Squarepusher - genius or show off?

[MixBass]

Regardless of what answer you choose, committed he is for sure.

 

[LexiconBand]

squarepusher is an amazingly creative influential electronic musician who happens to completely shred on the bass as well. I definitely wouldn't call him a "show off" because not that many people know about him and he most certainly isn't out there trying to preach his greatness to all who will hear. I really don't dig much solo bass albums, but his solo electric bass album is really really unique. I haven't heard anyone doing the stuff he is doing....

 

[PrimitiveMan]

his music is on another level, genius level for sure... maybe in the next life I will be be that nasty with my fingers. I first heard him when his first album came out, I've been a hardcore fan since. I love the way his music has changed. One of the reasons I started playing bass... definitely the reason I ripped the frets out of my first bass. Funny I would say he is one of my big influences but I don't play like him or make music like his, but when I listen to his music I get inspired to play and do something different. props!

 

[Cosmicrain]

Tom is a really nice guy, I have the privilege to know him on a personal level. I have over the years, hand made some basses and a guitar for Tom, plus helped Tom on other projects with regards to specialist gear. Tom as a man, and in his private life is very humble and a kind man. He never "shows off" or makes out he is something he is not. When he is not in the public eye he is a very private man. If you think Tom is a good bassist, you should hear him play drums. Man, he will blow you away.

 

[Cosmicrain]

Here's a pic' of Tom in his back garden in Essex. Holding his Zoot custom 6.

 

[jpTron]

That bass is so sweet

 

[fu22ba55]

In my opinion, Squarepusher is an electronic musician first, and a bass player after that (he'd probably disagree or have some other esoteric comment about this).

+1

It's my understanding that he got really into recording tracks, programming beats etc... so he could have something to play bass over.

Once he hit it out of the park with the electronic stuff (Go Plastic, Do You Know Squarepusher) he seemed to go back to playing bass more since EVERYONE started to do glitch stuff and copy his programming/electronic style a bit.

He's an amazing bass player (and drummer, and keys player/programmer, mad scientist), but his bass playing is what I enjoy the least about him. I like his electronic stuff more than his bass playing.

There are thousands of great bass players out there: Yawn.

His programming/electronica however is unique and amazing.

Genius? Hard to say. That word carries too many connotations. Mighty? Yes.

 

[Snipper!]

As far as I'm concerned he is the next level of musicality, much, much more than a solitary bass player, he is a composer with incredible forward thinking and fantastic ability, very fresh, very cool!

 

[Dan B]

I also was introduced to Squarepusher via electronic music such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, and the like, and honestly, I don't see him as a bassist. Genius in electronic music? Hell yes; Iambic 9 Poetry is amazing and I love Do You Know Squarepusher and Rustic Raver. But I see him as an electronic composer that uses his bass as a tool to add to his music; it just turns out he's really good at bass. So yes, he is much more than a solitary bass player, but he is in a different realm of bass players; much less so "bass player" and more composer.