| Music Is Rotted One Note | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 October 1998 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:28 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | Tom Jenkinson | |||
| Squarepusher chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music Is Rotted One Note is the third studio album by English electronic musician Squarepusher, released on 12 October 1998 by Warp. The album is a departure for Squarepusher, with only elements of the familiar drum and bass style appearing in a largely jazz fusion production.
The production of Music Is Rotted One Note did not involve any sequencing or sampling equipment, which had featured heavily on Squarepusher's previous work. [4] Many of the tracks instead have a "live" feel, featuring virtuoso playing by Squarepusher on the drums and bass guitar. His own comments on the album include:
One of the reasons that I headed in that direction as opposed to the more computer sequence-type stuff is because I was actually beginning to feel really limited using sequencers and samplers... I was really beginning to yearn for the sort of unpredictability of the randomness of improvising with live instruments. I was just starting to choke. The sequencer is too square, too digital. I just wanted to get really fucking loose and just start again somehow. [5]
There were also other principles at play at this time relating to harmonic content. One was that I was to abandon the overt usage of melody. This was because I had come to see it as a cheap way of getting people to like my music. It disgusted me that it was so easy to appeal to people and I thus introduced arbitrary rules to make it harder. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| NME | 8/10 [6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.8/10 [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
| Spin | 7/10 [9] |
In 2003, Pitchfork placed Music Is Rotted One Note at number 89 on its list of the best albums of the 1990s. [3]
All tracks are written by Tom Jenkinson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chunk-S" | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Don't Go Plastic" | 4:20 |
| 3. | "Dust Switch" | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Curve 1" | 2:06 |
| 5. | "137 (Rinse)" | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Parallelogram Bin" | 2:24 |
| 7. | "Circular Flexing" | 4:57 |
| 8. | "Ill Descent" | 2:37 |
| 9. | "My Sound" | 6:07 |
| 10. | "Drunken Style" | 0:45 |
| 11. | "Theme from Vertical Hold" | 4:25 |
| 12. | "Ruin" | 1:56 |
| 13. | "Shin Triad" | 2:26 |
| 14. | "Step 1" | 1:46 |
| 15. | "Last Ap Roach" | 4:00 |
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [10] | 40 |
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.
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.
Richard D. James Album is the fourth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released on 4 November 1996 through Warp Records. It was composed by James on his Macintosh computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast breakbeats and intricate drum programming which draw from jungle and drum and bass. James' drum loops are paired with lush string arrangements, and ambient melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as modulated vocals from James.
Drukqs is the fifth studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James under the alias of Aphex Twin. It was released in October 2001 through Warp Records. It is a double album that includes a variety of sharply contrasting styles, from meticulously programmed beats inspired by jungle and drum and bass, to classical-type piano and prepared piano, ambient, and electroacoustic pieces. It features the piano composition "Avril 14th", one of James's best known recordings.
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.
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.
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.
Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives is a 2001 studio album by Guillermo Scott Herren, the first released under the name Prefuse 73. The album was released on June 11, 2001, on Warp. The music was created by Herren alone, with some tracks featuring guest vocals from MCs Mikah 9, MF Doom and Aesop Rock as well as vocalist Sam Prekop from The Sea and Cake. Inspired by Miami bass and early 90s hip hop, Herren had been recording music with his Music Production Center (MPC) for Schematic Records, a label known primarily for intelligent dance music (IDM). After working with various local hip hop artists making what he described as "very boring rap beats", Herren was inspired to take his music in a more left-field direction.
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.
Budakhan Mindphone is the fourth EP by English electronic musician Squarepusher, released on 1 March 1999 by Warp. It follows in much the same vein as its predecessor Music Is Rotted One Note, and is often classified as an EP due to its relative brevity; the cover refers to it as "a mini-album".
Seefeel is a British electronic and post-rock band formed in the early 1990s by Mark Clifford, Daren Seymour (bass), Justin Fletcher, and Sarah Peacock. Their work became known for fusing guitar-based shoegaze with the production techniques of ambient techno and electronica.
Frequencies is the debut studio album by British electronic music duo LFO, released on 22 July 1991 by Warp. It peaked at No. 42 on the UK Albums Chart and was released to universal acclaim.
Richard David James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, record producer, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient and jungle. Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact,Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.
Just a Souvenir is the ninth album by Squarepusher, released in October 2008.
Kurt Samuel Vile is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is known for his solo work, music released under the name "Kurt Vile and The Violators," and as the former lead guitarist of rock band the War on Drugs. Both in the studio and during live performances, Vile is accompanied by his backing band, the Violators, which currently includes Jesse Trbovich, Kyle Spence (drums) and Adam Langellotti.
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.
Shields is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grizzly Bear, released on September 18, 2012, by Warp Records. Written and recorded following a six-month hiatus from band activities, the album was produced by bassist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Taylor. Preceded by the singles, "Sleeping Ute" and "Yet Again", an expanded version of Shields, entitled Shields Expanded, was released on November 12, 2013, featuring additional tracks recorded during the sessions, demo recordings and remixes. The eight additional tracks were issued as a separate mini-album, entitled Shields: B-Sides.
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.
Glasshouse is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. It was released on 20 October 2017 through Island Records. The album was supported by the singles "Midnight", "Selfish Love" and "Alone".
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.
