Photo credit: Squarepusher / Instagram
Three decades into a career built on dismantling expectations, Squarepusher has once again refused to stand still. Kammerkonzert sees Tom Jenkinson stepping away from the hyperactive breakbeats, bass acrobatics, and machine-gun electronics that have long defined his work, instead diving into chamber arrangements, jazz flourishes, and cinematic composition. The result is one of the fascinating records in his catalogue. Not for abandoning the Squarepusher identity, but because it reshapes it into something entirely different.
The album’s opening track, ‘K1 Advance’, was a bit of a difficult listen for me, and frankly a bit overstimulating at first. As the tracklist progressed, the record’s methodology started to click a bit more. Tracks such as ‘K2 Central’ and ‘K7 Museum’ move with a nervous energy, twisting jazz, prog, and orchestral textures into unpredictable forms. Even in its quieter moments, there is a restless quality to the music, as if Jenkinson is constantly resisting the temptation to let anything settle into comfort.
Beneath the record’s elaborate arrangements is still the same obsessive architect that created Ultravisitor and Go Plastic. Only now his tools are strings, woodwinds, and dissonant harmonies rather than breakbeats.
What makes the album compelling is its refusal to compromise. At a stage where many artists settle into comfortable repetition, Jenkinson continues to chase unfamiliar territory. Kammerkonzert may divide listeners, as it is perhaps intended to. But even its most difficult moments feel driven by curiosity rather than indulgence, resulting in a truly unique and interesting listening experience.
Listen to Kammerkonzert:
