Budakhan Mindphone

Never content to rest on the reception of his most recent outing, Tom Jenkinson quickly followed up Squarepusher's divisive Music Is Rotted One Note with the seven-song mini-album Budakhan Mindphone. It retains the murky atmosphere of its predecessor but injects it with some of the old aggression that many fans felt was missing on his jazz outing. Percussion is at the album’s forefront, whether in the hollow drips of “Splask,” the steel-barrel drums of “Iambic 5 Poetry,” or the spastic xylophone of “Gong Acid.” While the hyperactive drums of “Fly Street” and “Varkatope” should please fans of Squarepusher’s acid techno years, the album shows him adopting a steadier, more centered view of rhythm. While Squarepusher will never be relaxed—it’s not in Jenkinson's nature—“Iambic 5 Poetry” and “Splask” display an appreciation for the low-key, shuffling funk of hip-hop productions, particularly those of DJ Premier.