarepusher

Venus No. 17 is an extended play by English electronic musician Tom Jenkinson under the alias Squarepusher. It was released on 12 July 2004 through Warp Records. It was originally issued as a 12" vinyl record and a promotional CD.

Drill 'n' bass is a subgenre of drum and bass which developed in the mid-1990s as IDM artists began experimenting with elements of breakbeat and jungle. Artists utilized powerful audio software to program frenzied, irregular beats that often discouraged dancing. The style was often interpreted as having a lightly parodic relationship with the dance styles that inspired it.

<i>Ufabulum</i> 2012 studio album by Squarepusher

Ufabulum is the eleventh album by British electronic musician Tom Jenkinson, under the alias of Squarepusher. It was released on 15 May 2012 through Warp Records. Jenkinson has stated that "It's music which is generated purely from programming. There's no live guitar or drums, there's nothing in it which is live, really." At the time of release, Jenkinson made several appearances in festivals across the world, including his first show in Brazil, at the Sónar Festival.

<i>Exai</i> 2013 studio album by Autechre

Exai is the eleventh studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre. It was released on 7 February 2013 through Warp Records. Physical 2xCD and 4xLP versions were released on 5 March 2013. Before the release of NTS Sessions 1–4, Exai was Autechre's longest album to date. Like many other albums by the duo, Exai was followed by a companion EP named L-event which was released a few months later on 28 October 2013.

<i>L-event</i> 2013 EP by Autechre

L-event is an EP by electronic music duo Autechre, released on Warp Records on 28 October 2013. The EP is a companion to Autechre's double album Exai, which was released earlier in the same year.

<i>Damogen Furies</i> 2015 studio album by Squarepusher

Damogen Furies is the fourteenth studio album by British electronic musician Squarepusher. It was announced on 18 February 2015 and released on 20 April 2015. Along with the announcement of the album, the third track, "Rayc Fire 2", was released for free on Squarepusher's site, on which a series of live dates in support of the album were also announced.

<i>Elektrac</i> 2017 live album by Shobaleader One

Elektrac is a live album by British electronic musician Squarepusher's live group Shobaleader One. It was released on 10 March 2017 on Warp Records.

<i>Be Up a Hello</i> 2020 studio album by Squarepusher

Be Up a Hello is the fifteenth studio album by British electronic musician Tom Jenkinson, under the alias of Squarepusher. It was released through Warp Records on 31 January 2020. It is Jenkinson's first album under the Squarepusher alias in five years, following Damogen Furies (2015). The first single, "Vortrack", was released on 6 December 2019. The second single, "Nervelevers", was released on 8 January 2020. A release party was held at the Five Miles nightclub in London on 1 February 2020.

<i>Plus</i> (Autechre album) 2020 studio album by Autechre

Plus is the fifteenth studio album by British electronic music duo Autechre. It was released digitally with no prior announcement on 28 October 2020 through Warp Records. Plus was released twelve days after Sign, the band's previous album. The album was released on physical formats on 20 November 2020. Critics noted that Plus took a more percussive approach compared to the duo's previous album. The cover and packaging artwork for the release was created by The Designers Republic.

References

  1. 1 2 Lawson, Michael (23 January 2024). "Squarepusher unveils Dostrotime, his first album in four years". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Doran, John (23 January 2024). "Squarepusher Details New Album, 'Dostrotime'". The Quietus. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "Squarepusher announces details of forthcoming new album Dostrotime". 909originals. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  4. ↑ Ross, Gemma (31 January 2024). "Squarepusher announces first album in four years, 'Dostrotime'". Mixmag. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  5. ↑ "Squarepusher says no to streaming as new album Dostrotime released". Juno Daily. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  6. ↑ Warp Records [@WarpRecords] (July 5, 2024). "'DOSTROTIME' @SQUAREPUSHER. Available now across all formats, including streaming" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Simpson, Paul. "Dostrotime - Squarepusher". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  8. 1 2 Nelson, Mark (3 April 2024). "Squarepusher - Dostrotime". Spudnik Music. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Squarepusher :: Dostrotime (Warp)". Igloo Magazine. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  10. 1 2 "New Music Friday: Stream new projects from Faye Webster, Squarepusher, Sheer Mag, and more". The Fader. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Doran, John (16 March 2024). "Just Another IDM LP? Squarepusher's Dostrotime, Continuity & Modernism". The Quietus. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  12. ↑ Bleep. "Top 10 Albums of the Year 2024". Bleep. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.