Squarepusher: Stereotype

"But there's pleasure in that direct approach. The extended bliss-out "Whooshki" predicts the emo-acid freakout of Roy of the Ravers by two decades, and there's something charmingly out of time about its extreme length, as if Jenkinson were unsure if he was making a dance record or a Klaus Schulze odyssey. There's also "1994," another lengthy workout that starts with a quote from a 1984 radio play and runs on twitchy, speed-freak drums;"

""O'Brien" digs even deeper into the dark underbelly of UK hardcore, with nimble percussion that switches between passages of hectic breakbeat and halftime with the grace of a figure skater, a hint of the rhythmic genius that would come later. Still, the splashy hi-hat sounds place it in the lineage of early, dreamy AFX tracks. Even here, at his clubbiest, Jenkinson was showing signs of what would come later: a bent toward home listening and sonic experimentalism."

"Capturing a brilliant artist when he was still wet behind the ears, Stereotype will mainly be of interest to Squarepusher heads. Or maybe '90s techno nerds, though there are many other examples of similar music done better even before Jenkinson took over that Southminster home. But as a piece of electronic music history, Stereotype is just fun, a rare opportunity to hear an otherwise very nerdy artist jamming with friends and making a record for the sheer reason of wanting to make a record,"

Stereotype presents lengthy, exploratory tracks that blur dancefloor urgency and ambient odyssey, exemplified by “Whooshki” and “1994.” The record bridges early Moving Shadow sounds and later drill'n'bass fireworks, while "O'Brien" reveals rhythmic agility that presages later genius. Splashy hi-hats tie some moments to early dreamy AFX, even as club-ready passages hint at home-listening tendencies and sonic experimentalism. Several remaining tracks deliver competent techno influenced by IDM and second-wave Detroit but feel like genre exercises after the opening epics. The record records youthful creativity, camaraderie, and the unguarded joy of making music without commercial constraints.

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