Tom “Squarepusher”, Jenkinson creates experimental, manic drum’n’bass that is schizoid and full of progressive jazz influences. He also aims to push the boundaries of the genre. Jenkinson rose from near-total inobscurity to drum’n’bass cause celebre within a matter of months. He released just two EPs and a DJ Food mix for the latter’s Refried Food Series before signing EP and LP releases plans with three different labels. Feed Me Weird was his first full-length album. It was released on Richard “Aphex Twin” James’ Rephlex label. This mix of fast jungle breaks, Aphex-style synth textures and offbeat melodies and instrumental arrangements (he plays his own music for his tracks) recalls jazz fusion pioneers like Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra. A skilled bassist and multi-instrumentalist, Jenkinson’s fretless accompaniment is a staple of his music and one of the more obvious affiliations with jazz (although his formal arrangements are often as jazz-derived as his playing). Jenkinson grew to love jazz and dub music, listening to Miles Davis, Augustus Pablo and Charlie Parker as a child. Jenkinson, the son of a jazz drummer and a bass player, played drums in highschool. Jenkinson was introduced to electronic music by experimental electro-techno artists like LFO and Carl Craig. He quickly began combining his diverse influences to create a mix of post-bop avantgarde, breakbeat techno, and progressive jazz. Although Jenkinson claims a stronger affinity with jazz than the jungle, his EPs Squarepusher (Jenkinson moved from Chelmsford to Harringay) were initially criticized as perversions of more obvious compositional principles of the jungle. However, they found ready audiences among post-acid electronic music fans. In 1995, Jenkinson signed a deal to release the Port Rhombus EP through Warp. Three other EPs were also released by Warp via a variety labels. In 1996, the full-length Feed Me Weird Things was released. Hard Normal Daddy followed a year later. Jenkinson’s 1998 album Music Is Rotted One Note received critical acclaim. He then became a one-man Fusion group, multi-tracking himself on keyboards, drums, and bass. He released two EPs, Budakhan Mindphone and Maximum Priest, the same year as Selection Sixteen, his full-length album. Go Plastic was released in summer 2001 and featured the first Squarepusher hit with “My Red Hot Car”. The 2003 release Do You Know Squarepusher, as well as 2004’s Ultravisitor, saw him refine his fusion between programming and composition. These characteristics were also featured on Hello Everything (2006) and Just a Souvenir (2008). Solo Electric Bass Vol. 2 was his first solo album. 1), he revealed his next project, a masked quartet called Shobaleader One, which released a solo bass record (titled Solo Electric Bass, Vol.
