Stereotype

幻のアルバム『Stereotype』が再発決定!
荒削りながらも爆発的なエネルギーを放つ初期音源がオリジナル・テープからリマスターされて蘇る!!

鬼才スクエアプッシャーが幻のアルバム『Stereotype』の再発盤を〈Warp Records〉よりリリース。
1994年にステレオタイプ名義でひっそりとセルフリリースされた知る人ぞ知る『Stereotype』は、当時若干19歳のスクエアプッシャーによる約1時間にわたる原初のダンスフロア・トラック群。海賊ラジオとレイヴ文化を燃料に生み出された、荒削りながらも爆発的なエネルギーを放つ初期音源が、ついにオリジナル・テープからリマスターされて蘇る。オリジナルでは無理やり1枚の12インチに収められていた音源を、2枚組LPとして新たにカット。〈Rephlex Records〉からのデビュー作『Feed Me Weird Things』(1996)と同時期に制作され、いわば"もうひとつのデビュー・アルバム"とも呼べる伝説的音源。スクエアプッシャーの原点を体現する本作はキャリアを語る上で重要な一枚である。

Tom Jenkinsons first release appeared in a limited edition of 1,000 vinyl copies in 1994, issued by Spymania sublabel Nothings Clear (which didnt put out anything else). Preceding his earliest releases as Squarepusher or under his own name, the initially self-titled Stereotype remained one of the artists rarest recordings until Warp finally gave it a proper reissue as a Squarepusher album more than 30 years later. The album has none of the jazzy bass guitar or blitzkrieg drillnbass that Squarepusher is best known for, instead exploring acid hardcore. The first two of the albums six tracks each pass the ten-minute mark, with "Whooshki" looping a cerebral synth sequence for 16 minutes, paired with the ebbing and flowing of stomping kick drums. Melodically, it certainly fits in with the braindance principle of Aphex Twins Rephlex label, which released the first Squarepusher album, Feed Me Weird Things, in 1996. The main difference, however, is that this is a more headstrong approach without all the hairpin twists and turns. "1994" is a bit more industrial, with icy electronics and more pounding kicks, as well as some rattling breakbeats tucked in. "OBrien" comes closest to the celestial feeling of "Whooshki" while also cruising along a pattern of rolling breaks. The three shorter tracks that remain all inhabit the harder, crunchier, and more barren side, with "OBrien (Darkness)," seemingly unrelated to the other "OBrien," being the most claustrophobic. Stereotype might seem closer to a demo or a jam session compared to most Squarepusher releases, which tend to be overwhelmingly complex, but its still a remarkably fun and exciting record. ~ Paul Simpson

スクエアプッシャーを名乗る前の94年に、1,000枚だけ自主プレスされたステレオタイプ名義の『Stereotype E.P.』が30年の時を超えて初リイシュー/初CD化。体裁はEPながらも16分超の"Whooshki"を筆頭に長尺のトラックがLP尺でギッシリ6曲詰まっている。後の姿を予感させる緻密さもありつつ、レイヴ時代ならではの直情的なフロア志向が炸裂していて最高だ。
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