Squarepusher returns to his ‘90s hardware on new album Be Up A Hello

Squarepusher
(Image credit: Donald Milne)

It’s been almost five years since the last Squarepusher album, but that hiatus is set to come to an end when Tom Jenkinson releases Be Up A Hello on 31 January 2020. This will be preceded by Vortrack, a double A-side 12-inch, on 6 December.

In making the record, Jenkinson returned to the vintage analogue and digital hardware that he made his name with in the ‘90s, even employing a positively archaic Commodore Vic20 computer. This is in stark contrast to the self-developed software that he used in the creation of 2015’s Damogen Furies.

The new album is said to have a celebratory air, with rinsing breakbeat tracks and nods to the early DIY Essex race scene that inspired Squarepusher’s nascent work. Production was “fast moving and spontaneous,” the nature of the analogue gear meaning that tracks were finalised and recorded in a single take, taking the form of a diary.

In returning to his old gear, Jenkinson attempted to take a different approach to it in a bid to discover new sounds and textures. “Whilst analogue sounds can be cliched, if you look at the processes that generate them analytically, there are still ways you can create new sonic palates,” he says.

Check out the tracklisting for Be Up A Hello below, along with dates for the forthcoming Squarepusher world tour. 

Squarepusher Be Up A Hello tracklisting

  • A1. Oberlove
  • A2. Hitsonu
  • A3. Nervelevers
  • A4. Speedcrank
  • A5. Detroit People Mover
  • B1. Vortrack
  • B2. Terminal Slam
  • B3. Mekrev Bass
  • B4. 80 Ondula

Available as First Edition vinyl, CD and digital formats

Squarepusher world tour dates

  • 31st Jan - CTM Festival, Berlin - Germany
  • 14th March - Bangface Weekender, Southport - UK
  • Thu 9th April - Royale, Boston - USA                         
  • Sat 11th April - Brooklyn Steel, NYC - USA              
  • Tue 14th April - SAT, Montreal - USA                       
  • Wed 15th April - Danforth, Toronto- USA                 
  • Thu 16th April - St. Andrews, Detroit - USA              
  • Fri 17th April - Metro, Chicago - USA
  • Sun 19th April - Bluebird Theater, Denver - USA                 
  • Wed 22nd April - Neumos, Seattle - USA                 
  • Thu 23rd April - Wonder Ballroom, Portland  - USA
  • Fri 24th April - The Midway, SF  - USA
  • Sat 25th April - 1720, LA  - USA
  • 1st May - LEV Festival, Gijon - Spain
  • 8th May - Les Nuits Botanique, Brussels - Belgium
  • 9th May - Melkweg, Amsterdam - Netherlands
  • 13th May - Brudenell, Leeds - UK
  • 14th May - Concorde2, Brighton - UK
  • 15th May - Roundhouse, London – UK
Ben Rogerson
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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